Your Ph.D. Dissertation: Unsure Whether to Persevere or Give Up the Good Fight?

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Your Ph.D. Dissertation Unsure Whether to
Persevere or Give Up the Good Fight?
The straight line, a respectable optical illusion
which ruins many a man. Victor Hugo
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Your Ph.D. Dissertation
Its embedded in many of us Never Give Up.
Nobody likes a quitter, after all. But the
reality is that our lives consist of a series of
choices and experiences that involve both
sticking with and giving up. These may
include decisions around projects, jobs,
relationships, habits and places. Often, its
only in retrospect that we can evaluate the
result of decisions made and the pathways
taken..or not. For some of us, dissertation
completion may be one choice that deserves a hard
look.
As a dissertation coach, my goal is to help
doctoral and masters students get back on track
and successfully complete their dissertations. As
part of that process, I whole-heartedly encourage
my coaching clients to stay the course so that
they can achieve their often life-long goal of
graduation. And most do.
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It may be Time to Seriously Reconsider the Ph.D.
Pursuit if
Your Dissertation is Severely Impacting Other
Areas of your Lifewith no end in Sight.
Its common for graduate students to find that
the doctoral journey has a major impact on
relationships, health, finances and work. This is
not surprising as it requires sustained effort
and attention over years, during which time most
individuals experience multiple life changes. Ask
yourself Am I ready to take steps to get back on
track? How can I make changes in order to reduce
the negative impact on my health/family/finances/s
ignificant other? Is this dissertation process
keeping me from reaching other important goals in
my life? What matters most to me?
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Your Dissertation Topic has Become Something you
would Rather Avoid at all Costs.
As a doctoral student, you will go through phases
of not being excited about your topic thats
completely normal. But if you chronically
experience a deep sense of existential dread
every time you sit down to the computer, there
may be a bigger problem afoot. It may imply the
need for a pivot to a new or related topic. Or it
may mean youre just not engaged in the
dissertation process on a fundamental level. Only
you can figure that out. Ask yourself What is it
about my topic and research that lacks interest
for me? With my end-goal in sight, can I generate
enough enthusiasm just to get to the finish line?
If I could change my dissertation topic today,
would I? Is it the topic thats the issue or the
dissertation process as a whole?
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Your Reasons for Starting the Ph.D. Program have
Substantially Changed.
At the beginning of the program, you likely were
in a different place in your life. Others may
have encouraged you to keep moving forward
academically and you complied even though it
wasnt your only choice. You may have thought the
Big D in front of your name would change
everything. (Hint Its a definite plus but will
not necessarily change everything.) There may be
other dreams and goals that you find yourself
fantasizing about. Ask yourself Does completing
the degree still fit into my current career and
life plans? Are there other major projects that I
truly want to take on instead that are more
meaningful now? What is the impact of staying in
or quitting the program at this stage?
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Your dissertation is a Long Term Substitute For
As a dissertation coach, Ive met a few
individuals who have become perpetual students,
at the detriment of development in other areas of
their lives. In particular, graduate students who
have never experienced life outside of academia
may sometimes fit into this category. Pursuing a
Ph.D. is a truly worthy goal, but not if it
eliminates other meaningful human pursuits over
the long term, like quality relationships, health
and general contentment. Ask yourself How can I
continue with my Ph.D. while developing other
areas of my life that are important to me? Have I
been avoiding xxxxx in the pursuit of my degree?
Have I quit other projects in the past and if so,
do I have any regrets?
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