Hello again,
Another short week has passed again due to easter Monday (a public holiday in Germany) as well as a lot of work. In this week’s post, I want to discuss my motivation and what led to me pursuing a PhD. Honestly, since starting my studies in 2018 I never seriously considered following such a path and it was always more of a ‘what if you would eventually have a PhD’. Even at the beginning of my master’s, I didn’t feel like this would become my next step.
However, my interest in space travel and exploration, particularly within the European Space Agency (ESA), began to blossom. As I delved deeper into ESA's work, I noticed a stark difference from typical roles in end product manufacturing. The atmosphere felt more cutting-edge, less rigidly structured. Previous internships left me feeling unfulfilled, with limited freedom for research and innovation.
In my past internships, I rarely felt fulfilled and the people around me had pretty much set tasks and little individual freedom in terms of research and creating their own methods, etc. Maybe I was just in the wrong departments and unlucky with what I experienced but I decided that this way of working would not fulfill me. Nonetheless, I am very grateful for the opportunities I got and the experiences I had. I also was able to identify a lot about what I seek in my future career which for me is the most valuable lesson you can learn during an internship. Sometimes it is less about discovering what you want but more about what you don’t want because this will always subsequently lead you to your path of discovering what you would like for yourself.
Despite knowing that a PhD doesn't offer boundless freedom in designing one's work environment, it did appear to align with my expectations. In a PhD program, particularly at Esslingen University, you are responsible for your project's trajectory. Though initial problem descriptions and methodologies are provided, the execution and modifications are largely up to you, within budget and equipment constraints.
Coming back to how I ended up pursuing a PhD. At ESA, the minimum requirement is a Master's degree, and nowadays, the minimum often isn't enough. While nothing is guaranteed, I thought it might be an added bonus to eventually end up at ESA, preferably in Noordwijk (the Netherlands). During my master's program, we had to complete a project, and it was during this project that I began to enjoy scientific work to such a degree, including research methodology, and the evaluation and interpretation of results. This interest grew further during my master's thesis at Fraunhofer, an established research institute. I appreciated the opportunity to work on advanced topics with the freedom to pursue my own ideas and methods, whilst discussing them with my co-workers. All of this made me more open to pursuing a PhD. However, at that point, I still felt that I would only pursue it if a position was offered to me. Towards the end of my project, the professor in charge offered me a position. It took me a while to consider it, as it could be a life-determining decision. Consequently, I didn’t accept the position for over a month.
When I finally responded and accepted the position, the German government stopped all funding due to budget constraints. Since the project wasn't fully authorized yet, it was put on hold for an undetermined time. As it's often said, regrets make us realize what we truly want, and I realized that I would have really liked that position. Fortunately, another professor from a different department asked me about my plans after my master's and if I could see myself working at his institute. This time, I didn’t hesitate for too long and accepted the offer. The path of a PhD is certainly not for everyone and must be well considered.
Best regards from Stuttgart,
Robin