Life Lessons Learned From the PhD

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[@edwardstaats4935]

excellent life lessons. We need to remember that a plumber has skills that we need at times, they may not have an advanced degree but when your pipes are leaking, their expertise is critical

[@sbrebrown]

Exactly!

[@EffnShaShinko]

While I would love a PhD, and might go for it one day, your Reason #1 is why I am not going for it now. I moved across the country straight out of undergrad for a job as a high school teacher - bright eyed, excited, ready to put what I studied into practice. The years that followed were the worst of my life, and to say the work environment was toxic is a massive understatement. My mental health probably at its lowest, I made the decision to keep whatever sanity I had left and make a change. Left the school and went for my master's. Even though I excelled in the program, it too took its toll on my psyche. Hindsight I probably should have taken some time between leaving my job and pursuing the master's to give my mental health some time to recover before I beat it down even further...but I didn't. Being honest with myself and making peace with the reality that my mental health won't be able to handle a PhD program was a hard pill to swallow. Hopefully one day I'll be well enough to give it a go in the future, but a person has to be honest with themself - "Can you physically and mentally handle the pressure?"

[@stevenm.2934]

Hi, Stephen. I have enjoyed your videos for a while now - you have inspired me to get into fountain pens. I am a physician-scientist in the US. I did a PhD in biochemistry. The topic of this video really resonates with me and inspired me to make a comment. One of the important lessons I learned from my PhD is the importance of tempering the highs and the lows. I remember there were times early on in my PhD when I finished an experiment at 1:00 am and the result was incredibly exciting. I was the only person in the world that knew that result (granted, 99.99999% of the world does not care but that did not matter to me). It was intoxicating and it felt like I was high. I would head home to sleep for a few hours, ready to wake up at 6:00 am to do the next set of experiments (of note, this is why I continue to do research today - the thrill of new results). But then there was the flip side of that coin....knowing by 11 pm that the experiment had failed but having to keep collecting the data until the experiment was done. In those cases, I would go home at 1 am dejected. I would sleep until the afternoon, too depressed to get out of bed. My advice for life learned from completing a PhD: it's important to temper the highs and lows to remain sane. Keep up the great videos. Love them. I would like to see a topic on the basics and benefit of journaling (I am not sure if you keep a journal). Best, -Steve

[@sbrebrown]

Very recognizable and good advice in general, but yes, that certainly characterizes PhD work. Thanks for your comment!

[@amydebuitleir]

One important thing I learned was how to live with "imposter syndrome". That little voice in your head that says you're not smart enough. That somehow you managed to fool enough people to publish papers, get your PhD, etc., but eventually you will be found out! I think everyone who does a PhD experiences this, and it never really goes away. Reminding myself that everyone else has the same feelings of inadequacy helps. I can't stop the little voice, but I can persist with my research in spite of it.

[@greyareaRK1]

Stephen Fry tells a story of a friend in university he considered far more brilliant than himself, who did poorly in his exams because he hadn't learned to adapt the exam questions to a specific field of interest. His superior knowledge was spread over too many areas of interest, rather than mastering just one. My PhD plans were thwarted by my own mental fragility, and in retrospect I don't think I'd have made it through unless I'd been diagnosed. So many mental struggles look like character flaws. There are different types of stress, of course. I do well in physical emergencies as the extraneous mental noise clears away, and choices/actions become simple. Not a criticism, but I am a little surprised that basic medical response training didn't precede the drug trials.

[@sbrebrown]

Basic medical response training did precede the drug study, but ethically we were--rightfully so--obliged to have medical backup on standby anyway.

[@randy-9842]

Excellent video, Stephen. I'd say more, but am outclassed by the comments already posted - they've spoken more eloquently than I about important issues! I'll only add that I'd have been a better student, and person, if I'd had a mentor (or at least a friend) such as you while I was in school. Bravo and thank you, Stephen, for *all* your videos.

[@dr.d723]

Dear Dr. Brown - Thank you for sharing your "lessons learned" while pursuing your Ph.D. You make some excellent points. One point I believe should be added is that the Ph.D. student needs to have strong perseverance. As I pursued my Ph.D. (and you will likely agree that it is a pursuit), I found that those who were successful were those who were not necessarily the most brilliant, gifted or even had the most money. Those to excelled were those who persevered. Another critical factor is does your mentor had enough funding to keep you for the entire time of your program? If they can not commit to fund you for your entire program, find someone who does. Over the 5 years I worked on my Ph.D., I ended up doing my project in 4 different laboratories under 4 difference advisors and doctoral committees. Summary: Perseverance and funding!

[@pilotstyle123]

Im writing a PhD with 2 months left on the deadline, pressure is extremely high. Ive been through a lot with this monster. The PhD is a girlfriend, father and nemesis at different times. It teaches you, it loves you and tries to destroy you . My relationship to my girlfriend has been negatively affected by it many times, a few times to the breaking point, my mental health went on a rollercoaster regularly. But I had an epiphany or breakdown depending on how you see it at one point which changed everything: You are not your PhD, your personal value is not your PhD, you might succeed or you might fail but that does not mean that you are a failure or a success. The PhD is just a test, it tests your proficiencies in several topic related areas as well as your resilience and capability to keep on working when everything seems lost. That is it. Eversince I divorced myself from my PhD in this way I was able to work much more relaxed and efficient.

[@rbmedd]

Thank-you, Stephen. Wonderful video. I finished by doctorate in 1988, and I still consider it one of the most important "challenges met" in my life. I remember my three watch words then, and as well now: enthusiasm, persistence, and flexibility.

[@jamesfahey7188]

Maybe politicians have narcissistic personality traits that make them unable to see that others are better at things than them? I think in my most floridly narcissistic days, I was convinced I was smarter than most people. Once I got over my narcissism, I realised that I was mediocre at best. I find it liberating to operate within the confines of my own mediocrity. I know when to defer to somebody’s who’s clearly sharper than me (a lot of the time). But as a mediocre person I have leaned to ask questions and listen.

[@reggietheporpoise]

Very apt. I’m currently in my first year of a PhD in biology, focusing on neuroethology and sensory neurobiology. After undergrad, I spent 9 years out of school (but worked in research for a good chunk of it). Going back to school and starting this PhD after so long has been jarring and exciting. Definitely grounds for recalibrating one’s expectations. Anyway, thanks for this sharing of wisdom. It’s good to hear this kind of stuff.

[@meb6667]

Agree with your three lessons. One more (which was relevant to me and to many of my fellow doctoral students): persistence. The scope of one’s course of study and dissertation is substantial. The enormity of the undertaking can be anxious-making. The best way to ward off anxiety is to show up every day and to make a bit of progress every day. To be sure, some days are better than others. But those colleagues who kept moving steadily forward tended to be the ones who succeeded and flourished in graduate school and eventually in their chosen profession.

[@crm1492]

I did my Masters at the University of Chicago. I looked around the room in my first class and saw nothing but people who had been the outliers in their undergraduate classes. It was staggering. A friend of mine got booted out of Finance and Accounting before finishing his Ph.D. in Economics with a dissertation that was essentially Finance. I really understood how long the upper tail of the distribution was when I had a Nobel Prize winner on my dissertation committee. He was the only person in the room that I was really afraid of. I did successfully defend.

[@ingram77331]

Loved this video. I’m currently doing a PhD in philosophical theology. I really resonant with your first life lesson of resiliency. Reflecting on my own journey so far, that principle has been the most important though I can definitely see the importance of the other principles you shared as well. To add to your comment on experiment setbacks as the primary method to learn/increase resiliency, I would say in addition that having a strong social/support network can help with resiliency whether it be a spouse, a close-knit group of friends, etc. to encourage you when you face obstacles and setbacks. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. Great video!

[@edwardstaats4935]

You are always interesting, your conclusions are fascinating

[@robertlovejoy]

And excellent life lessons as well.... I had a friend once, brilliant in understanding and communicating highly technical issues. But in his non-technical life he was quite mortal, as likely to stumble in the normal things as any of us. It did not make him less. But it did help in my understanding that all have strengths and.. all have opportunities to learn more. Sincere thanks for these thoughts and videos! Especially in the world today, going deeper and more thoughtfully would seem to be the most needed answer.

[@stephenroth7283]

Good topic. For me it was primarily learning how to think, think critically and consider multiple alternative answers to a question. Thanks.

[@sandyl3952]

Thank you for sharing something so personal. You are a very special person to me and I am happy to watch all your videos. I appreciate you.

[@timfry8830]

Your message is very, VERY true. Resilience, grace and humbleness are each important. Thank you for being honest and vulnerable about your experiences.

[@tanzil2244]

Thanks for doing this one.

[@Robert-zb5ep]

Stephen, excellent video. I've known several doctoral students that never finished their dissertation, primarily due to having gotten a good-paying job and then letting it slide, thinking it no longer mattered. I think that many people don't realize that doctoral students are also used as a political football between certain research teams in a graduate program. I was fortunate to have mentors that, to some extent, protected me from that so that I could learn how to conduct research and think rigorously. To your last point, humility is a lesson well learned.

[@Dr.Shymaa]

Really valuable speach..thanks for this great vid 😊

[@johnnyragadoo2414]

Most uplifting. Thank you for your insights and the lift after a long and troubling workday. Life's good, never doubt it.

[@mariainesperez6869]

Always interested!

[@joeldoxtator9804]

This is why I think we should go back to university studies taking place later in life. Many, and I mean MANY students do not have either the maturity or stability to accomplish all that is asked of a university degree in their 20's. Since we push University on such young people, we are only capturing the exceptional among the population. While this may be great for companies looking for the youngest and brightest candidates, it is very bad for research as a whole as many could contribute much better later in life. It is not like University is impossible for a 30+ year old person to accomplish, but it is certainly not the norm or socially accepted way of going about it. Many great minds slip through the cracks because of this structure and it is likely we have missed out on some great discoveries because of it.

[@davyj5216]

Working in an academic environment for the last decade and a half I have noticed that a lot of PhDs are acquired by plodding perseverance rather than any real insight.

[@Taib89]

As a PhD candidate, I thank you for uploading this video while I am experiencing anxiety. Now, I am pumped enough to order a Pilot Namiki Falcon with soft extra fine nib and annotate my books with. Lol. I am dead serious. I have been thinking about getting that pen to motivate me to read more of my hard copy books. What do you think?

[@sbrebrown]

You should!

[@Taib89]

Thanks Dr. Brown.

[@Dr.Shymaa]

"May be you get chased by a mean number" oh my I can't stop laughing 😆 🤣 😂

[@jrdavisphd]

Resilience may be enacted through applied stoicism.

[@ndubstar]

I have been thinking of Emerson no its actually Thoreau. I like his Walden book. and his idea to be a loser in another writing i believe. In other words not to live your days and each day being in others high judgement but to be according to your own.

[@TravelingDan20]

Hey buddy are you still in Canada?

[@tirinsplay]

Are you happy in Red Deer?

[@Dr.Shymaa]

What is your speciality?

[@Zuko_plays]

First to comment🎉