My university is one of the first in Australia to introduce the verbal defence (Viva) aspect of the thesis, meaning that my PhD experience is more like many other countries in the world. My Viva is likely to be at the end of January / start of February, which is terrifying as it is only a month away now. A […]
Academia is such a weird place, filled with weird traditions, weird rules, and weird experiences…. Like the fact that not only do you not get paid when you publish an article, you actually have to pay to get it published. Like the fact that you get employed by a university and often a key aspect of your job is winning […]
“Honestly, it feels like I submitted my PhD years ago” “Oh yeah I actually have to defend it…” “What was my PhD on again?” “I wonder if my examiners are reading my thesis right now” “It feels nice to not have tense shoulders for the first time in 4 years” “Do you think my thesis was the worst one ever […]
Read about the previous sell your PhD skills here. The fourth skill acquired through PhDs that I want to talk about is editing. I never realised how polished and efficient my editing skills were until I started working in the industry. I am now the ‘go to’ proof reader of reports in my office as I am quick and precise […]
** In Collaboration ** Anyone who’s ever done a PhD will tell you how all-consuming it can be. From the sleepless nights to all of the sacrifices, it’s easy to lose sight of why you’re doing it in the first place. Everyone goes through tough times with their PhD, but it’s important that you put your health and wellbeing first. […]
Click here to read about other sells you should be selling-Problem Solving & Creativity The third PhD skill we should all be selling is our resilience. Like creativity this is probably not something you read on job applications and I doubt you would be ever asked about your resilience in an interview. However, it is a valuable skill that we […]
The PhD process is most definitely not over after you click that little submit button- there are many, many steps that come after. These steps differ between country and also institution so, I wanted to share the steps at my university that I will be going through in the next few months. Step 1: Hit that little submit button […]
It is hard to remember a time before Spotify…when I didn’t have access to millions and millions of songs. I wonder if I would have been able to get through four years of a PhD without it? I have found lately that I have ‘go to’ genres of music depending on what task I am doing. Editing/proofing- Instrumental or very […]
Since I started working in the industry 6 months ago now, I have realised how essential it is for us PhD students to sell our skills. Many industries highly value the skills that we acquire throughout a PhD, however many do not understand that a PhD provides such a wide variety of sought after skills. The first skill we should […]
“Maybe I will just read through my entire thesis 54786 more times before I submit it” “I am unsure if I have ever been this tired before?” “WHY are my tables ruining my document?” “It feels like Christmas did when I was 5 years old” “Is this really happening?” “Let me check that I have uploaded the correct document, again” […]