UC Davis

Researchers do research for all kinds of reasonsbecause we want to learn more about the subject matter, because we like working with the other people who do research or the places where research is done, or because we just like the research process . . . or, perhaps, because we want to figure out what makes something work or solve a problem. Many reasons exist, each just as valid as any other. In my own work, a few years ago, I noticed that I was gradually shifting toward wanting to do something that other people used and found useful. At the same time, although I didnt really notice it until much later, successfully making that change was much harder than I thought it would be at the outset. Just pick a practical problem that other people need solved, and solve it, right? Just picking a practical problem and charging in has definitely not been easy, at least for me.