I'm pretty tenacious and don't give up easily in general, which has led me to go down with several sinking ships (women and startups). I did realize I was involved in something special - the hard part was getting accepted to the program and for condensed matter physics, it was fairly straightforward to get your ph.d. (not easy, straightforward). Pick an exotic material, do a measurement no one has done and write about it.
I was unmarried, no mortgage or car payments and I had already completed 2 years out of an estimated 5.5. I just had to ignore my annoying advisor, focus and try to enjoy the cool, interesting parts of the science. I loved machining my own metal parts. And also I had to get away at times and try to have a life outside the lab. So, I decided to stick with it.
No regrets - I'm 44 now, and I admit I was fairly bitter about the experience for at least a decade after I finished.
The last thoughts are: Lot's and lot's of work. Can you be force-fed your favorite food 24x7 for 5 years and still like it? Like how Homer Simpson thwarted the devil force feeding him donuts?
I did have an office mate who worked 9-5, was a 6'2" former speed skating champion of Canada, wife and kid and was always planning to work for McKinsey and company, which he did after completing his Ph.D. in 4 years. Other people have different experiences. I was a hard worker, other people were brilliant.
I was unmarried, no mortgage or car payments and I had already completed 2 years out of an estimated 5.5. I just had to ignore my annoying advisor, focus and try to enjoy the cool, interesting parts of the science. I loved machining my own metal parts. And also I had to get away at times and try to have a life outside the lab. So, I decided to stick with it.
No regrets - I'm 44 now, and I admit I was fairly bitter about the experience for at least a decade after I finished.
The last thoughts are: Lot's and lot's of work. Can you be force-fed your favorite food 24x7 for 5 years and still like it? Like how Homer Simpson thwarted the devil force feeding him donuts?
I did have an office mate who worked 9-5, was a 6'2" former speed skating champion of Canada, wife and kid and was always planning to work for McKinsey and company, which he did after completing his Ph.D. in 4 years. Other people have different experiences. I was a hard worker, other people were brilliant.