What motivates you to do research? 9 Researchers share their thoughts

During my undergraduate and postgraduate years, my circle of friends included a few people who were pursuing their PhD degrees. It was easy to see how our lives differed. My days were filled with classes and assignments (and quite a bit of free time), while theirs was mostly free time. Or so I thought. They got paid for studying, while I made no money off of my efforts. So, the grass definitely seemed greener on the PhD patch.