Yes to PhD, No to Life Upheaval: The Final Chapter

I’ve learned I tend to bury the “lede” when I write, so I will lead with this: I’m done. I make my kids call me Dr. Mom and I return to sender all cards not addressed to Dr. Stauder. I’m so happy. I shared the process of figuring out how I could get my PhD without blowing up my life, then again on how I balanced being in school with that life, and now I can reflect on lessons learned. During the five years I was on the PhD train, I learned many things. I hope sharing them might help you. The first thing I learned was the title of this three-part series is actually ridiculous. While I was fortunate to find an affordable, part-time doctoral program less than three miles from my home, my life still went through plenty of upheaval. I didn’t fully appreciate how much until it was over. I benefited from a helpful partner, children who consider fast-casual food chains “fancy restaurants,” and a strong community support system. These people and the routines they created for me minimized the upheaval, but life was hard. Anyone considering a PhD or other terminal degree needs a strong constitution and an excellent support system. The “P” stands for persistence, right? To be frank, I didn’t realize how much of my life school consumed until after I finished defense of my dissertation. Thank you to everyone who was a part of the process—including everyone who read parts 1 and 2 of this series and reached out with words of encouragement. Speaking of...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Source Type: blogs