Any anons here who can share their experience in academia? Especially with doing PhDs? Currently in the final year of mine and not sure how much harm it has done. I have learned a lot along the way but I also realized over time how corrupt institutions and how narcissistic seniors researchers are.
>>343796421. Look at the senior staff in your department/research group/seminar. Do you want to be like them? The entire point of a PhD is to mold you into someone who is more like them, especially your supervisor(s).2. How are you going to get your data/source material? How are you going to make sure that you're not stuck gathering material the last year (this is where I'm at)?3. What compromises can you make to make your future research palatable to financers? Don't fucking get an English lit PhD without a plan for how you're going to finance your next step.My first two years were bad because I didn't have the integrity to ignore the retards and because I didn't start gathering my material soon enough. I didn't start gathering material soon enough because it is by far the most boring shit in my field if you're not extremely passionate about the things that aren't going to end up in your thesis. I could have gotten to it earlier if I had believed in my gut and built the theory and method I wanted sooner instead of listening to the harpies, but that's also a lesson learned. I'm paying for it now but at least I know how to work if I get postdoc money.Thanks for reading my blog, I'm stressed the fuck out about work as you can tell.
>>34379642You're experiencing the grown-up version of high school Senior Slump - the closer you get to the end, the harder it is to keep up your enthusiasm.
>>34380783Solid advice, thanks. Yeah, I made sure that starting in my second year I document as much as possible. This has helped me a lot with writing everything up in the last months. Ignoring the bad vibes coming from peers was something that I also had to learn. I am becoming better at it but I have a strong sense of equality and fairness so sometimes it's still bothering me. Many seniors will look at your work and give you the most fucked up critique when at one point they were where you are at right now. What fucks me up the most is the lack of communication and money-driven work style which I thought would never be a problem in academia. But man, was I wrong. It's just as bad, if not worse, than in the industry. Keep going, fren, WAGMI!
>>34381179True, it really feels like a meat grinder that you can only endure for so long. I always knew that PhDs are tough, reading various PhD horror stories. But I could have never imagined that it's so much the psychological factor of the environment and pressure from within the group that would cause this. Also, I am convinced that becoming a professor requires some sort of transformation where you go through this grind and become so self-absorbed and ruthless that you can easily survive in a highly competitive, money-starved environment. That's why I never want to become one. After this it's back to industry.
>>34379642How much do you have to no life to make it as a PhD student.Super on the fence about getting an engineering 9-5 and having time for my hobbies. Or gradschool but Ill be 27 when I graduate so not sure if it's worth it if it means no lifing until I'm 33
>>34381747>>34380783 here,If you're disciplined and can be very strict about geting stuff done from day 1 you can have a life outside of work. There will be months when you can't but that's part of academia. However, if you have any procrastination problems at all, expect to have no life for at least two of the years of your PhD program, worse if your procrastination is bad. The two questions you should ask yourself is 1. is there anything else in the world you can see yourself doing (if yes, do that), and 2. can you deal with the stress your entire life being about playing catch-up? There's no way to escape those moments but for me and a lot of others, that's a big chunk of life as a PhD student. I just do it because I can't imagine doing anything else and the stress I get from other stuff is more difficult for me to deal with.There's also something to be said for starting your actual adult life in your late 20s instead of your early or even mid 30s. Your dating life is probably going to get more difficult once you're out of university circles, but don't think you can still bang student chicks indiscriminately just because you're still sort of a student yourself. You just have more access to them than if you work in a male-dominated engineering firm. Getting a job absolutely forces you to get a few social hobbies or you're fucked.>>34381226WAGMI
>>34381896Ngmi I guess. I really do love my undergrad research and the theory part of my physics classes. But I already struggle with time management without essentially having to do work +school and taking care of where ever I live.But I could see myself doing an engineering job I don't really care about so that I can go home engage in like my otaku hobbies and maybye see if theirs some sort of local art club or group to be social with.
>>34381926>I already struggle with time managementLots of people do and make it just fine, it's a question of how well you handle that particular type of stress.And this is very important: You have no obligation to finish a PhD. If you don't like it, you can quit and it doesn't reflect on you. You know that there will be difficulties and you can try it as long as you're honest about that. Then normie engineering jobs are still available. I'm not trying to confuse you, I just want to present the facts without accidentally spinning them in a way that will convince you of something that isn't true.Also, if you're in STEM you're going to be part of a project group and you'll get some social stuff there. STEM PhD girls who don't look bad and don't have blatant autism are extremely wifeable in my experience.
>>34381747Honestly, the first two years were really exciting and I did so many things on the side. New city, very efficient schedule, and lots of activities outside of the PhD. I fondly remember this one time, towards the end of my second year, after doing my presentation at a conference. I was just enjoying the sun outside and was happy with my progress and life in general. I would have never guessed that that would be the last time to feel so content. My self-esteem has taken a nose dive since then and I am constantly feeling "on the edge". I can't remember the last time I had a free weekend. Actually, the last three weekends I have spent in the library, writing stuff up. I try to cram my hobbies in this already packed schedule somehow and occasionally manage to distract myself. It does sound very negative but you just have to realize that that is the reality when dealing with such a big life project. Then again, this gives you empathy for other people struggling with stuff themselves. For example, I'm constantly asking myself how people deal with raising two or three kids at the same time. It's just mind-boggling. Also, you grow so much with such big challenges that it's kinda worth it. I have learned so much technically and personally that I would always do it again. Even though the road is rocky, time does fly even in this situation. And I wouldn't want to get into the situation some day where I'm asking myself "What if?" I am almost there and I think going into industry will be exciting and very chill. And also this >>34381896 is pretty much spot on.
>>34381896I would argue that the no life thing is going to be there regardless of procrastination. I know a guy who did his PhD for 9 years and I think he lost a couple of years to doing nothing outside of research. On the other hand, if you try to finish quicker, you're inherently going to have no life because towards the end you're so busy with finishing your shit that you're not really doing anything else. So I think there's going to be a minimum of two no life years in any case. I actually made peace with the thought of catching up with people that have worked a normal job from day 1. I realized over the years that money isn't everything and if your PhD is in an acceptable field, you're gonna be set for the future either way. I don't care so much about money anymore and find joy in the smaller thing; also a result of the PhD struggles, btw. Also, the stuff with starting your adult life in your 20s and dating being difficult is totally true. Couldn't agree more.
>>34381926Listen to >>34382488! Don't become a victim of the sunk cost fallacy. You can (and should) abort a PhD within the first year or two if it's not for you. And that, you will notice very quickly.
