For graduate students and some undergraduate students, the pursuit of a PhD degree is a very important goal for their future career. This period could be one of the most precious/critical moments in their life for their skill development. Facing this changing and competitive modern world, what are the necessary skills that a graduate student needs to develop? I will give some of my personal thoughts on this subject combining our research on stroke treatment, and explain in detail how research is conducted. I hope this talk will be useful for both the graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing PhD degree.