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I have to agree with this. I'm also in math grad school after numerous startups. The hardest part about transitioning from math undergrad to graduate school i

I have to agree with this. I'm also in math grad school after numerous startups. The hardest part about transitioning from math undergrad to graduate school is that you know assign problems in undergrad have a solution, you just have to go out and find it. Research problems just might not have a solution in reach of existing technology. However, I find the difficulty and uncertainty of research mathematics much worse than anything I encountered even in research-heavy startups. Depends on what you're working on, I guess.

deleted 15y ago
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cottonseed 15y ago
The idea of fear in research is not a new one. I'm reminded of the classic quotes by Dirac, "Scientific progress advances in units of courage, not intelligence." and of the classic essay by Ivan Sutherland, "Courage and Technology." I think fear can be a valuable signal. If your success rate is a discouraging 1%, fear might be trying to tell you that you need to find a smarter way to solve the problem than blind (or even moderately educated) guessing. Often in mathematics, at least, you can discover things about the structure of a solution before you find it, things which in turn can help you find the solution. Often the discouragement of a few failed attempts pushes me to step back and trying to think about the problem in a deeper and smarter way.