| You Should Get a PhD in Science (like chemistry, math, or engineering) |
 You're both smart and innovative when it comes to ideas. Maybe you'll find a cure for cancer - or develop the latest underground drug. |
What Advanced Degree Should You Get?
This is just scary. So much over the past year I've thought that maybe a Ph.D. was a waste of my time, that maybe I'm only cut out to do other peoples research and that I'm so bored of sitting at my desk and thinking and writing.
I'm still working on the resubmit. I'm going to discuss it with my adviser tomorrow but I don't think it needs anything more. I'm sure he will disagree. It is this paper that I'm mostly bored with.
I still have a letter in review. We submitted it as a letter because those are suppose to have quick turnaround time. We submitted it in early February.
There are two chapters of my dissertation (besides the letter) that I believe are important to the scientific community and would like to submit. There is another chapter that is exciting but I'm not sure I have enough data to warrant a manuscript. Then there are two other chapters that I could give a crap about. This makes me sad. I also feel that the two chapter worthy of publication (in my eyes) will take too much time and thus frustration to polish up for journals. One of them I've been trying to submit since December but there has been so many revisions we decided to just call it quits until the defense.
I've spent so much time with this data. Designing the projects. Executing the field work and lab work. Thinking about the data. Collecting more data. Presenting it at conferences.
I HAVE LOVED ALL OF THESE STEPS.
Then I got to sit in my house all alone for 10 months and write, and write some more, and have my adviser tell me we need more data, or that we need to reinterpret the data.
Argh. During this process I've become less and less in love with my research. It is more like the red headed step child (sorry if you are red headed, but you get the analogy). I just want to ship it off to boarding school and move on with my life.
But I've discussed this before. Is this process of writing the same for everyone? with all advisers? am I just a horrible writer? am I not a dedicated scientist? I don't know. What I do know is that I hate this feeling of boredom. This lack of focus. It makes me unhappy. This makes me then eat and drink more than I should, which makes me fat, which makes me lazy and then, yes, more unhappy.
*Sigh*
I'm still working on the resubmit. I'm going to discuss it with my adviser tomorrow but I don't think it needs anything more. I'm sure he will disagree. It is this paper that I'm mostly bored with.
I still have a letter in review. We submitted it as a letter because those are suppose to have quick turnaround time. We submitted it in early February.
There are two chapters of my dissertation (besides the letter) that I believe are important to the scientific community and would like to submit. There is another chapter that is exciting but I'm not sure I have enough data to warrant a manuscript. Then there are two other chapters that I could give a crap about. This makes me sad. I also feel that the two chapter worthy of publication (in my eyes) will take too much time and thus frustration to polish up for journals. One of them I've been trying to submit since December but there has been so many revisions we decided to just call it quits until the defense.
I've spent so much time with this data. Designing the projects. Executing the field work and lab work. Thinking about the data. Collecting more data. Presenting it at conferences.
I HAVE LOVED ALL OF THESE STEPS.
Then I got to sit in my house all alone for 10 months and write, and write some more, and have my adviser tell me we need more data, or that we need to reinterpret the data.
Argh. During this process I've become less and less in love with my research. It is more like the red headed step child (sorry if you are red headed, but you get the analogy). I just want to ship it off to boarding school and move on with my life.
But I've discussed this before. Is this process of writing the same for everyone? with all advisers? am I just a horrible writer? am I not a dedicated scientist? I don't know. What I do know is that I hate this feeling of boredom. This lack of focus. It makes me unhappy. This makes me then eat and drink more than I should, which makes me fat, which makes me lazy and then, yes, more unhappy.
*Sigh*
5 comments:
I don't know if it's like this for everyone but I certainly struggle with writing. It's hard and at times I hate it. I think it really does get easier the more often you do it and I also felt a lot better about writing once I had my very first, first authored paper published.
Hang in there, it sounds like you've just gone through a rough spot in your writing (which may just be tied into the stress of dissertating. Maybe you can work on submitting one of the chapters you think is most fun. That may help.
Good luck, sounds like you have some cool stuff coming out of your dissertation.
I always really enjoy the end product, but the process is a bitch. Writing my thesis was extremely painful, and I already had three of the chapters done because they were publications. So no, you aren't the only one.
Find something to reward yourself with after reaching certain writing goals. I tend to get iTunes because I can buy them at work, but maybe something else is better for you. Good luck!
Knowing that I don't usually enjoy writing, I've made a conscious effort to stop having a bad attitude about it. I've found that if I don't tell yourself, "Ugh, I have to write today. Ugh. It's gonna suck." ... then it doesn't seem quite as bad. Also, I don't know if anything you've written has made it to finished product yet, but I try to keep that thrill in mind as I go through the process.
me too about the not liking the writing part. but the other stuff sure is fun!
I can really relate to this post right now. I'm really ready to ship my data off to some other far away island. I'd be fine with even 3rd or 4th author on these studies, if only someone else would deal with it and give me a Ph.D. for my effort to this point.
I can tell that I'm feeling burnt out because it takes me way too long to interpret a result. My mind is just not into it.
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