In 2012, after years of research, late nights, and countless cups of coffee, I earned my PhD in Computer Science from the University of Geneva. At the time, I thought a doctorate was primarily a ticket to an academic career, a path leading to professorships, research grants, and lecture halls. But as the years went by, I realized that the true value of a PhD extended far beyond the walls of a university. The skills I developed through the process of obtaining my doctorate have shaped my professional and personal life in ways I never expected.

The Art of Problem-Solving

One of the most profound skills I gained during my PhD was the ability to tackle complex, ambiguous problems. In research, there are no answer keys, no predefined solutions,just questions waiting to be explored. I learned how to break down big problems into manageable pieces, how to explore different approaches, and, most importantly, how to persist even when the solution seemed impossible. This ability to think critically and solve problems has been invaluable, whether I’m working on cutting-edge software, running a business, or even making strategic life decisions.

Independence and Resilience

A PhD is, in many ways, an exercise in self-motivation. There were times when my research seemed to be going nowhere, when experiments failed, when I had to rewrite an entire chapter of my dissertation because a new piece of data changed everything. Through it all, I had to learn resilience, the ability to pick myself up after failure, re-evaluate, and push forward. This mindset has served me well in every aspect of my career. Whether in tech, entrepreneurship, or industry, resilience is what separates those who give up from those who ultimately succeed.

Communication and Persuasion

Before my PhD, I thought research was about discovering new things. What I didn’t fully appreciate was that it’s also about explaining those discoveries in a way that others can understand and appreciate. Whether presenting at conferences, defending my thesis, or writing papers, I had to learn how to communicate complex ideas clearly. This skill has been incredibly useful outside academia, whether pitching an idea to a client, leading a team, or simply explaining a technical concept to a non-technical audience.

Project and Time Management

A PhD is essentially a multi-year project with an uncertain outcome. Unlike structured jobs, where tasks are clearly defined, PhD students must plan their own research, set deadlines, and adapt as new challenges arise. I learned how to manage long-term projects, balance multiple responsibilities, and stay organized even when faced with chaos. In industry, these skills translate directly into leadership, product development, and strategic planning.

The Value of Deep Work

One of the most underrated benefits of a PhD is the ability to do deep, focused work. In a world filled with distractions, the ability to sit down for hours and think through a problem, write a paper, or develop a new idea is rare. Through my doctoral studies, I learned how to block out noise and engage deeply with my work, something that has given me a competitive edge in every role I’ve taken on since.

A PhD Is Not Just for Academia

Many people assume that if you earn a PhD, you’re destined for academia. But in reality, the skills gained through the PhD process are applicable in countless fields. I’ve seen PhD holders excel in industry research, data science, artificial intelligence, finance, consulting, entrepreneurship, and beyond. The rigorous training in critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication prepares you for high-level challenges in virtually any profession.

For me, my PhD was not just about becoming an expert in a niche field of Computer Science. It was about learning how to approach problems, how to think deeply, how to communicate, and how to persevere. These lessons continue to shape my career and my life every day.

Interviews are supposed to be a meaningful process—a chance for employers to evaluate candidates beyond their resumes and for candidates to present their true selves. Yet, in reality, job interviews have become a performance of pre-scripted responses, arbitrary assessments, and superficial judgments. Instead of being an honest and humane process, interviews often reinforce stereotypes, follow outdated scripts, and serve as a mere checkbox exercise for recruiters.

The Problem with Interviews Today

Modern hiring processes prioritize efficiency over effectiveness. Recruiters are often more concerned with fitting candidates into predefined boxes rather than truly understanding their skills, potential, and personality. Here’s why:

1. Stereotyped Expectations Many companies still expect candidates to fit a rigid mold. If a candidate doesn’t display the “right” body language, doesn’t smile enough, or doesn’t answer in a rehearsed way, they may be dismissed—regardless of their competence. These arbitrary expectations favor extroverts, overconfident speakers, and those trained to “game” the interview rather than those who would actually excel at the job.
2. Useless and Repetitive Questions “Where do you see yourself in five years?” “What is your greatest weakness?” “Why should we hire you?” These questions have been asked so many times that candidates prepare generic responses rather than offering genuine insight. Do these questions actually predict job performance? Not really. They serve as filler to give the illusion of evaluation while failing to assess real-world competence.
3. Bias in Disguise Despite claims of fairness, interviews often reinforce unconscious biases. Recruiters might unknowingly favor candidates who share their background, interests, or personality. “Culture fit” often becomes an excuse to hire people who think and act like the existing team, shutting out diverse perspectives.
4. Over-Reliance on Psychological Tricks Many interview techniques are based on flawed psychological assumptions. Stress interviews, for instance, aim to test a candidate’s composure but often just create unnecessary pressure. “Trick questions” designed to measure intelligence often only expose whether someone has encountered that type of question before.
5. Lack of Job Relevance Interviews often fail to focus on the actual work being done. Instead of assessing practical skills, companies rely on resume regurgitation, theoretical discussions, and personality-based judgments. A brilliant programmer might be eliminated because they failed to “sell themselves” properly, while a charismatic but underqualified candidate gets hired because they know how to charm interviewers.

A Better Way to Hire

If interviews are broken, what’s the solution? Companies should move towards a hiring process that is actually reflective of the work being done:

• Practical Assessments Over Talk Instead of asking vague or rehearsed questions, let candidates demonstrate their skills. Coding tests, writing samples, design challenges, or short work simulations are far better indicators of ability than an interview performance.
• Structured, Fair Evaluations Rather than leaving hiring decisions to subjective impressions, structured rubrics should be used to evaluate candidates based on clear, job-relevant criteria.
• Transparency in Hiring Candidates should be judged for what they bring to the table, not how well they fit into arbitrary expectations. Companies should be upfront about what they’re looking for and avoid unnecessary theatrics in the process.
• Eliminate Unnecessary Barriers Does every job really require a formal interview? Some roles may be better assessed through portfolio reviews, trial work, or short-term project evaluations.

I used to think that if I wasn’t going to do something perfectly, I shouldn’t do it at all. That mindset held me back for years. I’d look at people who seemed effortlessly successful and think, “I’ll start when I know I can do it right.” But here’s the thing—most of them weren’t as effortless as they seemed. They had failed, stumbled, and started over more times than I could count. I just didn’t see it.

For a long time, I was caught in a strange illusion. It’s easy to look good when you do nothing. No mistakes, no failures, no embarrassing moments—just a clean, untouched potential. But that’s all it was: potential. And potential that sits unused isn’t worth much.

I remember the first time I seriously decided to take action on something outside my comfort zone. I was working on a project that I had been thinking about for years. At first, I tried to make everything perfect. I would tweak and tweak, never really finishing anything because I was afraid of putting out something that wasn’t flawless. But eventually, I realized that perfection was just an excuse to avoid failure. So, I took a deep breath and released something that was just good enough.

And guess what? It wasn’t perfect. People had feedback. Some things worked, others didn’t. But the most important thing was that it existed. I could improve it. I could refine it. I could take what I learned and make it better.

That’s when it hit me—doing something, even if it’s flawed, is always better than doing nothing. Because when you do nothing, you never get the chance to improve. You never get to see what works and what doesn’t. You never get the opportunity to build momentum.

Failing is not the opposite of success. It’s a necessary step toward it. The people who succeed aren’t the ones who got everything right the first time. They’re the ones who kept going after they got it wrong.

Looking back, I realize how much time I wasted trying to look good by avoiding failure. The irony is that the people I admire the most aren’t the ones who never failed—they’re the ones who failed, learned, and kept moving forward. They’re the ones who took risks, made mistakes, and refused to let those mistakes define them.

So, if you’re hesitating to start something because you’re afraid it won’t be perfect, I’ll tell you what I wish someone had told me sooner: Do it anyway. Do it badly if you have to. Let it be messy, let it be awkward, let it be far from what you envisioned. But do it. Because the sooner you start, the sooner you can learn, improve, and grow.

And one day, you’ll look back and realize that all those failures weren’t roadblocks. They were stepping stones.