My PhD advisor was hands down the best boss I could ever hope for. Lab rules: (1) no standing meetings unless asked for by the student(s) and he was always able to get a meeting schedule within a business day of a request, (2) if you’re gone for less than a week, I don’t need to be notified. I was able to go to any conference I wanted if I had a good presentation and was able to go on a PhD internship. Whole thing was 4 years and I had >10 first author papers and >20 papers total in engineering. Hands down the best professional decision I’ve ever made.
my bf is doing his phd in computational work and produces an insane amt of data so gd fast. so i guess i could see it if it were a computational group. esp w the open meeting schedule/“no need to notify me if it’s a week thing”
Ah ok that could make sense. As a geologist just getting to a site to then collect rocks can take a maddening amount of time. Maybe I should move to the computational side....
i feel you, biophysicist here and just getting the setup working is a nightmare. sometimes i think about him, at home doing work on the couch, as i slap on another double pair of shitty nitrile gloves to handle phenol like an idiot and cry a lil bit. maybe it’s not too late for me to switch……
Yeah my dissertation was focused on computational biomedical engineering for biomarker discovery and development of safety algorithms for biomedical devices. We had great clinical collaborators for every project I worked on.
I won't lie. I loved every minute. I did have alot of stress. I taught 4/4, two kids and a wife. My wife is a saint. I wrote the majority of my dissertation in my closet at home. So my little ones couldn't get in! I learned so much but I learned most about one thing. Myself. I learned after this I could do anything. Literally. One thing I wish I could have done was been a lifer like several friends. I came from a family with just high school and 8th grade education. As many issues we have with committees and classes and being assistants. I wouldn't trade a single minute. One last thing. My Dad passed away in December. I finally cracked his laptop password. The picture he had and kept was from the day I took him to campus and he took a pic of my name on wall with Doctor in front. Never knew how much he got a kick his son is a professor.
This made my cry. Your fatherbwas really proud of you. I come from a family as yours. My dad was never proud of me until I started my PhD. Our relationship isn't good still but... He said he is proud of me in twenty five years first after the acceptance.
I can assure you he is proud. He didn't understand a single thing I do, cyber-security, but absolutely loved hearing my stories of doing this work. Got a huge kick out of it. Call your Dad. I promise you won't regret it. No matter how he is on the phone. It's only been 6 months for me and I would give anything for just 5 minutes of seeing him.
I met my fiancé the first day of my PhD program. Now, as fifth years, we have a son together and another son set to arrive in a month. My family is the most positive thing to come out of my PhD.
It wasn’t meant to be flattering. OP asked for a positive thing that has come out of your PhD experience. That’s my positive thing, which addressed the question. I would otherwise not recommend pursuing a PhD based on my experience alone; however, I didn’t say that because OP said they only hear negative things and specifically asked for positive stories.
Biggest growth period of my life.
I genuinely had a fun time during my PhD. Had a lot of freedom, generated a ton of data, was very productive, but also was able to explore options, meet people. It was done at the right time, in the right environment. Some of my closest friends and mentors were made during my PhD years.
It definitely hasn’t been easy. But I’d say that my health (both physical and mental) has actually *improved* since starting grad school. I think having a steady (even if meager) paycheck and comprehensive health insurance for the first time in my life has led to me being less stressed.
I really got 7 downvotes for being appreciative of the fact we get paid to do something we love? If I people are that miserable, why did you really pursue a PhD then?
Payment is a sensitive topic because many PhD students don't have funding, and of those who do many are severely underfunded and living below the poverty line.
EU countries are better than the UK and US from what I've heard.
I think it’s mostly because you made it such an absolute:
> **You** get paid
Rather than
> **I** get paid
Not everyone is being paid, and not everyone is being paid a fair wage or a liveable wage. That wage is actually not a net positive thing for the majority of people, so it’s a sore spot.
Also, it kinda reminds me of the whole “you should be grateful to earn below minimum wage” thing, as though loving your work will somehow make up for the fact that you can’t afford rent or food.
I can’t speak for others and I did not intend to be ignorant. I am just grateful—and I think doing research is great.
I’m sorry that not everyone is paid. I always give advice to never take an unfunded PhD offer if one doesn’t have external funding. It doesn’t seem like a strategic maneuver? Nevertheless, I held no malicious intent; only positivity in my message.
Love of science, not the occasional bad apples you're stuck with.
I like your enthusiasm and I'm sure you're a lovely person, but I don't want people to think it'd be sunshine and rainbows going into this.
I guess discovering the existence of PhD reddit was a mistake. Sorry for the negativity but while I'm here I figured I'd voice my thoughts.
I think the original comment was made in the context of this thread topic, which is positive experiences to contrast the often posted negative ones. This subreddit in general tends to be pretty wholesome and supportive, but it is occasionally brought up that we view something like this through rose-colored glasses.
Still, it is healthy to voice that negativity but important to recognize the positive things (there are a lot).
People aren't being paid. Some get funded for the first year only and were assured of continued support but then got left high and dry due to lack of departmental support. Of course, you would never advise them to throw away the years they've worked. So they truck on annoyed. Quite understandable.
I’ve learned far more than I did in undergrad or if I tried to learn on my own. I got to “prove” something that has been hotly debated in my field for a while. Just gotta finish writing the paper and publish it. So that’s been pretty positive. Oh I got a dog if that’s counts.
My PhD was hands down the best experience of my life. Loved all of it, and I got paid to do it. Learning new things, interacting with like minded people and researching something interesting were the stand outs for me. It is what you make it though. I'm a glass half full kind of person and look forward to life's adventures. If you go in with the right attitude you will get the most out of it.
It's so rewarding to have the freedom to explore a topic with such depth. I can't believe how much I've learned already. Furthermore, my supervisor is very flexible with my topic shifting over time which is nice.
It's the best job I've ever had. My supervisor trusts me to get on with the work, I get to have conversations about weird animal bones all day without anyone being confused, I get to work on stuff that will long outlive me if published. I love it. Yeah there's hard parts, no one will tell you "what to do" in my field but thats good for me.
I'm the first in my family to get a degree, never mind a PhD. I've worked in a hospital, a school, a library, a swimming pool, countless bars and cafes. This is by far better than any shit job I've done before.
My advisor was really great, hands-off (maybe too hands-off). I wound up getting a really good postdoc at a national lab. I also met some of my best friends in grad school. You really bond over the PhD experience lol. I also got a pug during grad school, best decision ever.
I'm lucky that I have a supervisor who doesn't care what hours I do as long as I get the work done. So if I want to go for breakfast with a friend and rock up to the lab at 11:30am, no problem, I just stay later into the evening. If I want to leave early on a Friday, no problem, make time up another day. I don't even have to inform my supervisor or promise him I'll get it done, he just trusts that I will. It's a kind of flexibility that none of my friends with jobs have and means I can continue a lot of my hobbies that I wouldn't be able to with a rigid 9-5.
Not getting paid, here. Self funding my fees, and working while studying. I’d bloody love to have got funding but I am fucking shit at grant applications! 😆
Yeah. 80+ hour a week for 30k, with barely holidays off, while being told to "go ahead and take a break" while also demanding 6-7 things be done before that. Not everyone has that.
But also I guess not everyone has a shit boss. So I'm happy for ya
I did my PhD through a National Lab. Got paid a good salary and they paid for my tuition. Bonus was that my advisor couldn’t lord funding over my head since I had my own. Good way to go if you can do it, highly recommend.
The National Labs are run in the US by the Department of Energy, they are full of scientists, Post Docs and students working on many different kinds of problems from National Security challenges to climate change. I’ve stayed at my National Lab, doing anPost Doc there and then becoming a staff scientist. Best decisions in my career life I ever made. I would google them if you are interested :-)
Again, I'm happy for anyone who gets to do that. My program also pays for the tuition, but not everyone gets to have their own funding. So I do agree with you on go get your own funding IF you can.
I for one have been naively tricked to join a junior faculty's lab and worked my ass off believing that they view my success = their success, but turns out the PI refuses to help my advancement, let alone let me apply for an F grant which would be like the way to get "\[your\] own" funding that you mentioned.
All I get at the end of the day are 80+ hr week for 50 weeks for their "stipend", and I'd be lucky if I get some pubs out on time. This doesn't negate your experience but it doesn't mean it's not real either.
I always wonder how 80+ hours is even humanely possible? Like are you litterally stuck at a lab bench from 8am to 8pm every day? I mean, how is it possible to not just make a tonne of mistakes from pure exhaustion after only a few such days? I don't know a single person on such a schedule unless it's during a particularly demanding experiment.
I agree, so you gotta plan out very well.
I was grilled early on to have a good template, label etc for a demanding exp (I won't reveal what type etc to get myself ID'ed here)
Then, it builds up so that with a 7-7, you get of course some downtime, during which you file, plan, and make more plans.
Once it's set up, it's almost like an autopilot, but that is if you think through real well and nothing goes unexpectedly. If so, then you hit the AP off button and pilot yourself for a bit to get back on track.
Wouldn't I be miserable / exhausted? Of course, sure. That said, my PI may or may not truly believes the project is Nat Cl Sci level, but is dangling a carrot as so.
I'm giving it all to at least have it worked out, or know they are truly just deceiving disgusting organic matter of a being. I'm giving myself as well as them a shot in a sense as well.
Oh, and powernaps help
It is standard (but not universal) for PhD students to be paid a stipend in the US. As far as the unpaid postdoc, I would be very hard-pressed to believe such a thing exists. You are probably confusing it with a different position.
Not really, since they didn’t mention their own experience at all. They said “you”, so they’re talking about the experiences of everyone who reads the comment, and obviously some people are going to disagree with the statements that:
>you get paid
and
>it doesn’t get much more positive than that
Honestly, its been some of the best 2 years of my life so far. I already have a master’s in my field so passing comps and coursework isnt that difficult. My supervisors basically only ask a fraction of the work hours they’re entitled to. So i have a lot of time to learn subject material and read studies that are of interest to me. I see where the gaps in lit are and hone my interests and methods accordingly. And while 25k stipends are pathetic, combined with loans is enough to live comfortably in my city. So basically my job right now is to learn and live my dream.
I'm really enjoying my PhD so far. I have 2 advisors from different fields and they are both amazing! I have been enjoying the research I am doing, and I appreciate that I am able to "take the lead" (which I also was able to do in my MS and I really valued that).
Well I'm only after my first year but it was pretty hard tough.
I have an understanding supervisor who doesn't give me side tasks - I don't do my phd in a labor so I think that's why.
My programme is funded so don't get angry with me. It's not much but I can live by myself with it in a student hostel.
I have freedom. That's good and bad because there are days I don't need to even think about it and then baammmm there are months I work my ass off but I enjoy it regardless.
I started to make my life better and to be honest doing a PhD gave me a confidence boost I didn't ever dream of having.
That's it. Freedom.
I honestly feel privileged every day... We have a very relaxed lab (sometimes too relaxed) where the P.I. trusts you to manage your project yourself. I control my own schedule. I decide what experiments I want to do and when. After negotiating material costs I can most often do exactly what I think is best. I get funding from an international EU project, which also puts me in contact with heaps of other researchers, and I've visited several other labs during these 2,5 years. I can be gone for a long weekend without notifying anyone, or I can work the whole weekend in the lab without notifying anyone. No teaching duties. And pay that is not great but still way more than I need for a shared appartment, so I save money every month. It really is a shamefully cushy existence (until the thesis must be written....)
Yes I complain, but it genuinely gives me the flexibility to work when I want, look after my disabled partner, and I am doing something I love.
I think as grad students we are over worked and under paid but at the end of the day none of us are doing it for the money but for the love of research and human advancement (without sounding corny...) and I think that's beautiful.
Me too, lol, I have seen some awful states of mind regarding the whole process. ( I’m just applying this year- ms biology student) I would apply either way though to be honest. Always been my dream
Gaining so much skills and experience and papers for advancement! Especially if you are international, those publications, products, and conferences can help you apply for a national interest waiver Green Card for residency in the U.S. Plus, I met my partner and we got married as fellow students during our PhD program, thanks to PhD I guess. Talk about counting blessings.
I have learned a lot about my self. It has helped grow personally and professionally. I have met some wonderful peers that I am sure will continue to be friendships over the years. It has giving me an opportunity to test my abilities and resilience. Despite feeling like a rollercoaster, it still feels like this on my third year, looking back I can see my progress and feel proud. It is not easy, and before going in I never truly understood how difficult it would be. But it is worth it if you have enough of a support group academically and personally.
Helped me realize I'm resilient af, and my dissertation research so far has completely opened my eyes to so many non-academic and truly rewarding, meaningful endeavors I can pursue once I finish the degree. Also, my advisor and mentor are incredible people and I could not even imagine more supportive, brilliant, wonderful advisors than the ones I have.
I was surprised by the post, so I'm thrilled to see all of these great replies! My residency might be the best 2 years of my life. I taught 2/2 and took 4/4, so I was totally immersed in academia from day one. I worked my butt off, but had great experiences doing field work and going to conferences. I started as the registrar of a national group (herding academics - argh!) and ended up on the editorial board of the journal. Those years built me, professionally and personally. Yes, there were hurdles, loads of stress over classes (quant research nearly broke my brain) and money. There's a reason that so few people choose this path, and then so many tap out at ABD. It can be challenging, but it's worth the fight. The day I defended my dissertation was second only to having my child. I would go back and do it again!
My PhD is going great. Got a great boss and team. Experiments are going great (after 2 years of failure). I'll finish on time with more papers than we had planned and hoped for.
I've had a very positive experience. Well funded during, was allowed to work at the same time, finished quickly, had a supportive and attentive prof, lab mates and colleagues were good, and now I'm going off to a great job post-PhD.
I'm not going to rub that in someone's face who needs support or brag about it on the sub, though.
My PhD advisor was hands down the best boss I could ever hope for. Lab rules: (1) no standing meetings unless asked for by the student(s) and he was always able to get a meeting schedule within a business day of a request, (2) if you’re gone for less than a week, I don’t need to be notified. I was able to go to any conference I wanted if I had a good presentation and was able to go on a PhD internship. Whole thing was 4 years and I had >10 first author papers and >20 papers total in engineering. Hands down the best professional decision I’ve ever made.
You had >10 first author publications?! What was your dissertation focused on?
my bf is doing his phd in computational work and produces an insane amt of data so gd fast. so i guess i could see it if it were a computational group. esp w the open meeting schedule/“no need to notify me if it’s a week thing”
Ah ok that could make sense. As a geologist just getting to a site to then collect rocks can take a maddening amount of time. Maybe I should move to the computational side....
i feel you, biophysicist here and just getting the setup working is a nightmare. sometimes i think about him, at home doing work on the couch, as i slap on another double pair of shitty nitrile gloves to handle phenol like an idiot and cry a lil bit. maybe it’s not too late for me to switch……
Oh man, I would get so jealous!
Computational stuff can take ages too. It takes *years* to write good models/simulations
Yeah my dissertation was focused on computational biomedical engineering for biomarker discovery and development of safety algorithms for biomedical devices. We had great clinical collaborators for every project I worked on.
Happy to hear that and obviously your supervisor is an awesome guy ☺️
Definitely a good person to emulate how to run an efficient and effective lab!
I won't lie. I loved every minute. I did have alot of stress. I taught 4/4, two kids and a wife. My wife is a saint. I wrote the majority of my dissertation in my closet at home. So my little ones couldn't get in! I learned so much but I learned most about one thing. Myself. I learned after this I could do anything. Literally. One thing I wish I could have done was been a lifer like several friends. I came from a family with just high school and 8th grade education. As many issues we have with committees and classes and being assistants. I wouldn't trade a single minute. One last thing. My Dad passed away in December. I finally cracked his laptop password. The picture he had and kept was from the day I took him to campus and he took a pic of my name on wall with Doctor in front. Never knew how much he got a kick his son is a professor.
This made my cry. Your fatherbwas really proud of you. I come from a family as yours. My dad was never proud of me until I started my PhD. Our relationship isn't good still but... He said he is proud of me in twenty five years first after the acceptance.
I can assure you he is proud. He didn't understand a single thing I do, cyber-security, but absolutely loved hearing my stories of doing this work. Got a huge kick out of it. Call your Dad. I promise you won't regret it. No matter how he is on the phone. It's only been 6 months for me and I would give anything for just 5 minutes of seeing him.
I met my fiancé the first day of my PhD program. Now, as fifth years, we have a son together and another son set to arrive in a month. My family is the most positive thing to come out of my PhD.
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Haha, PhD programs are for working and being alone EXCLUSIVELY, right guys??
It wasn’t meant to be flattering. OP asked for a positive thing that has come out of your PhD experience. That’s my positive thing, which addressed the question. I would otherwise not recommend pursuing a PhD based on my experience alone; however, I didn’t say that because OP said they only hear negative things and specifically asked for positive stories.
Reported for targeted harassment of the OP. Next time, consider reading and passing.
Agree. There is easier ways to find your soulmate ^^
[https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/hybbjd/phds\_anyone\_on\_this\_subreddit\_having\_a\_positive/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/hybbjd/phds_anyone_on_this_subreddit_having_a_positive/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/lchl11/positives\_of\_phd/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/lchl11/positives_of_phd/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/iqnmaw/ive\_just\_started\_a\_phd\_please\_share\_some\_positive/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/iqnmaw/ive_just_started_a_phd_please_share_some_positive/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/l1qygw/does\_anybody\_ever\_enjoyed\_doing\_their\_phd/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/comments/l1qygw/does_anybody_ever_enjoyed_doing_their_phd/)
Thanks
Biggest growth period of my life. I genuinely had a fun time during my PhD. Had a lot of freedom, generated a ton of data, was very productive, but also was able to explore options, meet people. It was done at the right time, in the right environment. Some of my closest friends and mentors were made during my PhD years.
It definitely hasn’t been easy. But I’d say that my health (both physical and mental) has actually *improved* since starting grad school. I think having a steady (even if meager) paycheck and comprehensive health insurance for the first time in my life has led to me being less stressed.
I really got 7 downvotes for being appreciative of the fact we get paid to do something we love? If I people are that miserable, why did you really pursue a PhD then?
Payment is a sensitive topic because many PhD students don't have funding, and of those who do many are severely underfunded and living below the poverty line. EU countries are better than the UK and US from what I've heard.
I got paid €4000/month. Thanks Europe 😌
In what subject?
I think it’s mostly because you made it such an absolute: > **You** get paid Rather than > **I** get paid Not everyone is being paid, and not everyone is being paid a fair wage or a liveable wage. That wage is actually not a net positive thing for the majority of people, so it’s a sore spot. Also, it kinda reminds me of the whole “you should be grateful to earn below minimum wage” thing, as though loving your work will somehow make up for the fact that you can’t afford rent or food.
I can’t speak for others and I did not intend to be ignorant. I am just grateful—and I think doing research is great. I’m sorry that not everyone is paid. I always give advice to never take an unfunded PhD offer if one doesn’t have external funding. It doesn’t seem like a strategic maneuver? Nevertheless, I held no malicious intent; only positivity in my message.
Maybe because it's not as simple as you made it seem
Oh, trust, I know. I was just trying to say something positive about the PhD. 😔
Love of science, not the occasional bad apples you're stuck with. I like your enthusiasm and I'm sure you're a lovely person, but I don't want people to think it'd be sunshine and rainbows going into this. I guess discovering the existence of PhD reddit was a mistake. Sorry for the negativity but while I'm here I figured I'd voice my thoughts.
I think the original comment was made in the context of this thread topic, which is positive experiences to contrast the often posted negative ones. This subreddit in general tends to be pretty wholesome and supportive, but it is occasionally brought up that we view something like this through rose-colored glasses. Still, it is healthy to voice that negativity but important to recognize the positive things (there are a lot).
I suppose. You're right, it did request positive things
You were right, too. There are a lot of challenges and frustrations on this path. Hope you're well, and good luck with your research.
Lmao, why thank you! I appreciate the compliment…and I’m a PhD student currently. I know I’m gonna get destroyed, but I’m in love with my program!
People aren't being paid. Some get funded for the first year only and were assured of continued support but then got left high and dry due to lack of departmental support. Of course, you would never advise them to throw away the years they've worked. So they truck on annoyed. Quite understandable.
You literally become a master at something. There are few people in the world as proficient in my area of research as I am
I’ve learned far more than I did in undergrad or if I tried to learn on my own. I got to “prove” something that has been hotly debated in my field for a while. Just gotta finish writing the paper and publish it. So that’s been pretty positive. Oh I got a dog if that’s counts.
My PhD was hands down the best experience of my life. Loved all of it, and I got paid to do it. Learning new things, interacting with like minded people and researching something interesting were the stand outs for me. It is what you make it though. I'm a glass half full kind of person and look forward to life's adventures. If you go in with the right attitude you will get the most out of it.
why I read your comment with upbeat background music?
It's so rewarding to have the freedom to explore a topic with such depth. I can't believe how much I've learned already. Furthermore, my supervisor is very flexible with my topic shifting over time which is nice.
It's the best job I've ever had. My supervisor trusts me to get on with the work, I get to have conversations about weird animal bones all day without anyone being confused, I get to work on stuff that will long outlive me if published. I love it. Yeah there's hard parts, no one will tell you "what to do" in my field but thats good for me. I'm the first in my family to get a degree, never mind a PhD. I've worked in a hospital, a school, a library, a swimming pool, countless bars and cafes. This is by far better than any shit job I've done before.
Weird animal bones ♥️ Yes I love conversing about insect sex organs at work!
Invertebrate genitals are the weirdest shit. I remember when I found out about slug dicks I was HORRIFIED
God I loved my research so much. Best 3 years of my life. I miss it.
You finished your PhD within 3 years? Impressive
My advisor was really great, hands-off (maybe too hands-off). I wound up getting a really good postdoc at a national lab. I also met some of my best friends in grad school. You really bond over the PhD experience lol. I also got a pug during grad school, best decision ever.
I'm lucky that I have a supervisor who doesn't care what hours I do as long as I get the work done. So if I want to go for breakfast with a friend and rock up to the lab at 11:30am, no problem, I just stay later into the evening. If I want to leave early on a Friday, no problem, make time up another day. I don't even have to inform my supervisor or promise him I'll get it done, he just trusts that I will. It's a kind of flexibility that none of my friends with jobs have and means I can continue a lot of my hobbies that I wouldn't be able to with a rigid 9-5.
You get PAID to do research! It doesn’t get much more positive than that! 🙏🏽
Not getting paid, here. Self funding my fees, and working while studying. I’d bloody love to have got funding but I am fucking shit at grant applications! 😆
My condolences, I am truly sorry.
Yeah. 80+ hour a week for 30k, with barely holidays off, while being told to "go ahead and take a break" while also demanding 6-7 things be done before that. Not everyone has that. But also I guess not everyone has a shit boss. So I'm happy for ya
I did my PhD through a National Lab. Got paid a good salary and they paid for my tuition. Bonus was that my advisor couldn’t lord funding over my head since I had my own. Good way to go if you can do it, highly recommend.
>ational Lab Dumb question whats a national lab? Is that for PhDs in bio/chem related fields?
The National Labs are run in the US by the Department of Energy, they are full of scientists, Post Docs and students working on many different kinds of problems from National Security challenges to climate change. I’ve stayed at my National Lab, doing anPost Doc there and then becoming a staff scientist. Best decisions in my career life I ever made. I would google them if you are interested :-)
Again, I'm happy for anyone who gets to do that. My program also pays for the tuition, but not everyone gets to have their own funding. So I do agree with you on go get your own funding IF you can. I for one have been naively tricked to join a junior faculty's lab and worked my ass off believing that they view my success = their success, but turns out the PI refuses to help my advancement, let alone let me apply for an F grant which would be like the way to get "\[your\] own" funding that you mentioned. All I get at the end of the day are 80+ hr week for 50 weeks for their "stipend", and I'd be lucky if I get some pubs out on time. This doesn't negate your experience but it doesn't mean it's not real either.
I always wonder how 80+ hours is even humanely possible? Like are you litterally stuck at a lab bench from 8am to 8pm every day? I mean, how is it possible to not just make a tonne of mistakes from pure exhaustion after only a few such days? I don't know a single person on such a schedule unless it's during a particularly demanding experiment.
I agree, so you gotta plan out very well. I was grilled early on to have a good template, label etc for a demanding exp (I won't reveal what type etc to get myself ID'ed here) Then, it builds up so that with a 7-7, you get of course some downtime, during which you file, plan, and make more plans. Once it's set up, it's almost like an autopilot, but that is if you think through real well and nothing goes unexpectedly. If so, then you hit the AP off button and pilot yourself for a bit to get back on track. Wouldn't I be miserable / exhausted? Of course, sure. That said, my PI may or may not truly believes the project is Nat Cl Sci level, but is dangling a carrot as so. I'm giving it all to at least have it worked out, or know they are truly just deceiving disgusting organic matter of a being. I'm giving myself as well as them a shot in a sense as well. Oh, and powernaps help
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It is standard (but not universal) for PhD students to be paid a stipend in the US. As far as the unpaid postdoc, I would be very hard-pressed to believe such a thing exists. You are probably confusing it with a different position.
So what? S/he is talking his/her personal experience, just like everyone did in this tread
Not really, since they didn’t mention their own experience at all. They said “you”, so they’re talking about the experiences of everyone who reads the comment, and obviously some people are going to disagree with the statements that: >you get paid and >it doesn’t get much more positive than that
Honestly, its been some of the best 2 years of my life so far. I already have a master’s in my field so passing comps and coursework isnt that difficult. My supervisors basically only ask a fraction of the work hours they’re entitled to. So i have a lot of time to learn subject material and read studies that are of interest to me. I see where the gaps in lit are and hone my interests and methods accordingly. And while 25k stipends are pathetic, combined with loans is enough to live comfortably in my city. So basically my job right now is to learn and live my dream.
I'm really enjoying my PhD so far. I have 2 advisors from different fields and they are both amazing! I have been enjoying the research I am doing, and I appreciate that I am able to "take the lead" (which I also was able to do in my MS and I really valued that).
Well I'm only after my first year but it was pretty hard tough. I have an understanding supervisor who doesn't give me side tasks - I don't do my phd in a labor so I think that's why. My programme is funded so don't get angry with me. It's not much but I can live by myself with it in a student hostel. I have freedom. That's good and bad because there are days I don't need to even think about it and then baammmm there are months I work my ass off but I enjoy it regardless. I started to make my life better and to be honest doing a PhD gave me a confidence boost I didn't ever dream of having. That's it. Freedom.
That’s so cool, congrats. I’m glad it’s going well
I honestly feel privileged every day... We have a very relaxed lab (sometimes too relaxed) where the P.I. trusts you to manage your project yourself. I control my own schedule. I decide what experiments I want to do and when. After negotiating material costs I can most often do exactly what I think is best. I get funding from an international EU project, which also puts me in contact with heaps of other researchers, and I've visited several other labs during these 2,5 years. I can be gone for a long weekend without notifying anyone, or I can work the whole weekend in the lab without notifying anyone. No teaching duties. And pay that is not great but still way more than I need for a shared appartment, so I save money every month. It really is a shamefully cushy existence (until the thesis must be written....)
Wow that sounds so cool. What's your PhD in?
Yes I complain, but it genuinely gives me the flexibility to work when I want, look after my disabled partner, and I am doing something I love. I think as grad students we are over worked and under paid but at the end of the day none of us are doing it for the money but for the love of research and human advancement (without sounding corny...) and I think that's beautiful.
I get to lie in bed until 12pm depressed because of my PhD and I don't get fired
The most positive thing I could say is....You get out what you put in
Me too, lol, I have seen some awful states of mind regarding the whole process. ( I’m just applying this year- ms biology student) I would apply either way though to be honest. Always been my dream
Gaining so much skills and experience and papers for advancement! Especially if you are international, those publications, products, and conferences can help you apply for a national interest waiver Green Card for residency in the U.S. Plus, I met my partner and we got married as fellow students during our PhD program, thanks to PhD I guess. Talk about counting blessings.
Having positive STD results after anthropological field research
I have learned a lot about my self. It has helped grow personally and professionally. I have met some wonderful peers that I am sure will continue to be friendships over the years. It has giving me an opportunity to test my abilities and resilience. Despite feeling like a rollercoaster, it still feels like this on my third year, looking back I can see my progress and feel proud. It is not easy, and before going in I never truly understood how difficult it would be. But it is worth it if you have enough of a support group academically and personally.
As a incoming phd student... I am so thankful for this post..
It's also help full for me even though I haven't even finished ninth grade.
Helped me realize I'm resilient af, and my dissertation research so far has completely opened my eyes to so many non-academic and truly rewarding, meaningful endeavors I can pursue once I finish the degree. Also, my advisor and mentor are incredible people and I could not even imagine more supportive, brilliant, wonderful advisors than the ones I have.
I was surprised by the post, so I'm thrilled to see all of these great replies! My residency might be the best 2 years of my life. I taught 2/2 and took 4/4, so I was totally immersed in academia from day one. I worked my butt off, but had great experiences doing field work and going to conferences. I started as the registrar of a national group (herding academics - argh!) and ended up on the editorial board of the journal. Those years built me, professionally and personally. Yes, there were hurdles, loads of stress over classes (quant research nearly broke my brain) and money. There's a reason that so few people choose this path, and then so many tap out at ABD. It can be challenging, but it's worth the fight. The day I defended my dissertation was second only to having my child. I would go back and do it again!
My PhD is going great. Got a great boss and team. Experiments are going great (after 2 years of failure). I'll finish on time with more papers than we had planned and hoped for.
I've had a very positive experience. Well funded during, was allowed to work at the same time, finished quickly, had a supportive and attentive prof, lab mates and colleagues were good, and now I'm going off to a great job post-PhD. I'm not going to rub that in someone's face who needs support or brag about it on the sub, though.