A note for senior PhD students on persistence and success in your PhD program and beyond.
The first semester in a PhD program is hard, bc you must navigate so many changes.
The following semesters are hard bc you must persist and there are many more changes to come.
As a second year student, you will have found your rhythm, but, then, usually coursework ends and you need to find a new way to structure your time.
As a third year student, you will be expected to demonstrate independence, but, also, be willing to take direction on how to study your questions.
As a fourth year student, you will be told it is time to start wrapping up projects, while, also, preparing for a fresh start at a new place.
As a fifth year student, you will have one foot out of the doors while, needing to statisfy local requirements for closure.
Each year brings a different contradiction, perspective or challenge.
You may not know it, but learning to navigate these changes, and demonstrating persistence in the face of change, will become valuable capabilities against the changing landscape of academic life.
The ability to navigate change in structure of the second year makes you capabale of managing new leadership at your uni.
The demands for independence from your third year make you capable of leading your own team.
The ability to finish and start anew from the fourth year help you learn to complete and start new research themes.
Learning to navigate the job market and local demands in the right year will help you build the capacity to manage local job demands either expectatuons of your field.
Across each of these years, navigating these tensions will teach you to persist, build your confidence in your ability, and, if you pause to reflect, make you a stronger person.
You may not see it, while in the weeds of your program, I know that I did not, but these extra-classroom lessons will position you for success in years to come.
To accelerate learning those lessons, take some time, as the new year approaches to reflect on your past year.
Ask.
What lessons did you learn? From success? From failure? That can help you in the next year? And beyond?
From the tension between success and failure - you should find opportunities for growth, reasons to persist in your program of study & direction for the learning in years to come.
The capacity to identify opportunities, persist in chasing challenging goals and setting new directions will carry far in your career in academia or beyond.
I know.
Because 21 years since finishing my PhD, I still draw on that hard learned capacity to navigate rejections, celebrate success and chart what comes next.
So persist, stick with it, and excellence will follow
Best of luck.
Comentarios