Chave learned the ecology, molecular biology, and chemistry he needed by talking to colleagues, going to seminars, and reading papers.

Acquiring the necessary skills is “a question of the student taking the initiative to familiarize him[self] or herself with other areas,” says Daniel Simberloff, a community ecologist working on forests at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Along with some happy feelings, "all [Ph.D. students] experience a kind of a letdown ... about that feeling of this big project not being there anymore," says psychologist Mary McKinney.

"The key is to take advantage of whatever assets you have in your life. Get everything you possibly can out of your opportunities," says Aifantis's former high school principal, Kass Simila.