Assalamualaikum & Hello everybody,
Being a newbie (or noob as the
younger generation would say), I am eager. Over excited or maybe I am just lazy
to do my work. Well, whatever the reason is, here I am with another posting.
It's called PhD Myths 101. Why? Well, this has a lot to do with me before I
embarked my journey. I hear people talk about PhD, mostly scary and negative
stories. I was somehow influenced by it. Thank goodness, my perspective changed
as I walk the journey myself. To date, it is not as bad as I would imagined or
heard. I hope this situation remains until I complete my studies.
So, here's the 2 myths I want to share with you....
Myth #1
IT IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY
Upon completing my Master’s degree
back in 2004, I was sure that PhD is definitely not for me. I was sure that I
am not going to pursue PhD fearing that it is too hard and I won’t be able to
do it. After 5 ++ years of teaching, I applied for a PhD scholarship because by
then my take on PhD changed. As I mature, I begin to realize that PhD is
do-able and it is for everybody, as long as we are willing to work hard and
persevere. In fact, a senior colleague of mine made this statement about PhD
and I think at some level, I agreed with him. He added “PhD is for everyone
because it is a journey of self-discovery”. At the end of the journey, you
realize a lot of things about yourself. In fact, what happened after PhD is
more important that the PhD itself. Who you’ve become after the journey
matters. So, with these words, I braved myself to give it a go.
I am now 8 months (enrolled July2012)
into my candidature and I still believe I am able to complete my PhD if I
maintain the right mindset, set a realistic timeline and most importantly
PERSEVERE. Even though I am still considered ‘green’ in the journey, I have learn a lot. I have to admit that indeed this is a journey of self-discovery.
PhD is a full time job, a typical 9-5 office job (sometimes during the weekend
too), but if we set our intentions straight and open our hearts real wide, the
journey would be an enjoyable one. I am keeping my positive attitude to a
maximum because negativity brings nothing good.
Myth #2
IT IS A LONELY JOURNEY
Being an extrovert, the notion of a
lonely journey scares me a lot. I am used to being around people and I love
that. ‘No man (or woman) is an island” right? So if it is going to be a lonely
journey, I knew instantly I am not cut for it.
Somehow, upon embarking the journey I am determined to make my journey
an exciting and not a lonely one. It is true; working with your research requires
a lot of focus and time away from people. PhD students tend to isolate
themselves because research is not an easy task and I totally agree with that.
But, realistically PhD need not be a lonely journey. Yes, we have to focus and
work hard but there is 24 hours in a day and taking a 30minute break to catch
up with fellow colleagues or simply enjoying a ‘cuppa’ is not bad at all. In
fact I think these break are so important just to make sure that you are still
in touch with what is going on. It is a good way to ensure your very own
sanity. LOL!
PhD is not YOUR LIFE, it is part of
your life. Life goes on whether you are a PhD student or not. I really think it
is up to us to make of our journey and I am determined that my journey is not a
lonely one. Engaging in a club or society is also a good idea. Luckily, in my
faculty all the PhD students are united under a club. This is a clever way to
socialize, network, exchange or share ideas. We have meeting/gathering
every 6 weeks and I think it is reasonable. Apart from that I just joined The
Crafts Club (even though I am not very crafty or creative) but I reckon this is
going to provide a positive distraction from my research and also a way to
ensure that my journey is not lonely.
Thank You for reading
Miss F
