In graduate school everyone has to do "research" and a lot of it is going along the path of least resistance and wouldn't make any more difference to the world than a beetle fart. That's ok for practice, but for a full-time researcher, a bigger view means a more meaningful life all around.
As one of my research teachers used to say, "first ask yourself if it passes the 'So what' test before you spend a lot of time on it."
I didn't know they had to "TEACH" common sense.
In graduate school everyone has to do "research" and a lot of it is going along the path of least resistance and wouldn't make any more difference to the world than a beetle fart. That's ok for practice, but for a full-time researcher, a bigger view means a more meaningful life all around.