Mentoring

After much thinking I have accepted the mentoring that is available to me as a CommercialiSE Fellow. 

Recently my old boss pointed out that I would gain a lot more focus on, and complete more quickly, my PhD if I had some clarity about what I was going to do with myself afterwards.  It is apparently a  great motivator, and can help with that little problem I have with trying to appease too many groups at once.

There were three clear options:

• Go out get a job, make money
  • Appealing.  I have been a student or employed researcher for many years now, and money is suddenly something that I am aware I would like...
• Do consultancy and/or build a business from the consultancy and any output from my PhD
  • Risky but potentially rewarding.  I lack a clear idea of how to develop a business from what I am currently doing, but have some entrepreneurship training.
• Stay in academia
  • My original plan.  A relaxed and varied work environment that will tax me, and never bore me, for the rest of my career if I chose.  Academia is one of the few  true 'career' paths remaining these days.  I already have experience in research and teaching (even if I don't love the latter I know I am more than adequate at it).

I'm still not decided, but on meeting my potential mentor I realised that she was someone who would challenge me.  This is something I have been lacking recently, and the idea of someone who is capable of keeping me in check was fascinating.  As it stands any business I could build would not be scalable, but it may be that something could be productised over the next year and a half from my work.  We shall explore and by the end I will know whether this option is a workable one.

Our agreement stands: as long as I do the work.

Next I'll be venturing into the heady world of market analysis.