Latest / R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
You’re Wasting Your PhD by Playing It Safe
Everyone tells you to be bold—but when you’re actually in the middle of a PhD, or building something real, all you feel is pressure.
Pressure to finish quickly.
To not mess up.
To not look like a failure.
So what do you do?
You choose the “safe” project.
You chase metrics.
You kill the weird idea that kept you up at night.
I’ve seen this story unfold a hundred times—students who could’ve done something incredible… but didn’t. Not because they lacked talent, but because they were afraid.
Afraid of what their advisor would say.
Afraid of wasting time.
Afraid of looking stupid.
And here’s the…
The skinny
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