Discover why many PhDs are second-guessing their career in science and learn what they wish they knew before diving in, in my eye-opening video - ruclips.net/video/fKO28Zsz9WQ/видео.html
Watching your channel has convinced me that not completing my PhD was a blessing in disguise. I’ve taken away many valuable lessons from my experience, but realized that I went into the program blindly and was soooo naive about what I thought I would get out of it and where it would lead me in my career.
Could you please tell me more? I am currently looking for a PhD position but part of me tells me that I sort of believe this is the best path for me, whilst actually it would be fittest to move on to something else
I did a PhD in clinical psychology. My experience was a bit different from this sample, which seems to be drawn from the hard sciences (?). I had a lot of struggles with issues unique to specializing in psychopathology -- professors critiquing my interpersonal style, very "cliquish" dynamics among the students, the pressure to appear psychologically healthy even if you were struggling, the presence of psychological/emotional problems in the students themselves (no surprise, but it gets amplified when that is your area of study). If you have any sort of emotional or interpersonal problems, be sure that they will come right up in your face in a program like that. We had the same time and study pressure that other PhDs have -- I can relate to that -- but there was also a level of psychological pressure ("dealing with your own issues") that existed on top of that, which added additional stress. I found it quite challenging at times. We didn't have the "publish or perish" mentality that the hard sciences deal with, because 90% of our students were going straight into clinical practice -- their main interest was working with people, not doing research. I was a bit different in that regard. I was mostly interested in psychotherapy research when I entered the program. That interest died along the way, though, and I ended up going into clinical practice myself rather than academia.
What an interesting comment! Thanks for sharing. Could you maybe elaborate on why the students' emotional problems get amplified? Is it because you're forced to deal with your emotions and unresolved issues to a great extent? And is that also true in clinical practice?
Work life balance is a bit tricky. Had a previous micromanager PI and it was not easy to draw boundaries. Switched labs and found it easier to have flexibility. But with a PhD there is also so much to do, you really need to be intentional with a work life balance and self impose it as well. At a point even if you are working many hours, they're not necessarily as effective. It would be good for the culture of the PhD to turn more focused on balance, it would likely help alleviate some of the stresses and issues with anxiety/mental hardships that happen. Of course much of that is dictated by PI so I highly agree, be sure to be careful in choosing your PI. If you happen to find yourself in a difficult PhD situation, don't be afraid to lean on resources from the university, or to switch labs. I had fears from the stigma of it, but at the end of the day I have 0 regrets and it is SO MUCH BETTER, and I'm actually learning more - thriving. There are still some ups and downs typical with research, but you're there to learn and grow. When you find a good environment for that, it's definitely worth it. Failure **should** feel like an opportunity to learn more, not feel like pressure to hide it from the PI or that you're somehow not good enough etc.
The university at which I did my PhD and ended up as an academic, wanted academics to have postgrad students. The problem was that most of the prospective students were pretty awful. So I was going to have to do a reasonable amount of work to make sure they finished. I've seen postgrads with awful programs and they were wandering around trying to find someone to suggest what would fix it. In one case I told them that the method they had been trying to make work for the last 3 months was never going to work.
Hi there! Here's the text with some relevant emojis added: 👋 Andy! My Ph.D. was in social science (2013-2028), heavily research-oriented (with "human subjects"💡)I loved the research part (although I was 44-49 y.o.). The tip I'd give is to find, select, and choose the major professor who is on a research grant to join his publication pipeline; all else is equal.
I’m also 43 and entering a PHD program in cognitive psychology and human factors. Do you mind if I ask how your post doc experience was? Did you find employment to be more challenging because of your age of entry? Any other insights to offer?
@@cashbuyer4221 great question, Bro! Looking back, I wish I would have chosen my major Professor with funding and studies to publish with. Your major professor is the engine of your future employment. Because of the age I didn't want to do postdoc, and found an employment in a teaching Institution. Given my qualifications Above & Beyond my degree, I was hired. A job search is all about the fit: the feet of what they need and what you can offer. I hope this helps coma please let me know.
Doing PhD was a great experience. But after this you hace to chose either to run for publication race to get out from the race, which led you to get out of research. Then start searching industrial or corporate jobs for breadn butter. It is good that now students don't fantasize their future after PhD or Postdoc. Publication is also a business, now. Take huge money from writers n don't give a penny to reviewers. Who is taking all of this money? MDPI is an example. Very few good IF journals with reasonable publication fee. It is business now.
So, don't you think that ChatGPT gonna change the part of the reviewers? 😁 I know I know the "peer review" is still a thing. It could speed up the process rapidly though. And a lot of of dusty ol' ways have already been liberalised rapidly in the last few years in education.
Hi Andy! I feel SOOO identified with every topic. I love your channel because (it's SO well prepared and) it makes me understand that I'm not alone, that there's a community of people going through the same struggles and enjoying the same joyful moments in research. As a 4th year Phd student I wanted to tell you to take in consideration the factor "PhD year" in the life/work balance question. My life in my 1st and second year was VERY different compared to my life months before finishing hahaha Keep the good work! :D
Those planners look full on. Are people really that productive and timely all the time? My daily schedule is deep work and prioritising deadlines. Keep going to get it done. Some days might be a few hours and others 8-10. Working from home. About sporadic 2am here and there. 11am elsewhere
For those of you wondering why it takes Americans so long to get a PhD, it’s because for the majority of us we don’t actually get paid to do our own research. We have to either teach or be working on somebody else’s research while we do our own. Then the pay is so low for those jobs that many of us have to get side jobs. It is a blessing to be able to do your own research, the ultimate golden ticket.
Thank you prof for the down-to-earth presentation. Currently undertaking my PhD, but still finding challenges with work-study balance, This continues to slow down my progress. Could you share specifically your experiences on this issue? How do other PhD in similar circumstances deal with this huddle
Very strange to be so impressed for being payed for following your interests. Whether the work you are doing corresponds to your interests or not, you should be payed for the work you are doing. I think it is shame, how badly phd students (in fact they are not students, becuase they are working full time on a project) and postdocs are generally payed in most countries. I think there is nothing so great in being payed for doing your job, I think it is bad being badly payed for stressfull and frustrating job, which at least in my case PhD was. All this about flexibility or freedom, you may have freedom when to work, but most people in academia work more than 8h/day, which doesn't give you that much freedom, And so on, and so on....
Agreed, we're often training UG or other incoming Grads, publishing the papers that get the grants, working on grants, organizing outreach, teaching etc. Some PIs aren't very helpful and either 1 being overly expectant, pressuring, and not helpful or 2 just not being around at all. Senior phds are less students and more of the lab managers in some cases. And really should be paid more. It's really shocking in the US the system for grad students. You have to pay (or your PI pays) for credits, and yet you're the one doing all the work usually. Your PI isn't in there like a typical classroom style going "now do this, you have to make this molecule". Lol. And the university also takes a chunk of the grant money etc. such a scam the whole system. 😖
Discover why many PhDs are second-guessing their career in science and learn what they wish they knew before diving in, in my eye-opening video - ruclips.net/video/fKO28Zsz9WQ/видео.html
👑🎗️
A bit off topic, but that's a very nice T-Shirt Andy!
Even if you don't do a PhD.. Learning new things (after your 25) increases life expectancy and make life more fun.
10x this comment
Watching your channel has convinced me that not completing my PhD was a blessing in disguise. I’ve taken away many valuable lessons from my experience, but realized that I went into the program blindly and was soooo naive about what I thought I would get out of it and where it would lead me in my career.
Could you please tell me more? I am currently looking for a PhD position but part of me tells me that I sort of believe this is the best path for me, whilst actually it would be fittest to move on to something else
I did a PhD in clinical psychology. My experience was a bit different from this sample, which seems to be drawn from the hard sciences (?). I had a lot of struggles with issues unique to specializing in psychopathology -- professors critiquing my interpersonal style, very "cliquish" dynamics among the students, the pressure to appear psychologically healthy even if you were struggling, the presence of psychological/emotional problems in the students themselves (no surprise, but it gets amplified when that is your area of study). If you have any sort of emotional or interpersonal problems, be sure that they will come right up in your face in a program like that. We had the same time and study pressure that other PhDs have -- I can relate to that -- but there was also a level of psychological pressure ("dealing with your own issues") that existed on top of that, which added additional stress. I found it quite challenging at times.
We didn't have the "publish or perish" mentality that the hard sciences deal with, because 90% of our students were going straight into clinical practice -- their main interest was working with people, not doing research. I was a bit different in that regard. I was mostly interested in psychotherapy research when I entered the program. That interest died along the way, though, and I ended up going into clinical practice myself rather than academia.
What an interesting comment! Thanks for sharing.
Could you maybe elaborate on why the students' emotional problems get amplified? Is it because you're forced to deal with your emotions and unresolved issues to a great extent? And is that also true in clinical practice?
Work life balance is a bit tricky. Had a previous micromanager PI and it was not easy to draw boundaries. Switched labs and found it easier to have flexibility. But with a PhD there is also so much to do, you really need to be intentional with a work life balance and self impose it as well. At a point even if you are working many hours, they're not necessarily as effective. It would be good for the culture of the PhD to turn more focused on balance, it would likely help alleviate some of the stresses and issues with anxiety/mental hardships that happen. Of course much of that is dictated by PI so I highly agree, be sure to be careful in choosing your PI.
If you happen to find yourself in a difficult PhD situation, don't be afraid to lean on resources from the university, or to switch labs. I had fears from the stigma of it, but at the end of the day I have 0 regrets and it is SO MUCH BETTER, and I'm actually learning more - thriving. There are still some ups and downs typical with research, but you're there to learn and grow. When you find a good environment for that, it's definitely worth it. Failure **should** feel like an opportunity to learn more, not feel like pressure to hide it from the PI or that you're somehow not good enough etc.
The university at which I did my PhD and ended up as an academic, wanted academics to have postgrad students. The problem was that most of the prospective students were pretty awful. So I was going to have to do a reasonable amount of work to make sure they finished. I've seen postgrads with awful programs and they were wandering around trying to find someone to suggest what would fix it. In one case I told them that the method they had been trying to make work for the last 3 months was never going to work.
Hi there! Here's the text with some relevant emojis added:
👋 Andy! My Ph.D. was in social science (2013-2028), heavily research-oriented (with "human subjects"💡)I loved the research part (although I was 44-49 y.o.). The tip I'd give is to find, select, and choose the major professor who is on a research grant to join his publication pipeline; all else is equal.
I’m also 43 and entering a PHD program in cognitive psychology and human factors. Do you mind if I ask how your post doc experience was? Did you find employment to be more challenging because of your age of entry? Any other insights to offer?
@@cashbuyer4221 great question, Bro! Looking back, I wish I would have chosen my major Professor with funding and studies to publish with. Your major professor is the engine of your future employment. Because of the age I didn't want to do postdoc, and found an employment in a teaching Institution. Given my qualifications Above & Beyond my degree, I was hired. A job search is all about the fit: the feet of what they need and what you can offer. I hope this helps coma please let me know.
Failures are learning opportunities. A failure remains a failure if you cannot learn anything from it.
Doing PhD was a great experience. But after this you hace to chose either to run for publication race to get out from the race, which led you to get out of research. Then start searching industrial or corporate jobs for breadn butter. It is good that now students don't fantasize their future after PhD or Postdoc. Publication is also a business, now. Take huge money from writers n don't give a penny to reviewers. Who is taking all of this money? MDPI is an example. Very few good IF journals with reasonable publication fee. It is business now.
In math, most journals are free and we are lucky.
So, don't you think that ChatGPT gonna change the part of the reviewers? 😁
I know I know the "peer review" is still a thing. It could speed up the process rapidly though.
And a lot of of dusty ol' ways have already been liberalised rapidly in the last few years in education.
Hi Andy! I feel SOOO identified with every topic. I love your channel because (it's SO well prepared and) it makes me understand that I'm not alone, that there's a community of people going through the same struggles and enjoying the same joyful moments in research.
As a 4th year Phd student I wanted to tell you to take in consideration the factor "PhD year" in the life/work balance question. My life in my 1st and second year was VERY different compared to my life months before finishing hahaha
Keep the good work! :D
I really like this guy😂 hilarious lol. This just inspired me to get a PhD lol 😅get paid to study ❤ how cool is that!
Flearning! I love it
I always enjoy your comments on stiff academic’s!
Throw in teaching undergrad courses to the daily schedule, and that was pretty much my life.
Looking the pursue my PhD. In industrial and systems engineering.
Finish work at 5PM. LOL that’s funny.
❤❤❤TYVM🎉
Those planners look full on. Are people really that productive and timely all the time?
My daily schedule is deep work and prioritising deadlines. Keep going to get it done. Some days might be a few hours and others 8-10.
Working from home. About sporadic
2am here and there. 11am elsewhere
Great shirt ! Your vids are very informative and helpful. 🎉 Flearning👍
For those of you wondering why it takes Americans so long to get a PhD, it’s because for the majority of us we don’t actually get paid to do our own research. We have to either teach or be working on somebody else’s research while we do our own. Then the pay is so low for those jobs that many of us have to get side jobs. It is a blessing to be able to do your own research, the ultimate golden ticket.
❤❤love it!
Thank you prof for the down-to-earth presentation. Currently undertaking my PhD, but still finding challenges with work-study balance, This continues to slow down my progress. Could you share specifically your experiences on this issue? How do other PhD in similar circumstances deal with this huddle
I like your tshirt how is the design called?
We are already earning so less and your PhD kickstart guide is so expensive 😔😔
Thank you Andy for your work and for unveiling the ugly truth in academia !
Instructions unclear, kissed a PhD without asking
Very strange to be so impressed for being payed for following your interests. Whether the work you are doing corresponds to your interests or not, you should be payed for the work you are doing. I think it is shame, how badly phd students (in fact they are not students, becuase they are working full time on a project) and postdocs are generally payed in most countries. I think there is nothing so great in being payed for doing your job, I think it is bad being badly payed for stressfull and frustrating job, which at least in my case PhD was.
All this about flexibility or freedom, you may have freedom when to work, but most people in academia work more than 8h/day, which doesn't give you that much freedom, And so on, and so on....
Agreed, we're often training UG or other incoming Grads, publishing the papers that get the grants, working on grants, organizing outreach, teaching etc. Some PIs aren't very helpful and either 1 being overly expectant, pressuring, and not helpful or 2 just not being around at all. Senior phds are less students and more of the lab managers in some cases. And really should be paid more. It's really shocking in the US the system for grad students. You have to pay (or your PI pays) for credits, and yet you're the one doing all the work usually. Your PI isn't in there like a typical classroom style going "now do this, you have to make this molecule". Lol. And the university also takes a chunk of the grant money etc. such a scam the whole system. 😖
This is pretty much focused on Science/social science students. Humanities students do Phds too.
Hmmm. How is it different?
You should have asked me too lol
these videos are very cringe
Stop watching them
are you from the engineering field?
@@the_bruce-z1w what's the tea on that field?
Putting "skills" and "phds" in the same phrase is quite hilarious since they don't have any.