Reverb10 – Day 24: Everything’s OK
December 24 Prompt – Everything’s OK
What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?
(Author: Kate Inglis)
I’ve come across little encouraging moments. The first, and probably most noteworthy was the first PhD course which I took last February.
Finally, other aspects of doing a PhD were discussed. A young assistant professor talked about her experiences. I learned that it is normal that sometimes your progress is slower than expected, or that sometimes it is hard to find your motivation. These were true eye-openers for me.
I thought it was all about stamina, and having “weak” moments was a flaw only seen in “weaker” students. Little did I know about the whole PhD process.
After this course, my own search continued. I read a few books, enrolled for another PhD training course which goes deeper and attended some workshops to sharpen my soft skills. Bit by bit my understanding of the entire process of doing a PhD has been growing, and likewise my confidence in my own research and myself (at least a bit) has grown.
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This Post Has 2 Comments
Very awesome. I have thought about dropping out of my doctoral program on several occasions. The workload is tough and sometimes I feel like no one knows what I going through. It is definitely good to know that other doctoral students feel the same way.BTW, I am glad that I stuck with the program. My cohort is great, my professors are supportive, and the degree program is designed in such a way that I can focus my research on the areas of my interest – not just during the dissertation phase. So, keep going. You'll get through it. We all will.
Thanks for your comment, and the encouraging words. Overall I really enjoy my PhD: I'm learning so much and I get a lot of good opportunities. But it has helped me a lot to realize that not all of this needs to be shiny brilliantly perfect work, that I can show where I need advice on the theoretical work or when I need something to boost my enthusiasm and motivation again.