Please do a video on supervisors (often senior professors) who claim first authorship on every paper from their research lab. And how it can possibly impact his/her PhD students' future? And how to remedy if the student is already in the midst of it? author some single authored papers? Please do a video on it.
Many PhD students think their thesis is a magnum opus. It only has to be defensible. It does not have to be 800 pages long. More than 95% of theses in the social sciences and humanities will never be published as a book. So just get it done. Write 1-2 pages a day and take weekends off.
1-year PhD student. lost my sleep due to anxiety and stress. Not able to produce my research proposal, still working on it. I was going crazy. But this video opened my eyes. It let me focus on things I can do and avoid things I can't. Thumbs up!
I was treated like crap by PhD candidates and professors. I was a nice person...and I was a naive person to boot. I saw how chronically exhausted PhD candidates always were, and it was always about kissing the butts, schmoozing the right people, cloistering themselves in their own little, self-centered worlds, stomping on and using other "lesser" people all in that holy quest of publishing and getting ahead, and spending years researching and working for a pittance of a stipend, only to get that PhD. Life is too short to slave away for a PhD for most people, at least it is for me anyway. I've got years of living and earning power over my former "colleagues" who had to pursue their PhDs.
I'm not sure that this is a correct synopsis of his argument. Having to suck up so as to get thru gate-keepers sounds like hell to me. and as myself am being put through an initiation ritual at present, it seems to me that much of the control lies in the hands of others.
I am in my second year of PhD, and only lately have I managed to learn and understand all these invaluable lessons. I am still stunned by the staggering difference between my experience as undergrad and master's, compared to that of a PhD student. I was convinced like many that the path before a PhD would serve as preparation to research, but my world was instead overthrown! Utterly flipped inside-out. Up was down, left was right. I am left now wondering why people are kept ignorant of such catastrophe, and are not educated and prepared accordingly (or at least, I wasn't). Secondly, although I am finally coming to terms with all these harsh truths, I can't but think that things could be better, and that a lot of all the struggle a PhD student has do endure could be alleviated. It really feels like it has to be this way and no other, and I fail to see the causal relations determining this conclusion.
"Up was down, left was right. I am left now wondering why people are kept ignorant of such catastrophe, and are not educated and prepared accordingly" Could you please tell me a bit about that? What was the most shocking to you, and how do you think this could be prevented?
@@webiorg6147Hello. Not the OP in this post but there are certainly some cases that can I can provide so you can understand that claim. 1. Before PhD you are gratificated by supervisors to do the job. Usually comes with a grade, or a publication. As a PhD student you don't get celebrated by your job. You need to show off. Bragging-culture is the bare minimum. 2. Before the PhD, receiving and giving help is the norm. As a PhD student if you are not training someone because your PI ask you, you most likely will become trouble because you're wasting your time in things that are not experiments. 3. Before you enter a PhD you can do science for fun, after that you do for funding. I'm sure that there's more examples of this switch of perspective in academic life when you become a tenure track professor, or a postdoc (the death alive of the lab) but those are the one who I've experienced as a PhD student dropout 😬
I'm a big proponent of doing a PhD later in your career after you have some experience in your field and more financial ressources. You'll have a much clearer view of what you want to do.
This is great, and it is the same as my experience almost 50 years ago. The only thing I would add is to be open to the help that will come from an unexpected source. I was totally stuck on processing my data, due to the limited computing power available to me at the time, and then my advisor said “I am going to provide you with help from this guy who is an expert with minicomputers.” I provided the programs and the fellow recoded and ran them, and soon the data was analyzed, showing nearly all I expected, with some surprises of course. I had no reason to expect this help, as my advisor barely knew what I was doing, but it saved my four years of effort, and I dedicated my PhD to the programmer. It was a miracle, and I have learned to expect them, but mostly to be open to them.
I get very emotional when I get feedback from my supervisor. It is usually negative and very straightforward, making me come to tears. I am figuring out a way so it does not affect me so much because it is embarrassing to show vulnerability in public. Thanks for sharing your insights. It makes me see things from a different perspective! :)
Oof thats one of the hardest one, try to find support in other people, but generally not getting enough support from the supervisor is one of the worst case scenarios you can be in
Well I wouldn't allow it to do that. The situation is quite normal. When I started my PhD my supervisor said "There's the lab. Get in there and do some top science. Get a couple of papers published, and stick my name on them. See you in 3 years time for the viva."
Hello Andy, I have been following your channel since around one year ago. In the beginning, I was intrigued by how you interpret and explain what PhD is, because at that time I just got my PhD offer from an international research center was was really excited about my future. Later on, I gradually lost the interest in watching your videos, because I couldn't relate to it anymore. I wondered perhaps I need more realistic PhD experience to really understand your point. Now it's one year into my PhD. All you said in this video totally match what I have been feeling in the past few months. I am developing a simulation tool in a team where 95% of people are experimentalist. I was jealous how "easy" it is for them to do experiments and generate papers, because those equipment is already set up completely and continuously maintained by vendors. As for my research, I have to code all by myself and no one in our team has any clue about what I am doing. It's like explaining calculus to normal people outside academia. But perhaps like you said everyone has their own difficulties. In addition, my relationship with supervisor is also interesting. He is really nice and kind, but I started to think he is not capable of supervising me, because he is not an expert in this field. This makes me doubt his profession and even start complaining him in my mind. But after watching this video, I realized he is just a human. Just like me, we don't know everything, so I shouldn't care that too much. Instead, I should take the ownership of my research. One thing that I've been thinking is what counts as a good Ph.D. student / researcher? Like you said, I set a really high expectation of me in the beginning, and after realizing the realities, I started losing my confidence, thinking perhaps I couldn't accomplish this and that. But then your words remind me that no one is perfect and we just need to follow some specific steps to get the PhD, and that is it. PhD is nothing more than some specific research and administrative steps. Don't set our expectations too high. Anyway, I just want to say your video really helps me a lot! Thank you so much for sharing these invaluable tips and advice! Sorry for my limited English.
In the US, real good students from major universities don't go to graduate school, instead, they would go to professional schools. Those who end up doing PhD are often those who did not do well for their undergraduate degrees, can't get a job and so on or those who go to small colleges, because going to graduate school at a major university with an undergraduate degree from a never-heard-of college is a step up.
PhD's might also get you turned away from many jobs because you are deemed way overqualified, its better to leave it off your resume if you really need the job you applied for.
Andy, thank you! At the end of my doctoral journey but just lost my daughter, so diving back in has been excruciating. “I am doing all right.” Thanks for the push
Sorry to hear about your daughter. When I was a kid I lost my brother and this was during the time my mum was doing her thesis for her phD. Sadly she never continued to complete it. Wish you all the best. ❤
Wow, I’m so sorry. I commend you and understand your motivation to push through a period of suffering. I will share my story with you in the hopes that it makes you feel even slightly less alone in the pursuit of research through a difficult time. I will hopefully never know the pain of losing a child, I simply cannot imagine how painful it is. However, I can relate to feeling grief and loss from the unexpected severance of a familial connection. In 2020, my mom started going into psychosis (she has had bipolar I my entire life) and disappeared in 2021 as a result. My mother was never the greatest person, definitely lots of trauma to unpack still, but it is still sad for very obvious reasons. I tried to help her but I was only 19-20 years old at the time and very lost myself. I was hopeless because I had no family at that point. I had many mental health withdrawals during that time, and I honestly completely lost myself for a year. I have no memory of that time. While I cannot say I have fully recovered, I can gratefully say that I’ve been able to find myself again and live a full life again as of last fall. I remember listening to this one band El Ten Eleven last September around 6 A.M., pretty much alone in the library, and walking outside to a refreshing and beautiful brisk wind. I took a deep breath and I felt like my soul had been renewed, and at that moment, I knew there was hope for me. I was so motivated that I befriended my instructor and asked him to discuss some research papers. He was kind enough to believe in me despite my lackluster academic transcript and he let me join his lab. There have been quite a few struggles… particularly with anxiety and depression… but I am still doing it, and so are you. The pure love and joy you feel when you’re in the flow of research is unparalleled. It really takes away all the pain for a few moments. I don’t know you, but I’m proud of you for powering through this time and I wish you the best.
I lost my mother at 3rd Year of phd, i felt lost of motivation and regret but slowly try to keep my self busy and after a year i picked up again. Keep doing and be brave and keep pushing. I completed my submission finally i defended my thesis and passed! U can too
I really value your content for bursting my illusory fantasy bubble of what I hoped a PhD would be for me. It’s really saving me from a lot of future heartache.
took me 5 years to get mine. To be frank, I could've done it in 1-2yrs if I was focussed and disciplined. Those 5 years were one of the worst periods of my life. By the time of my viva [UK system] I hated it so much that if the examiners had said change one word I wouldn't have done it!! Thankfully, there were no rewrites. I then ran away from academia as fast as I could ;) My sympathise to anyone going through this right now - make sure you have a life outside of your research - hang out with good, kind people who aren't in academia and have fun. Good luck
Honestly I am so glad I didn't try to do a PhD. I think in general doing research is just really harsh for your mental health. Because most research is really boring or has disappointing results, which are of course still valuable but I can't fathom to spend 5 years on something that would just be thrown into a book shelf and never looked at again. In contrast I've started to work now as an engineer and I can see the value of my work really fast really often. And that has been so refreshing. Big respect to everyone that takes on this challenge and good luck to you!
The advice goes way beyond attempting a PhD. Can apply to life outside academia especially how people defend themselves by hitting out when they feel vulnerable.
Andy! you have helped me to see through some of the deep struggles I've had throughout my PhD so far. I'm indebted to your wisdom and your ability to empathise and be real about this journey. So much of what you preach goes beyond PhD to the wider sphere of life! Massive thanks always
I am not doing a PhD, however I thoroughly enjoy your enthusiasm, energy and humour in your videos; plus of course the occasional useful tip regarding research and AI. Great work Andy!
I was a frustrated wanna-be Ph.D. from age 21 until age 40. I ended up in a 40 person startup company spun off from a university that employed a half dozen Ph.D.'s. Only one had served as tenured faculty. I was able to get published as lead author in good journals, and served as a reviewer for said journals in my specialty. I really came to appreciate how academia is the lowest productivity business in existence. 80% of the good researchers are not in academia, at least in my field.
Can't agree more! You wrap it up, and you realize you still got lots more to do to penetrate the industry, and work with countless others with lesser degrees but often in key strategic positions. However, all said, a PhD well done is still worth your time if you can make time to get it done. It stretches you into a greater resource in so many aspects. Stay stupid, stay hungry, keep learning, keep growing 👍
Thanks for confirming that hardships and difficulties are CERTAIN events in academia. So many PhD students were simply not prepared when they signed up…
I have a PhD and, in no small part due to bad advicing and other life choices, i am working an entry level job. Spare yourself the drama and think twice about it
This is the best video out there ! Really shows the hard truths more and cuts thru all tbe glowing glitter of your 1st year “i’ll come in and kick ass”.
I wish i had access to this advice when i was doing my phd! i will now be sharing this with all my students who are considering going for one. thanks for your work!
Great video. I'm in my first year PhD focusing on fuel cells, metal air batteries and water splitting and every point you mention are 100% true. This applies to everything in life, you are your own motivation
Wow, this video is so enlightening! I would like to thank you, Andy, for sharing your point of view about a PhD, and most importantly, for sharing it with other people.
I have just completed my Master's degree and already know *somethings* about academia. One strategy I am preparing to use is to list my minimum expectations as specifically as possible. One is to put my mental/physical health first. Two is to get the PhD at the end and stay away from toxic people at the beginning and along the way. Three is to start exploring other career oppertunities at the beginning (like, I am a good babysitter). Four is to do honest science. And the list goes on and on. I have also listed many things I can let go of, such as a prestigious school, good publications/citations, etc. I also lower my expectations on my expectation list by knowing that they may not all be met due to this and that, so I have to navigate myself from time to time.
hahaha you are kind of right, but I did find good people/labs twice in the past (not by luck). I believe there are good people at a lower ratio. So my strategy is to carefully find them/identify the toxic ones IF I decide to go to grad school/take a PhD position.@@OlgaTsygankova
My expectation was to leave the university a bit better than when I entered. I wanted to leave better and I want the university to be better when I finished. I learned a lot - especially about hard work and coffee - and was fortunate to contribute to a couple of high profile papers - luck contributed as much as hard work. In order to stumble (into something interesting) - one must be moving.
I wish I had had videos like this available to me when I was doing my PhD. Back then this was not talked about at all. You were just expected to shut up and get on with it. And yeah, nobody gave a shit. I mean, I'm glad now that I did it, but I feel like I lost something in my life. I think it might have exacerbated existing mental health problems and I may suffer from lasting effects to this day. Who knows? I can't know how my life would have gone if I hadn't done it.
Im writing up my dissertation and have experienced all of these problems! I feel like I should acknowledge the shittiness of university process and culture in the acknowledgments section of my dissertation! I love your tips Andy. Thank you. Although the reality they reflect does take the shine off PhD or even academic qualifications in general. If I didn’t feel so strongly about my own research topic I would have quit a long time ago.
Thanks for the video. Lots of great points in it. I'd say that while most of this applies to PhDs in the Humanities too, the writing up process can be a bit different in that the crafting of an argument as well as presenting your data can be important. Very useful though overall. I wonder how many people eventually quit academia because they decide they don't want to be jerks
I found so many important issues in this video. I have been following you for more than two years. Sometimes, I could not agree with your opinion. But today, your experience and opinion really aligned with my experiences over the past six years. Everything you said perfectly matched my experience. I should thank you a lot.
As microbiologist Wolf Vishniac told me just before his untimely death, "there's got to be a spark". If you don't have a novel and interesting idea, forget about it.
People always wondered why I, someone who was one of the smartest of his fellow students, was not interested in doing a PhD. Actually, I informed myself so early about pro and cons of a PhD, that I decided it is not worth it. Others are still trying to finish to this day and completely misjudged the needed effort and the brutality of this path.
Man Andy...I'm doing a PhD now(2nd year and still no paper)..and all of this is real..I know..I used to watch all of your videos. But every time I see one..I feel more and more dejected. I know you're speaking truths..but I have to believe that things will work out. I really like my project..it's just taking way more time. Make some cheerful videos once in a while
WHAT FOR? I am unemployed 5 years after my PhD in LAW in Switzerland - I am the author of 8 books, more than 1200 citations, 4 degrees, fluent in 4 languages, a lot of connections and I am unemployed person! I applied for 2200 positions without any success.
@@silomokhumalo3056 I can add something more unbelivable: I applied for 2100 positions and was never invited to in person interview in office or similar meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@silomokhumalo3056 I can tell you something much more unbelivable. I applied for 2100 positions and wasn`t invited for any in-person interview in office!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes- more than 2100 applications and 0 face to face interviews.
8:58 - 10:00: This reminded me of a computer science professor who required students to write programs in his particular style. One program had to report the mesasure of rainfal for each month within a particular peiriod. My program did this by means of an elaborate switch control structure. When the professor evaluated it, he wrote a note on it with red ink. He wrote: "Totally rediculous! Use if else!" An if else structure would have been a mess!
*You will NOT get a job after your PhD* *You will NOT get a job after your first Post-Doc* *You will NOT get a job after your SECOND Post-Doc* You will then CRY.
There is need for a revolution in doctoral studies. I think we need to focus more on writing impactful journal articles than this bunch of theses that other people will barely read.
Great video. As a fifth year PhD I can't emphasis how important it is to kiss ass. I have learned its the only way you can survive. You have to beg, bullshit, and suck up every year and if you don't you'll be like me who is struggling to finish because I have to work a job to pay the rest of the way. I am speaking from a position in the social sciences and I will say that unless you have some sort of foundational or trendy research you wont receive outside funding. Internal funding then is just a game of kiss-ass and who begs the most.
Yep. I am in a crazy kind of initiatory process and the matter of kissing up and my fiailure to do so has just resulted in another delay. So sucking up and enduring the abuse is the winning combination, like it or not.
@@poornimanair2986 I am an archaeolgoist and I work with artifacts collected from a historic majority white and male group of people. Research in my field has trended to go to non-white groups like African Americans and women, which I don't think is necessarily wrong. Every discipline has trends, but the reality is I won't ever be able to compete with someone who is within the trends unless I can somehow bullshit like crazy. Trends look different in every discipline but anyone who acts like "all research is valued the same" is extremely naive.
I'm not sure how I ended up here, but: thank you; these lessons generalize surprisingly well to someone starting a new career in software development (working in an organization with a lot of recovering academics, no less)
You are basically suggesting us to be a machiavellist :) I believe one needs to do whatever it gets; otherwise, nice people can not have fun with their lives and get their PhD at the same time. I am doing my PhD and I mostly agree with your suggestions but it is such a pity. I hope one day the system will change.
I don't think it's the most productive thing to tell people to be assholes and engage in ruthless flattery. This kind of cynical approach can (and probably will) work in the short term, but it will undermine your sense of self, personhood, and integrity, so you might end up with a tenured job, but without knowing who you are anymore. I see such people around, and they are never happy, no matter how many papers and books they have published. This is another brutal truth - you are going to live with yourself for the rest of your life, this is your tenure. There is no "getting away from toxic people" if you become one of them.
Thanks for your video! I just reached half of your points but there is so much truth in it! I am so happy I finished my PhD last year and it was honestly the hardest thing I did in my life until now. Honestly, I am still not sure if it was worth all the struggle. 😅
I got one. It helped with pay at the community college. The only research I did was to get it. It may have been a waste of money, but it was something I wanted for myself as a way of reaching a difficult goal academically.
This apply to all PhD in STEM fields. Whenever you see your supervisor, be it either he or she is an assistant professor or an associate professor or a full professor or an emeritus professor, always remind yourself this that government research funding made or nurtured your supervisor to become who he or she is now. The true slayer of all the university professors (Nobel laureates included) , presidents and chancellors is none other than the head of the government: a president, a prime minister, a King or a Queen.
Among many mistakes in my life 1 thing I am really proud of: I decided not to pursue neither the masters nor the PhD. I understood that it's just a slave labor. Later on I realised only 1 thing that matters: Money. Learn to earn Money.Nobody cares about how genious you are. There are always ppl who can do the same thing better and cheaper. The question is: do you earn Money or not. No Money, No Honey. Nobody cares about anything else.
Originally I thought it was about making more money. Now there are so many, that the market is flooded, that they are not as valuable, except for inside of academia, where the market is even more flooded.
My #0 (first things first!). The destinations/careers of your advisor's previous students are the best indicator of the careers he promotes. I wanted to be a univ. prof; I found out near the end that my advisor doesn't do what advisors are ethically (morally even) required to do--network with professionals in the field (in my case, universities) to assist in placements of his students. He didn't "believe in helping." I found out after graduating from a professor at another school that this attitude of his was 'almost unethical.' If I would have known that he has only one university placement in that last 20 years, I would have moved on to a more suitable advisor.
I am not in academia, but did a PHD anyway some years ago, it was hard but I absolutely loved it, best time of my life. My supervisor was fantastic, he took time for the students, and always talked good about his students specially when they were not present. No idea if anyone apart from those involved ever read my papers or thesis, but actually stumbled over a citation once where someone cited one of my papers as an example of weird shit you can do, so it was absolutely worth the pain. At my current job nobody cares thou, it is more like a personal thing I did, like going on a magical mystery tour.
Don't give me hope. I'm 29 years old with a Bachelor and MSc. in in Biochem/Microbiology. I'm always striving to find a place when I can feel the magic I use to feel when I was 18 and put a step in the lab. 😓
My problem is not my ambition, but the ambition of my supervisor. He requires me to work at the level of a professor with 15 years of experience, and of all the points of his responsibilities listed, all he does is read my articles and growl “this is for improvement.” Not only does he not let me get behind the wheel, he still won't let me get in the car, and he drives with any of my senior colleagues all the time. But at least it's yielding results and I have quite a few publications-and a complete aversion to all academic work. I'm going to do a PhD and throw the academia-related world to hell.
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Please do a video on supervisors (often senior professors) who claim first authorship on every paper from their research lab. And how it can possibly impact his/her PhD students' future? And how to remedy if the student is already in the midst of it? author some single authored papers? Please do a video on it.
Many PhD students think their thesis is a magnum opus. It only has to be defensible. It does not have to be 800 pages long. More than 95% of theses in the social sciences and humanities will never be published as a book. So just get it done. Write 1-2 pages a day and take weekends off.
i wrote a paragraph a day 😂
1-year PhD student. lost my sleep due to anxiety and stress. Not able to produce my research proposal, still working on it. I was going crazy. But this video opened my eyes. It let me focus on things I can do and avoid things I can't.
Thumbs up!
I have the same dream that I wanna pursue my PhD in the future, and what I wanna say to you is keep moving forward, you are the best ! ❤
I was treated like crap by PhD candidates and professors. I was a nice person...and I was a naive person to boot.
I saw how chronically exhausted PhD candidates always were, and it was always about kissing the butts, schmoozing the right people, cloistering themselves in their own little, self-centered worlds, stomping on and using other "lesser" people all in that holy quest of publishing and getting ahead, and spending years researching and working for a pittance of a stipend,
only to get that PhD.
Life is too short to slave away for a PhD for most people, at least it is for me anyway.
I've got years of living and earning power over my former "colleagues" who had to pursue their PhDs.
What you are saying is in an actual fact the reality of life!! You are in control of your own destiny.
I'm not sure that this is a correct synopsis of his argument. Having to suck up so as to get thru gate-keepers sounds like hell to me.
and as myself am being put through an initiation ritual at present, it seems to me that much of the control lies in the hands of others.
@@noelgillett346 Totally. There are plenty of jobs that you can have more autonomy of your own future tbf
Not a PhD student...but listened to this as the best life advice ever.
I am in my second year of PhD, and only lately have I managed to learn and understand all these invaluable lessons. I am still stunned by the staggering difference between my experience as undergrad and master's, compared to that of a PhD student. I was convinced like many that the path before a PhD would serve as preparation to research, but my world was instead overthrown! Utterly flipped inside-out. Up was down, left was right. I am left now wondering why people are kept ignorant of such catastrophe, and are not educated and prepared accordingly (or at least, I wasn't). Secondly, although I am finally coming to terms with all these harsh truths, I can't but think that things could be better, and that a lot of all the struggle a PhD student has do endure could be alleviated. It really feels like it has to be this way and no other, and I fail to see the causal relations determining this conclusion.
"Up was down, left was right. I am left now wondering why people are kept ignorant of such catastrophe, and are not educated and prepared accordingly"
Could you please tell me a bit about that? What was the most shocking to you, and how do you think this could be prevented?
@@webiorg6147Hello. Not the OP in this post but there are certainly some cases that can I can provide so you can understand that claim.
1. Before PhD you are gratificated by supervisors to do the job. Usually comes with a grade, or a publication. As a PhD student you don't get celebrated by your job. You need to show off. Bragging-culture is the bare minimum. 2. Before the PhD, receiving and giving help is the norm. As a PhD student if you are not training someone because your PI ask you, you most likely will become trouble because you're wasting your time in things that are not experiments. 3. Before you enter a PhD you can do science for fun, after that you do for funding.
I'm sure that there's more examples of this switch of perspective in academic life when you become a tenure track professor, or a postdoc (the death alive of the lab) but those are the one who I've experienced as a PhD student dropout 😬
@@webiorg6147it can't be prevented. Academia is broken 🥰
@@matiascamposg Thank you very much
@@webiorg6147 My pleasure. Btw, I edited some grammar as english is not my native language.
I'm a big proponent of doing a PhD later in your career after you have some experience in your field and more financial ressources. You'll have a much clearer view of what you want to do.
And much less time and much more responsibilities outside your phd
Being your own cheerleader is great life advice in general
So true!
I called it 'be your own therapist' hahah
I am just applying for a PhD and this feels important to know
What field are you in?
Same here…
Good luck starfish and Emily! Took me several cycles to finally get admitted. Don't give up.
Thank you :) I am already working to say with my potential supervisor, I am very excited!@@br7693t
I withdrew from my PhD. This is basically everything you need to know from the psychological point of view.
This is great, and it is the same as my experience almost 50 years ago. The only thing I would add is to be open to the help that will come from an unexpected source. I was totally stuck on processing my data, due to the limited computing power available to me at the time, and then my advisor said “I am going to provide you with help from this guy who is an expert with minicomputers.” I provided the programs and the fellow recoded and ran them, and soon the data was analyzed, showing nearly all I expected, with some surprises of course. I had no reason to expect this help, as my advisor barely knew what I was doing, but it saved my four years of effort, and I dedicated my PhD to the programmer. It was a miracle, and I have learned to expect them, but mostly to be open to them.
I get very emotional when I get feedback from my supervisor. It is usually negative and very straightforward, making me come to tears. I am figuring out a way so it does not affect me so much because it is embarrassing to show vulnerability in public. Thanks for sharing your insights. It makes me see things from a different perspective! :)
I can't help but be so disappointed by my supervisor's lack of support and guidance and it is definitely affecting my mental health.
Oof thats one of the hardest one, try to find support in other people, but generally not getting enough support from the supervisor is one of the worst case scenarios you can be in
me too
I’ve been there.
Well I wouldn't allow it to do that. The situation is quite normal. When I started my PhD my supervisor said "There's the lab. Get in there and do some top science. Get a couple of papers published, and stick my name on them. See you in 3 years time for the viva."
@@JupiterThunder how? I put pressure on my supervisor, but he but the regeants and materials.
Hello Andy, I have been following your channel since around one year ago. In the beginning, I was intrigued by how you interpret and explain what PhD is, because at that time I just got my PhD offer from an international research center was was really excited about my future. Later on, I gradually lost the interest in watching your videos, because I couldn't relate to it anymore. I wondered perhaps I need more realistic PhD experience to really understand your point. Now it's one year into my PhD. All you said in this video totally match what I have been feeling in the past few months. I am developing a simulation tool in a team where 95% of people are experimentalist. I was jealous how "easy" it is for them to do experiments and generate papers, because those equipment is already set up completely and continuously maintained by vendors. As for my research, I have to code all by myself and no one in our team has any clue about what I am doing. It's like explaining calculus to normal people outside academia. But perhaps like you said everyone has their own difficulties. In addition, my relationship with supervisor is also interesting. He is really nice and kind, but I started to think he is not capable of supervising me, because he is not an expert in this field. This makes me doubt his profession and even start complaining him in my mind. But after watching this video, I realized he is just a human. Just like me, we don't know everything, so I shouldn't care that too much. Instead, I should take the ownership of my research. One thing that I've been thinking is what counts as a good Ph.D. student / researcher? Like you said, I set a really high expectation of me in the beginning, and after realizing the realities, I started losing my confidence, thinking perhaps I couldn't accomplish this and that. But then your words remind me that no one is perfect and we just need to follow some specific steps to get the PhD, and that is it. PhD is nothing more than some specific research and administrative steps. Don't set our expectations too high.
Anyway, I just want to say your video really helps me a lot! Thank you so much for sharing these invaluable tips and advice! Sorry for my limited English.
In the US, real good students from major universities don't go to graduate school, instead, they would go to professional schools. Those who end up doing PhD are often those who did not do well for their undergraduate degrees, can't get a job and so on or those who go to small colleges, because going to graduate school at a major university with an undergraduate degree from a never-heard-of college is a step up.
I'm 6 months in - honestly, this should be required viewing for every new PhD student at about the 6 month mark. Thanks Andy!
Same!
PhD's might also get you turned away from many jobs because you are deemed way overqualified, its better to leave it off your resume if you really need the job you applied for.
Andy, thank you! At the end of my doctoral journey but just lost my daughter, so diving back in has been excruciating. “I am doing all right.” Thanks for the push
Sorry to hear about your daughter.
When I was a kid I lost my brother and this was during the time my mum was doing her thesis for her phD. Sadly she never continued to complete it.
Wish you all the best. ❤
This... freaking sucks terribly. I'm sorry about your loss.
Wow, I’m so sorry. I commend you and understand your motivation to push through a period of suffering. I will share my story with you in the hopes that it makes you feel even slightly less alone in the pursuit of research through a difficult time. I will hopefully never know the pain of losing a child, I simply cannot imagine how painful it is. However, I can relate to feeling grief and loss from the unexpected severance of a familial connection. In 2020, my mom started going into psychosis (she has had bipolar I my entire life) and disappeared in 2021 as a result. My mother was never the greatest person, definitely lots of trauma to unpack still, but it is still sad for very obvious reasons. I tried to help her but I was only 19-20 years old at the time and very lost myself. I was hopeless because I had no family at that point. I had many mental health withdrawals during that time, and I honestly completely lost myself for a year. I have no memory of that time. While I cannot say I have fully recovered, I can gratefully say that I’ve been able to find myself again and live a full life again as of last fall. I remember listening to this one band El Ten Eleven last September around 6 A.M., pretty much alone in the library, and walking outside to a refreshing and beautiful brisk wind. I took a deep breath and I felt like my soul had been renewed, and at that moment, I knew there was hope for me. I was so motivated that I befriended my instructor and asked him to discuss some research papers. He was kind enough to believe in me despite my lackluster academic transcript and he let me join his lab. There have been quite a few struggles… particularly with anxiety and depression… but I am still doing it, and so are you. The pure love and joy you feel when you’re in the flow of research is unparalleled. It really takes away all the pain for a few moments. I don’t know you, but I’m proud of you for powering through this time and I wish you the best.
Condolences and best wishes, Pauline. Do everything your daughter would want to see you doing - especially, being happy.
I lost my mother at 3rd Year of phd, i felt lost of motivation and regret but slowly try to keep my self busy and after a year i picked up again. Keep doing and be brave and keep pushing. I completed my submission finally i defended my thesis and passed! U can too
You are # 1 Andy! Recently got my doctorate, yes you're telling the brutal truth. Keep it up!
I really value your content for bursting my illusory fantasy bubble of what I hoped a PhD would be for me. It’s really saving me from a lot of future heartache.
took me 5 years to get mine. To be frank, I could've done it in 1-2yrs if I was focussed and disciplined. Those 5 years were one of the worst periods of my life. By the time of my viva [UK system] I hated it so much that if the examiners had said change one word I wouldn't have done it!! Thankfully, there were no rewrites. I then ran away from academia as fast as I could ;) My sympathise to anyone going through this right now - make sure you have a life outside of your research - hang out with good, kind people who aren't in academia and have fun. Good luck
going through my first month of PhD. Gonna binge your hold channel now Andy!
Thanks for the reality check. :) This is brilliant advice. I love brutal truth. Subscribed.
Honestly I am so glad I didn't try to do a PhD. I think in general doing research is just really harsh for your mental health. Because most research is really boring or has disappointing results, which are of course still valuable but I can't fathom to spend 5 years on something that would just be thrown into a book shelf and never looked at again. In contrast I've started to work now as an engineer and I can see the value of my work really fast really often. And that has been so refreshing.
Big respect to everyone that takes on this challenge and good luck to you!
As a PhD student in the final year, I can relate to every point 100%.
I really needed to hear this today. Thank you Dr. Andy Stapleton for your support. Listening to you for last 4 years ❤
The advice goes way beyond attempting a PhD. Can apply to life outside academia especially how people defend themselves by hitting out when they feel vulnerable.
thanks Andy for the encourgament. It was rather harsh for me navigating through my pHd.
Amazing video man!
Would love it if you do videos for post-PhD career building, resume, the transition, etc.
Andy! you have helped me to see through some of the deep struggles I've had throughout my PhD so far. I'm indebted to your wisdom and your ability to empathise and be real about this journey. So much of what you preach goes beyond PhD to the wider sphere of life! Massive thanks always
I am not doing a PhD, however I thoroughly enjoy your enthusiasm, energy and humour in your videos; plus of course the occasional useful tip regarding research and AI. Great work Andy!
I was a frustrated wanna-be Ph.D. from age 21 until age 40. I ended up in a 40 person startup company spun off from a university that employed a half dozen Ph.D.'s. Only one had served as tenured faculty. I was able to get published as lead author in good journals, and served as a reviewer for said journals in my specialty. I really came to appreciate how academia is the lowest productivity business in existence. 80% of the good researchers are not in academia, at least in my field.
Can't agree more! You wrap it up, and you realize you still got lots more to do to penetrate the industry, and work with countless others with lesser degrees but often in key strategic positions. However, all said, a PhD well done is still worth your time if you can make time to get it done. It stretches you into a greater resource in so many aspects. Stay stupid, stay hungry, keep learning, keep growing 👍
Thanks for confirming that hardships and difficulties are CERTAIN events in academia. So many PhD students were simply not prepared when they signed up…
This is just too frank and I love it. I'm writing these tips and putting the note in my notebook to remind me. Thank you, Andy.
I have a PhD and, in no small part due to bad advicing and other life choices, i am working an entry level job. Spare yourself the drama and think twice about it
On what , phd
@@krishnasaikia6132 public and international affairs
This is the best video out there ! Really shows the hard truths more and cuts thru all tbe glowing glitter of your 1st year “i’ll come in and kick ass”.
I wish i had access to this advice when i was doing my phd! i will now be sharing this with all my students who are considering going for one. thanks for your work!
Thanks for sharing!!
Great video. I'm in my first year PhD focusing on fuel cells, metal air batteries and water splitting and every point you mention are 100% true. This applies to everything in life, you are your own motivation
Wow, this video is so enlightening! I would like to thank you, Andy, for sharing your point of view about a PhD, and most importantly, for sharing it with other people.
I have my first PhD interview tomorrow!!!
How’d it go?
Update ussss
I'm stuck in my thesis. I liked listening to this. Thank you Sir.
Same... 😢
I have just completed my Master's degree and already know *somethings* about academia. One strategy I am preparing to use is to list my minimum expectations as specifically as possible. One is to put my mental/physical health first. Two is to get the PhD at the end and stay away from toxic people at the beginning and along the way. Three is to start exploring other career oppertunities at the beginning (like, I am a good babysitter). Four is to do honest science. And the list goes on and on. I have also listed many things I can let go of, such as a prestigious school, good publications/citations, etc. I also lower my expectations on my expectation list by knowing that they may not all be met due to this and that, so I have to navigate myself from time to time.
Going to grad school and staying away from toxic people is a contradiction in terms.
hahaha you are kind of right, but I did find good people/labs twice in the past (not by luck). I believe there are good people at a lower ratio. So my strategy is to carefully find them/identify the toxic ones IF I decide to go to grad school/take a PhD position.@@OlgaTsygankova
Doing honest science it's an oxymoron. If you don't learn how to make your data "adjusted to your hypothesis" someone is gonna publish first 🤠
Not easy but not impossible !! Thanks Andy , and to all of us who are struggling in our research, good luck and success!
My expectation was to leave the university a bit better than when I entered. I wanted to leave better and I want the university to be better when I finished. I learned a lot - especially about hard work and coffee - and was fortunate to contribute to a couple of high profile papers - luck contributed as much as hard work. In order to stumble (into something interesting) - one must be moving.
I’m writing these down, thank you so much Andy ❤
I think that everything you said applies to life in general...not just academia, let alone PhD programmes
I wish I had had videos like this available to me when I was doing my PhD. Back then this was not talked about at all. You were just expected to shut up and get on with it. And yeah, nobody gave a shit.
I mean, I'm glad now that I did it, but I feel like I lost something in my life. I think it might have exacerbated existing mental health problems and I may suffer from lasting effects to this day. Who knows? I can't know how my life would have gone if I hadn't done it.
Im writing up my dissertation and have experienced all of these problems! I feel like I should acknowledge the shittiness of university process and culture in the acknowledgments section of my dissertation! I love your tips Andy. Thank you. Although the reality they reflect does take the shine off PhD or even academic qualifications in general.
If I didn’t feel so strongly about my own research topic I would have quit a long time ago.
Thanks for the video. Lots of great points in it. I'd say that while most of this applies to PhDs in the Humanities too, the writing up process can be a bit different in that the crafting of an argument as well as presenting your data can be important. Very useful though overall. I wonder how many people eventually quit academia because they decide they don't want to be jerks
A PhD is something one has to do for themselves as a further road towards edification
this speech is so good it fixed my life. literally. every line can be easily applied to life in general. i feel healed
I found so many important issues in this video. I have been following you for more than two years. Sometimes, I could not agree with your opinion. But today, your experience and opinion really aligned with my experiences over the past six years. Everything you said perfectly matched my experience. I should thank you a lot.
PhD = Permanent head Damage
Awesome
Oi! 😭
Just about to start my PhD in September. I think I need to save this vidoe and rewatch it often. Thanks for the honest advice!
As microbiologist Wolf Vishniac told me just before his untimely death, "there's got to be a spark". If you don't have a novel and interesting idea, forget about it.
❤
Thank you Andy!!! Your videos are always so inspirational
Man I am so glad I left after one year. Best decision of my life.
I wanted to do a PhD so I could feel superior to everyone else. It had nothing to do with any money or a job.
At least you're honest about your true motivation. Sounds like a huge amount of time and money spent just to feel "superior" to others.
Um, okay.
Well at least you're doing it for the right reasons!
That’s exactly what a PhD is for 😂
we need this type of honesty in academic spaces
People always wondered why I, someone who was one of the smartest of his fellow students, was not interested in doing a PhD. Actually, I informed myself so early about pro and cons of a PhD, that I decided it is not worth it. Others are still trying to finish to this day and completely misjudged the needed effort and the brutality of this path.
Just when I needed this. Thank you!
Same
Man Andy...I'm doing a PhD now(2nd year and still no paper)..and all of this is real..I know..I used to watch all of your videos. But every time I see one..I feel more and more dejected. I know you're speaking truths..but I have to believe that things will work out. I really like my project..it's just taking way more time. Make some cheerful videos once in a while
I'm in my fifth, still no paper
Tell him
WHAT FOR? I am unemployed 5 years after my PhD in LAW in Switzerland
- I am the author of 8 books, more than 1200 citations, 4 degrees, fluent in 4 languages, a lot of connections and I am unemployed person! I applied for 2200 positions without any success.
Is this even possible? Im blind and about to undertake PHD, and this throws me off the cliff!
@@silomokhumalo3056 what is possible or impossible?
@@lawstud1879 I meant it somewhat so unbelivable that with such achievements, you remain unemployed.
@@silomokhumalo3056 I can add something more unbelivable: I applied for 2100 positions and was never invited to in person interview in office or similar meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@silomokhumalo3056 I can tell you something much more unbelivable. I applied for 2100 positions and wasn`t invited for any in-person interview in office!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes- more than 2100 applications and 0 face to face interviews.
So true … you put words on my feelings … you’re awesome, thank you!
8:58 - 10:00: This reminded me of a computer science professor who required students to write programs in his particular style. One program had to report the mesasure of rainfal for each month within a particular peiriod. My program did this by means of an elaborate switch control structure. When the professor evaluated it, he wrote a note on it with red ink. He wrote: "Totally rediculous! Use if else!" An if else structure would have been a mess!
You are so bloody helpful mate
You just described my undergraduate course, best wishes from Perth Wa and many thanks for a very entertaining video.
*You will NOT get a job after your PhD*
*You will NOT get a job after your first Post-Doc*
*You will NOT get a job after your SECOND Post-Doc*
You will then CRY.
I haven't seen all of your videos, but I think this could certainly be one of the best 🎉
Oh... I've seen ALL 10 😂😂 On point Andy 👍
There is need for a revolution in doctoral studies. I think we need to focus more on writing impactful journal articles than this bunch of theses that other people will barely read.
Great video. As a fifth year PhD I can't emphasis how important it is to kiss ass. I have learned its the only way you can survive. You have to beg, bullshit, and suck up every year and if you don't you'll be like me who is struggling to finish because I have to work a job to pay the rest of the way. I am speaking from a position in the social sciences and I will say that unless you have some sort of foundational or trendy research you wont receive outside funding. Internal funding then is just a game of kiss-ass and who begs the most.
Yep. I am in a crazy kind of initiatory process and the matter of kissing up and my fiailure to do so has just resulted in another delay.
So sucking up and enduring the abuse is the winning combination, like it or not.
Do you mind if I ask what exactly your research is on? I'm preparing for a PhD in social sciences and would love some insight.
@@poornimanair2986 I am an archaeolgoist and I work with artifacts collected from a historic majority white and male group of people. Research in my field has trended to go to non-white groups like African Americans and women, which I don't think is necessarily wrong. Every discipline has trends, but the reality is I won't ever be able to compete with someone who is within the trends unless I can somehow bullshit like crazy. Trends look different in every discipline but anyone who acts like "all research is valued the same" is extremely naive.
Wow spot on. This is profoundly accurate, and I'm glad you made this.
I'm not sure how I ended up here, but: thank you; these lessons generalize surprisingly well to someone starting a new career in software development (working in an organization with a lot of recovering academics, no less)
The world needs 67% fewer phd students.
You are basically suggesting us to be a machiavellist :) I believe one needs to do whatever it gets; otherwise, nice people can not have fun with their lives and get their PhD at the same time. I am doing my PhD and I mostly agree with your suggestions but it is such a pity. I hope one day the system will change.
Well, this was spot on and fantastic. Thanks for putting together the great content Andy! Helping me through the final year :)
This is one of the most helpful videos I've seen in a very long time… and just what I needed to hear today! Thank you so much for this pep talk!
PhD prepares you to be the best Taxi driver in the universe!
I don't think it's the most productive thing to tell people to be assholes and engage in ruthless flattery. This kind of cynical approach can (and probably will) work in the short term, but it will undermine your sense of self, personhood, and integrity, so you might end up with a tenured job, but without knowing who you are anymore. I see such people around, and they are never happy, no matter how many papers and books they have published. This is another brutal truth - you are going to live with yourself for the rest of your life, this is your tenure. There is no "getting away from toxic people" if you become one of them.
😰
This is so funny and real I love it, I did not start yet. I can imagine that these points are so important.
Maybe the best video ever about PhD... thank U
You are ON POINT Andy.
Thanks for your video! I just reached half of your points but there is so much truth in it! I am so happy I finished my PhD last year and it was honestly the hardest thing I did in my life until now. Honestly, I am still not sure if it was worth all the struggle. 😅
Brilliant advice and expertise! Thank you!
I have experienced all of them in master LOL and I will face them AGAIN in PhD.. LoL
how is it going? I'm experiencing that in my master and want to retreat after that lol
one of my most favorite videos that you made lately! 🙏🏻
I got one. It helped with pay at the community college. The only research I did was to get it. It may have been a waste of money, but it was something I wanted for myself as a way of reaching a difficult goal academically.
Well, where the hell were you ten years ago when I needed you? ;) Great advice.
Amazing video for someone who is at the beginning of their journey. Thanks a lot
This apply to all PhD in STEM fields. Whenever you see your supervisor, be it either he or she is an assistant professor or an associate professor or a full professor or an emeritus professor, always remind yourself this that government research funding made or nurtured your supervisor to become who he or she is now. The true slayer of all the university professors (Nobel laureates included) , presidents and chancellors is none other than the head of the government: a president, a prime minister, a King or a Queen.
Among many mistakes in my life 1 thing I am really proud of: I decided not to pursue neither the masters nor the PhD. I understood that it's just a slave labor. Later on I realised only 1 thing that matters: Money. Learn to earn Money.Nobody cares about how genious you are. There are always ppl who can do the same thing better and cheaper. The question is: do you earn Money or not. No Money, No Honey. Nobody cares about anything else.
Thanks for this! It is very relatable and feels relieving to hear from you.
Originally I thought it was about making more money. Now there are so many, that the market is flooded, that they are not as valuable, except for inside of academia, where the market is even more flooded.
Very nice, real, and useful.
My #0 (first things first!). The destinations/careers of your advisor's previous students are the best indicator of the careers he promotes. I wanted to be a univ. prof; I found out near the end that my advisor doesn't do what advisors are ethically (morally even) required to do--network with professionals in the field (in my case, universities) to assist in placements of his students. He didn't "believe in helping." I found out after graduating from a professor at another school that this attitude of his was 'almost unethical.' If I would have known that he has only one university placement in that last 20 years, I would have moved on to a more suitable advisor.
I am not in academia, but did a PHD anyway some years ago, it was hard but I absolutely loved it, best time of my life. My supervisor was fantastic, he took time for the students, and always talked good about his students specially when they were not present. No idea if anyone apart from those involved ever read my papers or thesis, but actually stumbled over a citation once where someone cited one of my papers as an example of weird shit you can do, so it was absolutely worth the pain. At my current job nobody cares thou, it is more like a personal thing I did, like going on a magical mystery tour.
Don't give me hope. I'm 29 years old with a Bachelor and MSc. in in Biochem/Microbiology. I'm always striving to find a place when I can feel the magic I use to feel when I was 18 and put a step in the lab. 😓
My problem is not my ambition, but the ambition of my supervisor. He requires me to work at the level of a professor with 15 years of experience, and of all the points of his responsibilities listed, all he does is read my articles and growl “this is for improvement.” Not only does he not let me get behind the wheel, he still won't let me get in the car, and he drives with any of my senior colleagues all the time. But at least it's yielding results and I have quite a few publications-and a complete aversion to all academic work. I'm going to do a PhD and throw the academia-related world to hell.
Appreciate your inputs. Would you mind making video on how to prepare a candidacy exam? Thanks!
I work at an occupational health service at a university and forwarded this to my colleagues