Close to half of PhD students are contemplating leaving their studies in the next six months. We need to talk about quitting with kindness and empathy - and some people just need to stop being assholes.
Category: Miscellany
Stuff that wont fit anywhere
Where I call bullshit on the way we do the PhD
There's a looming economic crisis in higher education. Perhaps you have lost work already and you're wondering how you will support yourself (I'm really sorry). It's hard to know if you'll get more or less teaching next semester and what form it will take. Will it be online? Or face to face? Maybe your courses … Continue reading Where I call bullshit on the way we do the PhD
Academic spy networks (and why you need one)
First, a fire update! Thank you SO much for your messages of love and support in response to my last post. Thank you to everyone who donated to our P2 mask appeal: it was wildly successful and is now closed. We gave out an astonishing 3500 masks and donated the excess (some $1500) to our … Continue reading Academic spy networks (and why you need one)
You have to believe that what you do matters
Greetings friends. I hope you had a summer or winter break wherever you are. I'm back early this year because Australia, where I live, has hit the world media for all the wrong reasons. You might have seen the horrifying footage from the South Coast. My oldest friend, who was holidaying there, sent me this photo, which … Continue reading You have to believe that what you do matters
Winding down the Thesis Whisperer?
[Edit 23/12/2019: I donated all of my Thesis Whisperer Amazon royalties (about $1000) to the NSW Rural fire service. Thanks to everyone who bought a book this year: you have made a difference. If you can spare anything else, please consider giving. The government has not funded services enough and volunteers are completely exhausted. Here's … Continue reading Winding down the Thesis Whisperer?
Being in a Minority: It’s Not All Bad
Some time ago I wrote a post about what I thought was an 'anti-PhD attitude' displayed by some recruiters I interviewed for a research project. In that post I suggested that the small number of PhD graduates in the workforce led to graduates facing similar problems to other minorities who faced problems like stereotyping. After that … Continue reading Being in a Minority: It’s Not All Bad
Cleaning up, ready for the next phase
Is your desk a hot mess right now? Dr Linda Devereux can relate. In this post she shares the touching story of cleaning her office after the PhD was finished and the unexpected difficulty of the clearing out process. Linda Devereux is a writing consultant and independent researcher. She has worked in higher education for … Continue reading Cleaning up, ready for the next phase
New podcast: Passionate PhDs
Podcasts are still hot hot hot! I love listening to them when I drive, exercise and cook. I want to draw your attention to a new podcast specifically for PhD graduates by Elizabeth Lam, a chemist and science writer. Elizabeth is doing a new podcast about PhD graduates finding employment outside academia and tells you … Continue reading New podcast: Passionate PhDs
Are you prepared for the problems of success?
The Thesis Whisperer blog has gone from strength to strength over the years. Visibility is a form of currency in academia. A rolling stone gathers moss as the proverb goes (edit: well - actually it doesn't! That should be a rolling snowball or something? Anyway...) and in my case moss = opportunities. Because of my … Continue reading Are you prepared for the problems of success?
The tale of 23 Overdue Books
When you do a PhD, life doesn't just ... stop. Most of us start a PhD later in life (the average age on entry is 32), with family and financial responsibilities. Everyone has a role when a crisis hits - supervisors, administrators, family and friends. How can we support each other better? This post is … Continue reading The tale of 23 Overdue Books