This rather poetically named blog post is about the kind of things that I learned through doing my PhD. I’ve gone with the title above, rather than something rather more prosaic, because, the Ph D is so often characterised as a journey, and this made sense to me – when you set out on a journey, you need to take, in this case, some symbolic tools with you, to make sure that you get to the end of that journey. And, sometimes, it’s good to talk to people who have made a similar journey before, to sift and weigh their advice, before you make your own journey. So, as someone who has recently finished the PhD (even if it was only to see what new vistas are available), here are the six most valuable things that I would encourage people to take with them on their journeys.
A hatful of “They can only say no.”
This should probably have been called, ‘The confidence to volunteer.’ If you get a chance – and sometimes, even when you don’t – volunteer for everything. Even if you’re hesitant, send in the abstract for that call for papers. Even if it is in the Journal of Advanced Biochemistry. The worst that can happen is that people will say ‘no’. Take your lumps and move on to the next opportunity. Send in your ideas for a conference. Volunteer to be a reviewer. Send someone’s work you admire an email and ask them questions about it. Ask someone who you respect to read a paper of yours. My experience might be different to some people’s – and I know there are some academic horror stories out there- but the worst I’ve ever got is either polite disinterest or a polite no. The best is a ‘yes’ or ‘well, let’s try it…’ These opportunities open doors, so it’s worth trying.
A bag of up time, junk time and down time.
I worked full time (and then some) throughout my whole PhD. It’s not that uncommon for teachers to do that. I learned, very early, that there were times when I would be productive, and times when I really struggled to get anything done. This happened on what felt like a weekly basis – for example, Monday afternoon I would get heaps done, but by Friday, I could barely string a sentence together. Mornings were better for writing, afternoons were better for reading. Evenings were good for discussions with supervisors. I also found there were more macro cycles, too – there were months where I felt I was marooned and making no progress, other times when I felt that I was doing a lot very quickly. The key trick here is to recognise which is which – use your up time effectively, but also your junk time is valuable. Can’t think straight? Look up some readings. Do your references. And, most importantly, get some down time. Sleep. Watch TV. Do something else other than the PhD.
A device to Network…
I’m a bit of a homebody; I’m comfortable with my own company, in my shed. But the reality is, academia is a social profession. People remember people they’ve actually met. They invite people to work with them when they’ve seen their work. This means that you have to get off the couch and go to that conference or that seminar or that talk. You’ve got to show an interest for others to show an interest in you.
… And a device to work.
This one might be a little bit controversial, but I think it’s really important to keep working during the PhD – even if it’s just teaching a course. I found that it helped me remain grounded. It gave my brain some mud to spin its tires in when I was trying to work something out – and that time doing something else often led to new insights and ideas. And it gave me something else to focus on, when the PhD was threatening to be overwhelming.
Remember: it’s dangerous to go alone… but not everyone is your friend.
Like I said earlier, academia is a social profession. Academics naturally form groups and cliques and cabals and working groups and societies and all kinds of things. It’s based on a recognition of a like mind or a mutual interest. These are, for the most part, good things, as long as you keep in mind that you won’t necessarily fit into every club. Don’t worry about that too much: instead, find your ‘tribe’ and join them. If it’s too hard, try somewhere else.
Most important of all: keep hold of your priorities
Family. Loved ones. Children. Pets. All of these things are more important than the PhD. They might not seem like it, but, ultimately, they are. Remember that.