Your career

Congratulations! Your started your journey of graduate study! This is probably the best and most important time of your life. During this journey, you not only explore the unknown areas of science and technology, but also explore yourself, your potentials, your life-long interests, and your future. You are still called a student, however, graduate study is not about taking courses or getting a degree. Actually, this is the start of your professional career, no matter where you will end up, academia or industry. So, use this opportunity to grow yourself into a mature, intellectual, and independent individual. I'm here to help you! I wish this experience is going to be beneficial for your entire life.

<aside> 📖 *You and Your Research by J. F. Kaiser*

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<aside> 📖 *So long, and thanks for the PhD by R. T. Azuma*

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<aside> 📖 *The PhD Grind by P. Guo*

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Skills you aim to develop

Throughout the journey of graduate study, you should aim to strengthen or develop the following essential skills. These skills will be of great help for your future career.

• Coding: A solid prototyping skill will get your ideas onto the ground faster. I value learning by doing. Depending on your projects, you will need to be proficient in full-stack web development (e.g., D3.js, NodeJS, React.js), data analytics and modeling (e.g., numpy, scipy, Tensorflow, Pytorch), and programming on various devices (e.g., VR/AR glasses, mobile phones).
• Academic writing: This will be the core of your learning, which is probably the most difficult skill to acquire. I could help you write most of your first paper, some of your second paper, and expect you to be more independent later.
• Creative thinking: You will need to come up with ideas independently and grow into a research mindset. You will need to be always curious about the world and seek solutions to hard problems.
• Presentation: This will be another core of your learning, which will boost and magnify the impact of your work. You will need to become an excellent speaker. Academic is about sharing and articulating ideas. Attending conferences and giving talks will be your most enjoyable experience.
• Networking: Building connections in the research community will definitely be the most valuable resource. You will need to know how to manage and leverage these resources for your career goals.
• Time and stress management: Life is not perfect and there will always be downturns. You will need to become effective and resilient.
• Training juniors: You will have the opportunity to work with junior students or undergrads. Take this chance to practice your mentoring and leadership skills.

<aside> 📖 *Networking on the Network: A Guide to Professional Skills for PhD Students by P. Agre*

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Expectation

Your thesis is going to be something that you are really proud of. It is not just a document but an intellectual contribution to society. Along the way, you are also going to carry out some fun side-projects, present your work at top conferences, collaborate with larger teams, do internships, etc.

In general, you should try to produce 1 high-quality work per year, which goes into your thesis work. That is, for an M.Math. thesis, you should have 1 to 2 high-quality works that are publishable at the top venues in your immediate fields (e.g., ACM CHI, IEEE VIS); for a Ph.D. thesis, you should have 3 to 5 high-quality works on relevant topics, which forms a coherent story about a bigger research problem. However, sometimes things fall apart, and that is fine. This is the nature of research. The key point is trying hard!

<aside> 📖 *How thesis get written by S. Easterbrook*

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