Among many obstacles, my lower competency in the biology subdiscipline I chose for my PhD was one of the biggest challenges. I switched from applied sciences (agriculture) to pure sciences (botany). It was not just botany, but working with large-scale data which requires cutting-edge computational skills. I had no computation skills when I started my graduate studies. I had to work (and sometimes compete) with scientists who had a deep knowledge of botany and bioinformatics. I felt stupid when I was among them. But, I worked hard in the new field, so that I learned a lot in that field. It was a huge workload in my PhD and I had no time to handle everything in this unfamiliar territory. But, I allocated specific time slots for each and everything. I could have used lots of excuses and complaints, but I decided not to use them. Sometimes, I felt helpless because I did further studies in a foreign country far away from my friends and loved ones. But, I learned how to support myself and gradually found good friends. Lots of things happened against me but I turned all of them into courageous thoughts. Finally, everything worked well.