======= Date Modified 04 Jul 2011 15:18:50 =======
Quote From Mackem_Beefy:
Actually, the irony here is the detachment you felt probably got you through without the stresses that many of us put ourselves through. You were able to walk away, put it to the back of your mind and not find yourself stressing about it, say, when in the middle of a night out with your mates!!!
Spot on!
I have stacks of voluntary work on my CV, had applied for many different types of jobs but with no success (I'm reluctant to keep moving and so limit myself to certain locations and there is another reason which I can't go into as to why I find it difficult to secure employment and no I don't have a criminal record).
It may be helpful if I place my post in context. I always wanted to do a PhD but in a certain area. It is an area where research is needed (I was able to evidence this in a proposal). Year after year I kept try to secure funding and a supervisor (I could never get both together) and was always told to keep trying as it would happen eventually. I would never fund a PhD as I funded an expensive masters and didn't get the return I expected on the investment (it actually put people off employing me as I appeared over qualified) and hence the debt.
Anyway, one year I thought I'd cracked it and got funding and a supervisor. Sadly, and after some investigation on my part, it became clear I wasn't going to get funding but the department I applied to do the PhD with wouldn't officially confirm this. I still don't know why. Anyhow, that potential supervisor was fantastic and put me on the right track. They advised me to do a funded PhD (they pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of self-funding and in line with my own thoughts tried to steer me away from self-funding) and I indicated that I had been offered a funded PhD in another area which was of little interest and I certainly had no passion for. I was advised to grab it, get my head down and complete it. I expressed concern that I would be defined by this PhD and they made the point that times had changed and this was no longer the case as people very often move on to pursue other research interests. They also made a good point that it would be a move in the right direction and I would be working towards something as opposed to doing nothing. In my opinion, this person talked complete sense. Others had kept wishing me well and telling me to keep on trying, indicating that a PhD was hard work but I clearly had a passion for my topic and this would be win through eventually.
The point I'm making is you don't necessarily need passion to complete a PhD. I think you do need to have a reason for doing a PhD and need to be prepared to work very hard. I just wish I'd had that talk with the potential supervisor a few years earlier as listening to others saying passion is necessary in order to see you though was, looking back, not helpful to me. I delayed doing a PhD on the back of it because I thought I wouldn’t be able to stick it out because I wouldn’t have the ‘passion’ for it.
We are all different as are our experiences. Some people will only be able to stick with a PhD because of their overall passion for the topic. For me, it vastly improved my quality of life and I’m not as deeply distressed as I was three years ago due to debt and unemployment. The point I really would like to make is I wouldn’t like someone to turn down a funded PhD opportunity because they think they’ll eventually get a funded PhD in their area as it may never happen. Sometimes, with the best of intentions, I read posts on here advising people not to do a PhD unless they have a passion for the topic. I believe, for the most part, that the characteristics of the person doing the PhD will determine its success or failure. Again, it’s not cut and dried as supervisors do have a role to play.
To be continued...
