Get Comfortable with not knowing

The assumption is that a PhD candidate is very knowledgeable. Probably knows everything about everything. As a matter of fact, to qualify for a PhD placement in any institution in the world, you need to present proof of excellence by exhibiting your previous degrees.

Here is the shocker! When you start this journey, it’s like an unveiling occurs, presenting things you do not know. The more you read and research, the more you realise that you do not know many things. And for some, this is where their imposter syndrome starts. You begin to question whether you deserved all the previous degrees you ever received. You begin to ask yourself how you even came this far with all the things you don’t know.

I know this because I have been there, and I am not completely over it if I am honest. Like you, I was not told that PhD involves stepping into the unknown, and for you to succeed in this journey, you need to be comfortable with not knowing. PhD is a synonym for unchartered territory. I mean unchartered by you like they say there is no new research. You need to be comfortable with the realisation that there is a lot you don’t know. 

For some of us, it is strange to respond to a question with ‘I don’t know’. Let me tell you this, you gonna be making lots of such statements in your journey. That’s why you need to get comfortable with not knowing for you to channel your energy to know what you don’t know.

The beauty in this is that not knowing is the gateway to learning. I always tell my undergraduate students that if they knew what I had to teach them, they wouldn’t be in my class. Therefore, they should be comfortable with getting a few answers wrong in class. 

For us PhD candidates, it’s not easy to get comfortable with getting answers wrong because our bachelors and masters degrees is a testament to how knowledgeable we are. Well, guess what, we don’t know it all. There is still so much more to learn, and that’s why there is something called a PhD. 

If we can overcome the fear of not knowing, then we can progress in the journey whilst being conscious of the fact that a PhD research opens different doors that present new knowledge to be gained. So be comfortable to step in the door and know something new.