Mistakes I have made since PhD journey

Like everyone else, I am not perfect. I have made mistakes since starting this journey and I know I will still make more later on. Mistakes are not a testament of how irresponsible I am but it also goes to show that I am human as every other person. Let one who is without mistakes be the first to cast stones.

I don’t consider mistakes as a bad thing, its not taking responsibility and owning up to it that can be bad. Here is me owning up to mine and sharing it with you with the hope that you can avoid making the same if you haven’t yet. But if you have made the same mistakes then let’s toast to makes made on the journey to PhD (Cheers!!).

Not Preparing: It is high time I admitted that I wasn’t prepared for this PhD. I can’t differentiate between not preparing for what to expect and not preparing for the journey at all. I think it is both. I didn’t know what to expect. I just went right from Master to PhD thinking it will be the same process but guess what it is not the same. Imagine my surprise.
Not enough research: I did not do enough research on what it means to do a PhD. The only thing I researched about was the schools I would like to go for the program but not the program itself. I really set myself up in this case. I only searched after being on the program and realized there were resources out there that could help me out if only I had searched.
Not Planning: is it any surprise that I did not plan? I mean how do I plan for something I was not prepared for. I was not prepared so I couldn’t plan. If I had made plans based on the insufficient information I had, the plan would have flopped right from the onset.
Listening to People: Don’t get the wrong idea listening to people is good especially people who have achieved the same thing you are aiming to achieve. I am talking of other PhD graduates, your mentors etc. However, listen for the complete information. I cannot stress that enough. Make sure you are not listening to only the things you want to hear. This is a big mistake, I know that because I made it already. I listened to people tell me why getting a PhD is important, how it can enhance my career, but I didn’t listen for what it will entail to be a successful PhD graduate. The extra endurance, perseverance I needed to develop or the imposter syndrome I would have to deal with.
Thinking PhD was like other degrees I have done: I should have known that it was the highest academic degree for a reason but somehow I missed that point. I thought it had the same requirement as other degrees. When I say requirement. I don’t mean academic requirement. I mean what PhD requires of you as a person. You have to know what it means to be committed and consistent before you start this journey. I found out about this on the journey.
Thinking PhD was a Sprint: I knew it would be a journey but I though it was a Sprint. PhD is NOT a Sprint its a marathon. I started the race like it was a sprint but is not. Marathon is about perseverance, endurance and patience. And the combination that is bad for a sprint race. That’s to tell you I was a good athlete running the wrong race which makes me a terrible athlete.
Not Knowing what I would have to give: I entered the PhD program as a full time lecturer and full time student. I didn’t know PhD would require my physical health and mental health. No sooner had I started the program, I broke down terribly. I spent two weeks in the hospital. I couldn’t believe it. Please don’t make the same mistake. You need to take care of your health both mentally and physically.

Although there is a saying that ‘you learn from experience‘. However, it doesn’t have to be your experience. There are some things you can learn from others’ experience which saves you time to make new experiences.

The question you might be asking having read this is ‘What next after making these mistakes?’ I will answer this in my next blog post. Stay tuned.

Feel free to share the post. I look forward reading your contributions in the comments.

Photo credit: withbeautiful on flickr

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