PhD skills you need to have that no-one told you about

Are you in your first year of Ph.D. studies, or considering enrolling? Recent studies show that roughly half of all doctoral students leave their programs — some with perfect GPAs. This article reviews the most common challenges and the practical skills that can help you stay, adapt, and finish.

Problem 1: Lack of guidance — you are your own project manager.

• Find a collaborator or co-advisor in your department who has time for you.
• Seek out experts outside your group who can give direction and feedback.
• Work on a small, well-defined problem first; increase complexity over time.
• Remember: the goal of graduate school is to learn how to do research, not to win a Nobel prize.

Problem 2: Friction with your supervisor.

• Never let conflict fester — address issues early and professionally.
• Learn how peers communicate effectively with your advisor and adopt those habits.
• Schedule regular check-ins and always come prepared with a progress update.
• Build a network of mentors beyond your advisor; you will need them for recommendations later.

Problem 3: Difficulty multitasking — learn time management.

• Protect your most productive hours for deep work; handle email in a fixed window.
• Decline meetings that do not serve your progress.
• Read at least one paper per day; do not skip weekends entirely.
• Find the time-management method that fits your working style and stick with it.

Problem 4: Losing track of tasks.

• Use a structured planner (Pomodoro, kanban, etc.) and commit to it.
• Maintain monthly, weekly, and daily task lists. Distinguish mandatory from optional work.
• Log every small step — searching for a conference, drafting an email — so progress is visible.
• Reward yourself when you finish what you planned, even with something small.

Problem 5: Managing the literature.

• Use reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley) from day one.
• Start building your state-of-the-art early; keep a reading journal with critical notes.
• Stay focused — there is always more to read; ruthlessly cut what is not directly relevant.

Problem 6: Lack of motivation.

• Do not wait for external motivation — identify what drives you and cultivate it.
• Acknowledge small wins; be patient with slow progress.

Problem 7: Isolation.

• Stay connected with your lab-mates and department community.
• Maintain friendships and hobbies outside of research.
• Expand your network early: attend events, give feedback to peers, ask for theirs.

Problem 8: Feeling irrelevant.

• Apply for conference scholarships and attend doctoral symposia.
• Seek out mentoring programs and professional development workshops.
• Get involved with communities such as AnitaB, Women in Engineering, or Systers.

Problem 9: Communicating your work.

• Practice with informal talks in your group or to colleagues and ask for honest feedback.
• Study how experienced researchers present their work; borrow their framing.
• Ask others questions about their research — it builds rapport and sharpens your own thinking.

Problem 10: Self-assessment.

• Regularly review the skills you have developed and identify gaps.
• Think ahead about where you want to work and start connecting with people there now.

Key takeaways:

• Believe in yourself — you are capable of finishing.
• Plan your time and protect your relationship with your advisor.
• Your dissertation does not need to be perfect; it needs to be done.
• Find a topic you care about, take care of your health, and maintain the relationships that matter.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn.