[BobbyTables2]

I feel one also has to have a drive for “marketing” their idea and that is 50% of the PhD. Or at least a blind enthusiasm that they are doing something significantly better than previous work.

How else does one stand up and proclaim that the fruits of years of labor and expense of a small fortune is an incremental improvement ?

While working on a project for a class, I once found a solution to a particular problem that hadn’t been really solved. Got to do a conference poster. Someone asked if it was my PhD topic (it wasn’t). I felt it was too silly to even count toward such. The problem likely had not been unsolved because very few ever cared.

(I eventually dropped out)

Instead I write software mostly with no UI that nobody ever sees. But I enjoy the work and can convince myself that someone finds it useful.