Research

Motivation

Taka: "While the ideal is for you to work on problems that you love and find interesting, keep in mind that for your career the goal is to write papers that get noticed and cited. There will be times when your love for the subject will take care of everything else; there will be other times when you have to keep the big professional picture in mind to motivate yourself to kick your own ass."

Time management

Taka: "When it comes to your research, you are self-employed. Once you're done with classes, you'll be expected to do research almost full-time, and this can be a very difficult transition (it was for me). Three quotes I find useful: My branch manager Mark, from my days in finance:'You can set your own hours. Come in when you think you should, and work until you feel like going home. But ask yourself how many people you know personally who are successful that get to work after 9AM, or who don't work 40 hours a week.' Kristen Menou: 'Not all of the things we do for research is fun. Some of it is just boring and dull. But we still have to do it, even me and the other professors.' Aristotle: 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.' It's easy to sleep in, or leave early, especially when there are so many fun things to do in NYC, and especially if your research is going slow. But in the end, remember that you're accountable for your own progress, and for me, that meant putting in the hours, and that was very hard because I spent my entire HS+college career as a slacker. If you don't have good work habits, build them."

Emotional toll and burnout

Taka: "I had a point in 2008~2009 where I was not getting any research done. It got to the point where the guilt and pressure I was putting on myself was unhealthy and counterproductive, and I could not concentrate or make any progress, no matter how many hours I sat at my desk. Not only did I have serious doubts that I would not succeed in the field, I contemplated on multiple occasions making use of the Pupin roof to be done with my misery. When things stop being fun, talk to your friends, talk to your advisors, and use the counseling services available at Columbia."