Why Ph.D. Students Are Potential Entrepreneurs?
A perspective from a Ph.D.candidate in Entrepreneurship
The purpose of a Ph.D. is not just about producing an original piece of excellent research. Neither is obtaining a degree certificate. Instead, it’s about driving changes in society through the conclusions of 3 (in the best case scenario) years of hard research.
As an entrepreneur, to enroll in a Ph.D. program one must be a little bit crazy. You’re giving up the possibility to have a traditional steady job with a steady and real salary. Instead, by enrolling in a Ph.D. you agree to 3 years ( again best case scenario) of limited (see precarious) salary that is far from being aligned to the amount of work involved. And what is worst is that, depending on the field, once you obtain your Ph.D. you are likely to be too qualified for a job outside academia. Certainly, money is not the (sole) ambition.
As an entrepreneur, a Ph.D. Candidate must truly believe in his thesis (idea). To achieve successfully your dissertation, you need to be intrinsically motivated towards your research problem. You need to be confident about your skills for fulfilling the thesis requirements and you have to be extremely optimist about the outcomes of your research. Without intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy (confidence in one skills) and optimism…
