> At the time my main concern was the self-starter aspect of it: if I'm not given a specific task to do like I have been since the age of 6, how will I get anything done?
A good program will treat the PhD process like an apprenticeship. You owe your supervisor support and/or a small number of papers in exchange for a salary and training. While there is some leeway for independent research, you use existing work as a starting point for your dissertation.
A good program will treat the PhD process like an apprenticeship. You owe your supervisor support and/or a small number of papers in exchange for a salary and training. While there is some leeway for independent research, you use existing work as a starting point for your dissertation.