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creativity-is-rebellion · 4 years

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My Experiences Whilst Undertaking a PhD (and Advice for Those Who are About to Take the Leap)

I entered into my PhD having already taken on a Masters thesis, and thought my PhD would be somewhat similar. I thought, I’ve done this before, and so it will just be a replica of the formula I have already used. It wasn’t. Unhelpful supervisors, revising ad-nauseam, and soul-crushing stress were just a few of the things I experienced whilst undergoing the most gruelling academic milestone of my life.

Maybe it would have been easier if I had gone to an older, established school with a more organised law school. But I didn’t. And besides, there seems to be a long-established culture, no matter where you decide to do your PhD, that supervisors are barely involved in what you do, for either apathetic or selfish reasons. It has been this way for years, and gets passed down through the generations of students completing their PhDs, so that when these students become supervisors, they treat the next generation of academic hopefuls with the same distain that was shown them. It’s little wonder that 1 in 2 PhD students feel severely depressed and isolated. Working so consistently and rigorously on one project by oneself can be very isolating, as, unlike when you undertake your bachelors and/or coursework masters, there are no classes or peer-group that you come into contact with regularly, and the truth is that if your supervisors are unsupportive, you can feel this depression and isolation ten-fold.

It’s almost like a kind of hazing process you need to go through to prove you have the mettle for academia. Put up with unhelpful supervisors, get through months of only seeing the same four walls, write, re-write, and re-write again, eat a lot of unhealthy food, live a rather sedentary lifestyle, neglect your family and friends, and speak to barely anyone for days on end. If you can pull through all of this with your sanity in-tact, you get to walk down the aisle in a fancy gown, and claim to be a leading expert in your field. Even the Thesis Whisperer, who is often cited as a guru blogger on all things thesis-related, calls the middle of your PhD, which is usually the time when you have to collate all your information and make it into a cohesive whole calls this stage “The Valley of Shit.” It’s pretty apt, and demonstrates the extent to which it is expected that gaining a PhD is an unhealthy and gruelling process, with no relief or counselling being offered to students who are, more often than not, mentally beleaguered with high anxiety and depression at best, or suicidal ideation at worst.

And when you pull through it all, it’s hardly worth it. An increase in casualisation for academic staff at universities has meant that the traditional, permanent tenure-tracks die with the professors who already have them in favour of non-permanent contracts and casual academic positions that do not include being paid over the holidays. This was a phenomenon which started in the United States, but has trickled down into Australia, with universities here employing more casual staff than the retail sector. And because of the greed of Australian universities accepting and churning out more PhDs than can be given any kind of employment, you’re lucky to even get a casual job at all. In the U.S., it is said that as many as 5,000 people who list their occupation as being janitors also hold PhDs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that is also the direction in which we are headed here. So, ultimately all you gain for your blood, sweat and tears is a title, a collection of journal articles likely only to be read by a select few, having to leave your PhD off of your C.V. for fear that it might make you “unemployable,” crippling debt, and being stuck on Centrelink unemployment benefits (a position I was lucky not to find myself in, because my husband has a good job, and I was able to find seasonal work in academia, and other, irrelevant work when the university was closed during holiday season).

I completed my PhD feeling at an all-time low. It didn’t feel like an achievement when I finally handed in my last revision, because it felt more like I had survived a cataclysmic event, and was so worn out by it. I am quite elitist and academically-minded, so I did enjoy receiving a title, and was happy to be published. I also enjoyed teaching students, and participating in research, as long as the other academic staff in my faculty didn’t push their agendas on me. I entered into my PhD with a romanticised vision of what it would be like, imagining the days of old where academics were dedicated to the process of learning and accumulating knowledge, innovating, and serving as catalysts for social change. These days, they are often forced to research what the universities want them to, and they are governed by the adage “publish or perish,” churning out papers that are not necessarily of high quality. In other words, the whole academic community have become sell-outs who don’t rock the boat for fear of losing their jobs. I also found that I had more general knowledge than my supervisors, because of the blinders they wear by going so deep into subjects at the expense of other interesting information that could perhaps even be relevant to their current research. Considering academia has always been portrayed as a beacon of enlightenment in an otherwise fractured society, the voice of reason when everything else around us is wrong, all of this is an especially worrying development.

Which brings me back to my plight. In order to earn big money, I have to study more, complete my Juris Doctor and become a lawyer, leaving me to be a highly-educated woman in a world that couldn’t care less. I also hope to make some money from my creative writing, and from my small business where I make jewellery, and although I have made a modest income off of both of these endeavours, there are never any guarantees. I’m still not sure it was worth it. Buyer beware.

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1eightpromoteam-blog · 5 years

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asap-process-service · 4 years

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etsypromoters-blog · 4 years

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Repost @sassyandcodesigns • • • • • • Calling all LAWYERS ✨ perfect for those who just graduated law school, are heading to law school, or even those who passed the bar!! ⭐️ #lawyer #lawyerlife #lawyerstyle #lawyerfashion #lawyerstatus #lawyerproblems #lawyerlifestyle #lawyerinthemaking #lawyersofinstagram #lawyerhumor #lawyergirl #lawyerslife #lawyerlady #lawyermom #lawyersfashion #lawyerlook #lawyeroffice #lawyerintraining #lawyersfashioncorner #futurelawyer #lawyerinstagrammer #immigrationlawyer #lawlesslawyer #instalawyer #lawyerloves #lawyerswholift #lawyerfoodie #lawyermarketing #lawyeredup #lawyerup https://www.instagram.com/p/CBqcKiHh5OZ/?igshid=1n4xf1b4fzc3q

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lawxero-blog · 7 years

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#calling all #lawyertobe #lawyerinthemaking #lawyerintraining #lawyerist Work with #lawyers #entrepreneur #startup get your experience, get #connected and get wiser!

#lawyerintraining #lawyers #startup #lawyerist #connected #entrepreneur #lawyertobe #calling #lawyerinthemaking

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fpala-blog · 7 years

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Apply discount code "fpafam" to all items on www.fpalosangeles.com #lawyer #lawyerintraining #esq #law #lawschool #attorney #lawyering #fashion #fpa (at Los Angeles, California)

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creativity-is-rebellion · 5 years

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To New Beginnings

I’ve been a Masters student. I’ve been a PhD student. Now I’m a Law student. In a little under a month, I’m beginning my Juris Doctor with USQ. I’m excited about my career change, even if it is somewhat financially-motivated. The casualisation of PhDs in employment across Australian universities is going the way of the U.S. (like so many things do), and creating financial instability amongst the over-educated, to the point where full-time tenure-tracks have been replaced with semester-by-semester, or year-by-year contracts. In fact, reports suggest up to 80% of undergraduate courses in some Australian universities have been taught by a casual academic. By mid-2018, an estimated 94,500 people were employed at Australian universities on a casual basis, primarily in teaching-only roles. Research suggests the higher education sector is the third largest employer of casual staff nationwide, just behind health- and social-care and retail. I enjoy the hell out of teaching, and could have been one of the lucky ones, but I didn’t want to risk it. Who knows, maybe I can teach on a part-time basis while I put myself through my law degree? It’s entirely possible. But I feel burned by academia. It isn’t all it is cracked up to be.

I’ve always considered doing law (in particular, criminal law, as it fits in nicely with my current criminology and psychology qualifications). So now seemed like the perfect time to dive on in. Due to my previous education, I get a semesters’ worth of credits, and so I should be finished by the end of 2021, and will then have to go on to do six months of my PLT (which stands for practical legal training, for the uninitiated), most likely at QUT in Brisbane. I’m so excited about the change that I decided to order the text-books I need for my first semester early and have already started reading them. Furthermore, I’ve got my desk all set up, and I’ve also bought a calendar, a white-board/cork-board combo, an annual planner, and a brand-new desk (in my brand-new house - but that’s for another post). I’m about as ready as I can be. As a seasoned student, I have learnt over the years to plan ahead regarding assignments and exams (something I learnt when I was pregnant with my first child and was about to give birth smack-bang in the middle of a semester - I did all my assignments early on so that I would have stress-free time to spend with my new son). As such, I have written all my assignment and exam dates down in my respective planner and calendar.

I suppose my secret fear is that this will just be another degree I accumulate and don’t do anything with. I am actually exceptional at being a student, and, if money wasn’t an object, I would just dedicate my life to studying (which is the reason the PhD was so appealing to me in the first place - an income to research for life, why not?). Of course, that comes with hitches, like agendas set by your faculty forcing you to research whatever suits them, and not being able to conduct research you feel more passionate about, at least for your first 10 years or so. I’m even a published academic, which sounds fancier than it is. But I really want to make something out of this new degree I am acquiring, because I want to be successful, and I think I have waited long enough to have a career. I seem to have done the opposite to most people; I got married and had my children in my 20s (even though I was also studying then), and I am embarking on a career later. I think if I am proactive throughout my degree, a career as a successful lawyer will definitely be within reach. 2019 has not been the best year for me emotionally (or financially), but I still managed to nail my dream home, and choose a more fruitful career path. Bring on 2020, I am so ready for you.

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1eightpromoteam-blog · 5 years

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JUST ONE ☝🏽 YES!‼️‼️‼️‼️ Repost from @becomingjd using @RepostRegramApp - You either win or you learn. Plan A is the ONLY option future lawyers. ~BecomingJD Law Coach (@2focused2quit ) . . . . ———— #blsa #futurelawyer #blacklawyers #blackexcellence #lawschool #lawstudent #lawschoolproblems #jd #jdlife #futurelawstudent #futurejd #lawschoollife #lawyerlife #lawschoolgrind #lawschoolbound #futurelawyers #lawstudentlife #prelaw #phialphadelta #lawyerintraining #lawschoolfinals #blackandeducated #blacklawstudent #blackgirlmagic #blackgirlsrock https://www.instagram.com/p/BvlJDarFTPF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1o40zvasa927e

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asap-process-service · 4 years

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cubangod73 · 10 years

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$531.93 well spent. #college #freshman #beebe #lawyerintraining

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wakemesoftly · 10 years

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I once dreamt I would be a big shot lawyer and so I spent my time making up arguments for characters in shakespeare’s plays.

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“I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw“. Hamlet declared that is, he is only “mad” at certain premeditated times. This is a classic example of the wild and whirling words with which Hamlet hopes to convince people to believe that he is mad. But ladies and gentleman of the jury, these words however, prove that beneath his antic disposition, Hamlet is sane. Beneath his strange choice of imagery involving points of the compass, the weather, and hunting birds, he is announcing that he is calculatedly choosing the times when to appear mad.

Hamlet wants to appear unthreatening and harmless so that people will give him information, just like an adult will talk about an important secret in front of a child. He seems to step very easily into the role of a madman, behaving unpredictably and upsetting everyone with his wild speech and pointed innuendos. To convince everyone of his madness, Hamlet spent many hours walking back and forth alone in the lobby, speaking those wild and whirling words which make little sense on the surface but in fact carry a meaningful subtext. Although he appears to have lost touch with reality, he keeps reminding us that he is not at all far gone but is in fact very much in command of himself and the situation. With his ranting and ravings and his seemingly useless pacing of the lobby, Hamlet manages to appear quite mad.

Hamlet proves his sanity by his very normal reactions to the people around him. He is perfectly sane, friendly and courteous with the players, giving them good acting tips which they appreciate and respect. Ladies and gentlemen you have heard that the king and Polonius were spying on Hamlet to figure out the reason for his madness and when Ophelia went to see Hamlet, he acted completely rationally. He greets Ophelia sweetly, gets a little cold when he remembers that he has not seen her for a long time and is very hurt when she returns his things. Hamlet becomes completely furious, insulting womankind in general, when she lies to him about her father’s whereabouts and he realizes he is being spied on. He reacted the way any rejected lover would.

Hamlet is bewildered about his father’s death and feels he has lost a part of himself and he is punishing himself for not having yet taken action to avenge his father’s murder. Hamlet called himself a rascal, a villain and a coward, but when he realized that his anger doesn’t achieve anything practical other than the unpacking of his heart, he stops. Hamlet is perfectly sane, guided indeed by his emotions and feelings, which are, in fact, very healthy. These are not the thoughts of a madman; his emotions are real and his thoughts are those of a rational man.

Even when he considered suicide he reasons himself out of it through a very sane consideration of the dangers of an unknown afterlife. A further important proof of his sanity is how patiently he devises plans to prepare for his revenge. His antic disposition is a device to test his enemies. His mounting of the play-within-the-play is another well-laid plan to trap the king into admitting guilt even when the play brings him concrete proof, he is careful not to rush to take his revenge at the wrong moment. He could easily kill the king while he is praying but restrains himself so that there is no chance of the king entering heaven. Hamlet’s arguments for not killing the king when he prayed is understated and logical considering the enormity of Claudius’ deed and the virtual certainty that Hamlet possesses of his guilt. Yet he holds back his sword. Although Hamlet’s tolerance can be seen as an example of his procrastination, it is rather a sign of rationality.

Hamlet shows himself perfectly capable of action, as well as of rational thought, in escaping the king’s armed guard, dispatching Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in England, dealing with the pirates and making it back to Denmark. Also , the letter Horatio received from him through the ambassador bound for England is clear and exact and shows no signs of a perplexed mind.

Hamlet meets his father’s death with intense ire and righteous anger, yet shows no regret when he himself is to blame for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the lord chamberlain, Polonius. Hamlet warned his friends he intended to fake madness. Through his confidences to Horatio, and in his careful plans of action, we see that his madness is assumed. He confides to Horatio that when he finds the occasion appropriate, he will act like he is mad.

However, Hamlet’s rational, sane acts by far outweigh the things that he has said and done that make him look as if he’s crazy. There are the plots that he has devised, something a madman would never be able to figure out. How would a madman that is planning to assassinate the king ever comprehend that if he kills the king while the king is praying, the king will go to heaven? How would a madman ever have the sense to wait for the right moment? Not only is Hamlet perfectly sane, but his insanity scheme is ingenious. Do not be fooled ladies and gentlemen.

#wakemesoftly #hamlet #lawyerintraining #shakespeare #argument

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1eightpromoteam-blog · 5 years

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LEVEL UP #futureattorney #futurelawyer #Repost from @lawyerpage on Instagram: “. 😚 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 @lawyerpage . 😀 . 💜 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙨 . #lawyerjokes #lawlesslawyer…” using @RepostRegramApp - . 😚 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 @lawyerpage . 😀 . 💜 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙨 . #lawyerjokes #lawlesslawyer #lawyerquotes #lawyer #lawyerlife #lawyerinthemaking #lawyerissues #lawyers #lawyerbae #lawyerlook #lawyerstyle #lawyerstatus #lawyerintraining #lawyerfoodie #lawyerlady #futurelawyer #lawyering #lawyerfashion #lawyerhumor #instalawyer #lawyerslife #lawyermorty #lawyerup #lawyersfashion #lawyered #lawyersday #lawyerproblems #lawyerstobe #lawyerpage https://www.instagram.com/p/BusZaOGlUFQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18z6dqpmxspfi

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asap-process-service · 4 years

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asap-process-service · 4 years

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asap-process-service · 4 years

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