Graduate Journal: At the crossroads.

This article discusses the dilemma faced by the author, who is a second-year PhD student in biotechnology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland. As he approaches the halfway point in his PhD, the question about what to do after graduate school is becoming more pressing to him. His decision is between pursuing the his academic research further, or taking an entrepreneurial path. The choice may ultimately depend on the success of his research, altering the catalytic properties of enzymes, an important aspect in biocatalysis. If his experiments succeed, they may open academic doors: if not, there are other options that he would like to explore, such as founding of a company.