Two years have passed since I started my PhD, and recently I have been reflecting at what I have learned. It has been a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs. There were many sleepless nights, frustrating moments and of course, many learning experiences.

In this article, I would like to share with you 10 lessons I have learned throughout the past 2 years while being a research student in a field related to data science. If you are planning to start an academic career or you have already started, I hope you find these 10 lessons useful. Let’s get started.

1. Study the literature with a critical-thinking mindset

The important thing is not to stop questioning.

— Albert Einstein

Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

The related work in your field holds all the knowledge you need to know. If you are new to research and searching for a topic, the best place to look for is the existing work in your field. However, remember to have an open mind when reading others’ work. Don’t blindly believe everything and always ask questions. Think about what you would do if you were to solve the problem and the reasons behind your choice of methods.

I have been messing with tools to benchmark different datasets since the beginning of my PhD.

#education #data-science #experience #learning #research