What I Wish I Knew Before Starting a PhD

What do you wish you knew? Plus, the Music Highlight

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

I have seen a lot of posts going around under the same title. I thought I should put in my two cents as well!

I started my PhD in August 2020, smack in the middle of the first months of the pandemic. It was stressful because of that, we were gathering together hesitantly, and a month later, we switched to online sessions. And they worked and still work well!

So, what do I wish I knew before starting a PhD?

• (I don’t want to scare you but) It’s gonna be hard. Like, REALLY hard. I knew it would be challenging, but it is the most difficult thing I have ever done. And I am not saying this to discourage anyone who wants to start one. Just be prepared that you won’t know A LOT of things, and that’s okay! And every time you will be learning something, you will feel amazing!

• There are ups and downs. Not only emotionally (for me it’s been mostly ups, as I also work full-time and my PhD is like a super break from everything), but also performance-wise - one week you’ll get in a lot of work done, one week you’ll be too tired or too busy or what. It’s fine and don’t beat yourself up about it.

• Age has nothing to do with it. As I have mentioned in an older post, Don’t you think you’re too old for a PhD?, I started quite late as some people think, or we might even think so - there is honestly no ceiling to it, no cut-off age. I’ve benefited so much from the younger people in my cohort showing me new things like tools or methods I never knew, and with my teaching experience and most of them at the beginning of their teaching careers, I can help them out with tips and how to handle classes and plan materials. Read my post (and other writers) on the topic: Age and milestones in life.

• You need to prioritise self-care. Absolutely need to. I used to think it was nonsense and I could go on and on and on. Nothing happened, but with working full-time, studying and taking care of my family, I immediately inserted self-care moments into the day. A walk, taking off my make-up carefully in the evening and putting on simple moisturiser, eating chocolate, anything can help. Anything that matches your character, anything you like. Don’t forget to read my posts on the topic: Your free time, Wellbeing, You need that break.

What do you wish you knew before you started your PhD?

The Music Highlight

If you know me, I LOVE Coldplay. Here is one of my favourite tracks!