PhD Myths 101

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