My biggest danger in graduate school wasn’t burnout. It was distractions.
When I earned my PhD, I advanced fairly quickly through the program. From start to graduation, it took me just over four years — four years and three months, to be precise. (And as a scientist, I am nothing if not precise!)
However, this is significantly faster than the average PhD. The number I heard bandied about in school was that the average PhD took between 5 and 7 years. Even this is faster than the national reported average of 8.2 years to complete a PhD. That number varies based on the area of study — that 5-to-7 year figure is for graduates pursuing their doctorate in genetics. As mentioned in the New York Times article above, the average number for an Education doctorate is 13 years.
Thirteen years! That’s almost a decade and a half of someone’s life, spent toiling for a stipend that’s barely livable, with almost no opportunity to accumulate savings or build a career. Each year spent in a PhD program is one fewer year of earning a salary outside the ivory tower walls of academia, one fewer year of career advancement.
During my time in graduate school, I felt acutely aware of this imprisonment. When I logged onto Facebook or connected with friends from high school or my undergraduate years of college, I saw them advancing in jobs, buying homes and cars. A…
