I’d say one of the important things to know is it’s not just about thinking of stuff and doing stuff, it’s also communicating stuff. If you want to do what you want to do, you have to explain it to people well so they will support it. Science is almost never done just because it’s cool. It’s done because somebody really wants to help you find out. So you have to ask for a company to sponsor your work, or your family to sponsor your work, or your government to sponsor your work. One way or another you’re always persuading somebody of something’s importance. So think about persuasion. Study English and writing, and master the art of explaining things. So if your mom can understand why you’re excited about what you do, maybe the funding agency will also. So my advice there is to give a lot of thought to good writing and good communicating. Practice it.