are/were any of you doubting your qualifications and capabilities to enter a phd-position for several years?!
i just finished my master thesis and still i don´t consider myself a good scientist, ready to go for the world. I would love to do a PhD work still. Isn´t it common to be kind of "insecure" about the "ripeness" and capabilities as graduate..?!


career-wise it seems to be the best to go abroad for the phd-thesis. but being "stuck" somewhere for several years - what a horrific view, if it doesn´t work out with the supervisor/team etc..

do any of you regret the decision for a phd-position ?  did everything turn out well, anyway ? is the phd-thesis simply "hard times" ?

what are possibilities to "assure" that the new team/work within the phd-thesis are appropriate for me beforehand?!


greez,
anna

======= Date Modified 26 Oct 2012 08:47:24 =======
Hi Anna,

In the words of the Baz Lurman Song (originally an article by Mary Schmich) "If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now..."

Number 1: You do not need to be a "genius" to do a PhD. If you have a masters degree and a good first degree then you are probably smart enough so don't worry about that.
Numero dos: You should try and do a PhD in something you are really interested in - that helps. If however you end up doing a PhD in something you are not so interested in that's not the end of the world.
Nummer drei: AND MOST IMPORTANT - THOUGH ALSO JUST MY OPINION - It is better to regret something you did than something you didn't do. Let's say you go for a PhD abroad. Let's imagine that it doesn't work out and you drop out after say a year and a half. You've still learnt a lot and you know what the outcome of your decision is. It's not the end of the world, you just have to get a new job. You may have made friends/changed other aspects of your life for the better or worse - this is true no matter what you do. The alternative is that you never do it and you will never know. If things don't work out so well that way tehn you will spend a lot of time thinking "what if I'd gone for a PhD?!". Far worse than knowing the answer - even if the answer is not the one you want.
numéro quatre: numbers in foreign languages are fun... <-- this is irrelevant

I don't regret taking on my PhD even though it's not in quite the "right" topic and even though I have to live somewhere that I wouldn't have chosen otherwise. I don't love my topic area, but I am accruing skills I require for the future and with those skills and experience I can progress to the job I want in the future.

In terms of ensuring that the team/PhD are a good fit for you - visit and talk to them as much as possible and try to make sure there isn't a clash of personalities. Speak to current PhDers "off the record" if you can at the institution you are thinking of applying to. The thing is though, you will not know for certain, it's always a gamble, but then so is the option of getting a job somewhere. What if you don't like a boss in a job?

As for getting "stuck" somewhere, you are never stuck there. You can quit at any time you want.

Don't fear the unknown, embrace it if you can! It can be exciting. I'm not saying definitely do a PhD, that is your decision alone - all I'm saying is don't not take it on because you have a fear of the unknown.

** All information in this post is anecdotal and from my head - it is not definitive!!! **

I've just posted too about Phd applications. I see it the other way. I know I don't know enough yet and that's exactly why I am going for Phd, to learn more. I don't think its a case of being clever enough to do a Phd, it's a learning curve, you are doing it to extend your knowledge. I find the more I study, the less I realise I know and that I need to know/learn more, if that makes sense. Even after a Phd you'll still be learning so go for it.

Good luck
Kel

Have you spoken to people that know you about your suitability for a PhD? Certainly the people who run PhD programmes don't want to accept people who aren't suitable, it doesn't reflect well on them if people drop out.
A PhD is hard work, so IMO the most important thing (given the basic academic requirements of course) is being committed to a PhD and knowing why you want to do a PhD.

I think it's perfectly normal to feel insecure about your capabilities before embarking on a PhD. I know I certainly felt like that anyway! I had a 2:1 and a Masters but I still didn't really feel like a 'good scientist' as you put it! However, if you have achieved good results in your previous studies and you have the desire to do a PhD and work hard, then I would say go for it. It is daunting as it is difficult to know what to expect, and as each PhD is different it's also difficult for a fellow student to describe to you what it's like. There were times during the PhD that I thought perhaps I had made the wrong decision (mostly because of self-doubt creeping back in), but I got there in the end. I never felt stuck though - you can always leave!

During my undergrad, I never saw myself as someone who would be able to do a PhD. I compared myself to others who seemed to grasp things so much quicker than I did, and thought I'd never be good enough. But I picked a subject that really interested me, and applied myself. I took the PhD in the direction I knew was best for me (i.e. more computer-based stuff, as little lab work as possible as I'm rubbish at it!) and overall found it to be a very enjoyable and worthwhile experience. I still don't see myself as super clever, and sometimes can't believe I actually have a PhD, but that's just the way I am! If I won the nobel prize I'd probably still think they gave it to the wrong person... ;-)

Take a look at this article on impostor syndrome. It's been talked about before on this forum, and I know I definitely have it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome

i´m very grateful for your posts, it is so great to hear/read different opinions!


imposture syndrome seems to apply to me, too. i did really well (grade-wise and also work-wise according to my supervisor) in my master thesis. but what do grades really tell us, anyway :)

i had big ideas about projects and wanted to apply for interdisciplinary research grants, tried to gather fellow students, etc. before my master-thesis. well, it didn´t work out, so i´m growing into this field slowly with my "guided" master-thesis and well hopefully a phd-project. If you don't buy a ticket, you can't win the raffle :)

the time i spent with my master-thesis and all the energy lost in the not quite successful attempt for developing "my own" project kind of wore my enthusiasm for the picture of me, being in science, out.
i think the social aspect during the master-thesis also wore me down, as the other undergrads or phds worked together for another project and therefore i had a hard time "fitting in".
concerning my supervisor i felt "left alone" in terms of "guidance" or management..

and well, it really is true, that i need to gain far more experience before i could even start "my own" project. maybe another type of enthusiasm develops in time, with experience.

i love science and working in my field. at the moment i´m kind of intimidated. i just don´t know so many things that seem to be obvious or common knowledge to my colleagues. i hate that i get the feeling that i´m admitting to be birdbrained when i ask questions. there are no stupid questions, right?! not asking would be really dumb.. at least in my world.

in the end it might really be the best to change my current working environment and just go for my interest - as scary as it is :) .


it doesn´t have to be the same working environment somewhere else - statistically and realistically that might even be impossible

so my next question would be: is it common to feel alone within one´s own project within the working environment?! not to discuss that much the topics people work on.. ?
(i know, it is often dependent on one´s own engagement, but there are environments where it feels more natural to initiate discussion i think.. )


greez, anna

I went into a PhD with Masters and 2(ii). A PhD means you undertook a research topic that led to an original finding that added something new to your chosen field. It doesn't mean you're a certified genius.

I think I'm going to echo what others have said in that it helps to be interested in your subject. However, there are others on here where the match was not sopt on and they've done okay. The PhD is about you and the effort you put in to achieve your aims. Do accept it's going to be hard work. The skills and techniques you need, you learn as you go along and no new started will have the complete skill set they need at the very beginning. We all have a phase where we're playing catchup with other members of the group, so don't worry about this. As regards background knowledge, that's what a literature review is for.

The big one for me is being able to get on with the supervisors and the rest of the team. The supervisor relationship to me can be the real make or break factor and I consider it important to ensure you've met your new potential supervisors (especially the primary), had a good look around the department and met other PhD students working under him without the potential supervisors being around so they can tell you honestly what it's like working under them.

I got a good supervisor for my PhD - he had his quirks, everyone does - allowing me nearly the right balance of contact and space to get on with my work. I stayed in my PhD department for my first post-doc and that worked out okay too. However, the supervisory academic and direct subordinate for my second post-doc in a different University had a very different set of personnel skills with at times outright hostility and I think I would have failed if I'd taken up an option to do a PhD in that University instead. I had a miserable time of it during that latter second post-doc period.

I would try meeting the supervison team more than just the once as catching on a different day under a different set of circumstances can reveal alot about mood swings and temprement. Everyone puts on their best faces in an interview situation as I found out to my cost for my second post-doc.

As regards at least giving it a go, I agree fully with Screamingaddabs in it's better to have a go and at least know you've tried rather than shyed away and never known. If you like, it's better to have loved and lost rather than never to have loved at all. :-)

I put together a blog after I finished, which gives you my perspective on a PhD and covers a few other issues not covered by your questions. It is written in an honest style, so don't let the negatives put you off. If I had my time over again, yes I would still opt to do a PhD. The boost it gave at the time to my self-confidence and the new skills learned is something that cannot be underestimated.

http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net

As regards doing a PhD abroad, I can see your argument about it perhaps being better for your CV. I'm not sure it makes that much difference and believe the working environment to be more important to give yourself the best chance of seeing through the process with the correct level of support. Three to five years is a long time if the environment is not right for you.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)