Why I love being a PhD student
by prudence on 28-Oct-2010
OK, I've repented.
It's just plain ungrateful to be so gloomy...
So here's what's fantastic about being a PhD student:
1. I have learnt STACKS. Intellectually, I have been able to explore areas I never knew existed. It's been the journey of a life-time.
2. I inhabit an infinitely fascinating universe. Southeast Asia is never, never boring.
3. I have met some truly inspiring people.
4. I got to live in Singapore for six months. I loved that experience.
5. There's a great camaraderie in PhD suffering. Several of my friends are (or recently were) in the same ghastly boat (no, no, we're being positive -- not ghastly -- challenging), and they're all super-supportive, for which I'm sincerely grateful. Even the PhD students I've casually met at conferences have been fantastic. You encounter nasty academics, but I've never encountered a nasty PhD student.
6. PhDs are not borne alone. They're pretty hellish for partners, if the truth be told. So if your partner soldiers along with you on this one, you know he/she really loves you...
7. The whole experience teaches you humility. The more you know, the more you know you don't know, and can never know...
8. I'm the first person in my family to do this. I was a working-class kid, after all. Getting one degree was pretty out there. My late parents will no doubt have that wry smile on their faces, but they'll be proud I even got this far.
9. I get student reductions on a lot of handy stuff.
10. It's a really good excuse to do very little housework, have take-away pizza on a regular basis, and convert the entire living-room into an office.
It's just plain ungrateful to be so gloomy...
So here's what's fantastic about being a PhD student:
1. I have learnt STACKS. Intellectually, I have been able to explore areas I never knew existed. It's been the journey of a life-time.
2. I inhabit an infinitely fascinating universe. Southeast Asia is never, never boring.
3. I have met some truly inspiring people.
4. I got to live in Singapore for six months. I loved that experience.
5. There's a great camaraderie in PhD suffering. Several of my friends are (or recently were) in the same ghastly boat (no, no, we're being positive -- not ghastly -- challenging), and they're all super-supportive, for which I'm sincerely grateful. Even the PhD students I've casually met at conferences have been fantastic. You encounter nasty academics, but I've never encountered a nasty PhD student.
6. PhDs are not borne alone. They're pretty hellish for partners, if the truth be told. So if your partner soldiers along with you on this one, you know he/she really loves you...
7. The whole experience teaches you humility. The more you know, the more you know you don't know, and can never know...
8. I'm the first person in my family to do this. I was a working-class kid, after all. Getting one degree was pretty out there. My late parents will no doubt have that wry smile on their faces, but they'll be proud I even got this far.
9. I get student reductions on a lot of handy stuff.
10. It's a really good excuse to do very little housework, have take-away pizza on a regular basis, and convert the entire living-room into an office.