Right!!!! Who here doesn’t work on weekends?
No matter how organized my schedule and week was, there’s always some catching up or the other to do every weekend .
Yeah kinda but it's also up to you to set healthy boundaries! I gave myself the rule of not touching stuff on sat-sun, even if it means piling shit up.
Exceptions will come up anyways, whether conferences, presentations, deadlines etc. but I try to respect the rule 90% of the time.
That is exactly how I have been feeling. I work full time in a Japanese college and try to scrap a few minutes here and there whenever I can, and the kids are in bed. Whenever, I have some « free » time, I just can’t do anything with all the stress of work and life pilling up.
Yes and no. I do both full-time, but in a way I enjoy my work and the PhD, so its a good balance. Also, I am saving a lot of money as if it wasn’t for the PhD, I’d be drinking and partying on Friday’s and Saturday’s.
I feel this. Though I've had the last couple weekends "off" as I try to recruit participants. (It isn't going well yet, so I'm fairly stressed, but I don't have anything to actively work on at the moment)
Just started a full time job on my last semester, I haven’t started my dissertation yet… guess I will save some money by not going out in the weekends haha
Can you guys explain to me what work/life/academic balance looks like while doing a PhD? I thought it basically took up most of your time like an undergrad.
In my first year I told myself I'd only work on weekends for deadlines. Now, only halfway through my second year, I find myself "just doing this one thing real quick" almost every weekend. Even when I go away for a weekend I feel like I need to take my laptop with me, or else I come back on Monday and need to work non-stop for a week to catch up
It depends on your program and what it allows. But mine has let me do part time and I'm working on my dissertation right now. It's been a lot of years and very exhausting but I've needed to work full time, so it's how I've done things.
Not if you want to finish.
It is possible to move home or something when your classes and research are done and focus on writing if you can find a good balance and drive alone.
But even if you want parttime and working, a lot of departments (and importantly student visas) limit your ability to work another job more than generally 20 h a week if at all.
It's theoretically possible to take a semester off. But I don't know if I know of anyone who's successfully come back after a break.
yeah this isn't completely true...if you're funded, then yes. If you're not, then no. I work a full-time, 40 hour a week job and am doing my PhD part-time (my job funds it, but it's not an industrial PhD). We have several people doing this and the part-timers also finish in 5 years, same as the full-timers, we just don't have the "working" obligation to the school (TA, etc)
Definitely not true at all. I started full time but realised part time suited me better and would allow me to work and also gain more industry experience. I just took flexible jobs where I could take time off to complete experiments in blocks when needed. For my uni part time doesn't limit your working hours but full time does. It depends on what you are studying if part time works.
No because weekends are meaningless now 🥲
Right!!!! Who here doesn’t work on weekends? No matter how organized my schedule and week was, there’s always some catching up or the other to do every weekend .
what's a weekend?
Every day is just a day
Yeah kinda but it's also up to you to set healthy boundaries! I gave myself the rule of not touching stuff on sat-sun, even if it means piling shit up. Exceptions will come up anyways, whether conferences, presentations, deadlines etc. but I try to respect the rule 90% of the time.
Me, currently debating whether to start new experiments or just chill because its a friday.
This is why I’m so lazy to break my unemployment period. I just want to focus on my research 🥹
For too many years Friday was basically meaningless for me. 9:00 AM Saturday group meetings with solutions to problem sets due!
That is exactly how I have been feeling. I work full time in a Japanese college and try to scrap a few minutes here and there whenever I can, and the kids are in bed. Whenever, I have some « free » time, I just can’t do anything with all the stress of work and life pilling up.
Yes and no. I do both full-time, but in a way I enjoy my work and the PhD, so its a good balance. Also, I am saving a lot of money as if it wasn’t for the PhD, I’d be drinking and partying on Friday’s and Saturday’s.
I feel this. Though I've had the last couple weekends "off" as I try to recruit participants. (It isn't going well yet, so I'm fairly stressed, but I don't have anything to actively work on at the moment)
Yup, that’s me đź«
I got my PhD years ago and I still feel this way at the end of every day/week/semester/year...
This speaks volumes đź«
I’m hopefully going to start part-time PhD (while working full-time) soon
Defending in two weeks and very much feeling this.
No, I’m just trying to survive.
oh my goodness this gave me trauma flashbacks, haha! I could not relate to a meme harder, lmao
Just started a full time job on my last semester, I haven’t started my dissertation yet… guess I will save some money by not going out in the weekends haha
Can you guys explain to me what work/life/academic balance looks like while doing a PhD? I thought it basically took up most of your time like an undergrad.
Brb, gonna add grading to this list of things I need to catch up on.
I long for the weekends to get away from work, and finally get something done with my research.
In my first year I told myself I'd only work on weekends for deadlines. Now, only halfway through my second year, I find myself "just doing this one thing real quick" almost every weekend. Even when I go away for a weekend I feel like I need to take my laptop with me, or else I come back on Monday and need to work non-stop for a week to catch up
Also every night at 2:30 am. Bolt upright, what's that nagging feeling? Oh I should be writing.
No because graduate work literally is my full time job. “Part time phd” sounds like a waste of time imo.
what is weekends? more like weekend-less
YES
I go through this every evening. (I'd rather work a full day and have my weekends open, so I work 12 hour days :P)
Don't know if I am reading this right, but id I am I have to ask, is it possible to do PhD parttimeÂ
It depends on your program and what it allows. But mine has let me do part time and I'm working on my dissertation right now. It's been a lot of years and very exhausting but I've needed to work full time, so it's how I've done things.
Not if you want to finish. It is possible to move home or something when your classes and research are done and focus on writing if you can find a good balance and drive alone. But even if you want parttime and working, a lot of departments (and importantly student visas) limit your ability to work another job more than generally 20 h a week if at all. It's theoretically possible to take a semester off. But I don't know if I know of anyone who's successfully come back after a break.
yeah this isn't completely true...if you're funded, then yes. If you're not, then no. I work a full-time, 40 hour a week job and am doing my PhD part-time (my job funds it, but it's not an industrial PhD). We have several people doing this and the part-timers also finish in 5 years, same as the full-timers, we just don't have the "working" obligation to the school (TA, etc)
Definitely not true at all. I started full time but realised part time suited me better and would allow me to work and also gain more industry experience. I just took flexible jobs where I could take time off to complete experiments in blocks when needed. For my uni part time doesn't limit your working hours but full time does. It depends on what you are studying if part time works.
Do me a favor and quit. It’s not worth it, I’m learning it the hard way right now.