Has the journey been as anticipated?

PhD journey and lifestyle of a millenial…

I just had the desire to document my journey as a PhD student in a safe community and inform another student whether post graduate or undergraduate out there that you are not alone in your journey. The struggles and joy and every other emotion that goes with being a student is not felt by you alone.

Has this journey been everything I anticipated?

Absolutely Not!

It is no where near anything I anticipated that is if I had any expectations. I just wanted to come to school, study and very well and have fun while at it. I mean can’t studying just be fun? Must I sacrifice having a life for academics? Can’t the two just flourish together? These are my burning questions. If you ask these questions then you’ve got company and welcome to the community.

When I started the program immediately after completing a masters degree, I figured that since the PhD takes a minimum of three years to complete then I could have time for myself and have a life, a little breathing spacing in between. Here I am now in my second year and I have not yet completed my departmental proposal document. Where has all the time gone?

What have I been doing all this time you may ask?

I will say time grew extra pair of legs and ran faster. I haven’t got my breating space yet. I had a major health breakdown in my first to attest to that. There is always one conference that seemed more urgent than the thesis, a lecture to teach, a friend to listen to etc. While I want to focus all my energy on the thesis, I am still trying to grasp on the aspect of my life that exist outside of school and books and journals.

So now what?

One thing is certain, time is not going to slow down, I can only offer to run up and catch up with but it will only run further away.

I don’t know about you but I am determined to excel in this program while being a recognizable human. This calls for routine change and better time management skills.

Till next post, this is your Sassy Professor.