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Work Stress (Read 6822 times)

andy popp

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#25 Re: Work Stress
January 08, 2020, 11:24:45 am
I think doing a PhD leaves many people with a long term guilt if they are not working...
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Might be going slightly off topic but as someone who is applying to do a PhD as part of my role I'm curious to know what you mean by this?

My take on this - and Tom might have a different one - is that the process of doing a PhD often contains two quite contradictory characteristics. First, they are very definitely finite in duration. Finishing on time is increasingly critical, for a whole host of reasons. Drifting through taking six years is almost never a possibility now and the pressure to finish very real. So there's a lot of work to fit into a defined period of time. And then, at the same time, the whole process can feel quite nebulous, especially as the thing takes proper shape in the first 12-18 months. It's easy for students to end up feeling like they're staring down a deadline unsure if they're actually making any progress (this is one area would good supervision is absolutely critical). As a result many PhD students end up feeling like they are never doing enough work.

dunnyg

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#26 Re: Work Stress
January 08, 2020, 11:36:43 am
It can seem whilst doing a PhD, that everyone around you is extremely bright (relative to you), and achieving significantly more than you, as it is commonly only successes that are reported (impostor syndrome is relatively common).  When you feel like you have "wasted" time going down a line of inquiry that is a dead end, it can often feel like you need to work harder to make up for lost time, as it is often difficult to report negative findings, or things that didn't work.
Finally if you want to carry on in academia, it feels that this is a solo pursuit, you will be judged on your publication/presentation record, so if you don't take every single opportunity, then you are harming your future career options. This constant background pressure to be constantly producing science (or whatever your field is), combined with seeing colleagues working absolutely mental hours, can produce these feelings of guilt.

I personally came at my PhD with a slightly mercenary mindset. I find my work fascinating, but if they aren't paying me to do it, I won't do it, as in I am paid for 37.5 hours a week, so I will not work any more. This is not the prevailing mindset in my experience, and it can be quite hard to hold the line at times. Particularly as the end of my PhD is approaching.

That is just my take though!

andy popp

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#27 Re: Work Stress
January 08, 2020, 11:49:32 am
It can seem whilst doing a PhD, that everyone around you is extremely bright (relative to you), and achieving significantly more than you, as it is commonly only successes that are reported (impostor syndrome is relatively common).  When you feel like you have "wasted" time going down a line of inquiry that is a dead end, it can often feel like you need to work harder to make up for lost time, as it is often difficult to report negative findings, or things that didn't work.
Finally if you want to carry on in academia, it feels that this is a solo pursuit, you will be judged on your publication/presentation record, so if you don't take every single opportunity, then you are harming your future career options. This constant background pressure to be constantly producing science (or whatever your field is), combined with seeing colleagues working absolutely mental hours, can produce these feelings of guilt.

I'd agree with all of that, plus someone doing a PhD to establish an academic career is also staring into the black hole that is the current academic job market, adding to the pressure.

But Battery, your situation might be quite different. The project relates to your role and so is presumably pretty well defined already. You will also, presumably, be returning to your role (or carrying it on and doing the PhD part time?) so that anxiety about the future should be lower.

tomtom

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#28 Re: Work Stress
January 08, 2020, 05:08:07 pm
I think doing a PhD leaves many people with a long term guilt if they are not working...
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Might be going slightly off topic but as someone who is applying to do a PhD as part of my role I'm curious to know what you mean by this?

There have been posts since - but what I meant was that for the final year (3-4 year project) to get it finished I became (and many become) all consumed with the project - working weekends and all hours. Also you have to be so focused and in the zone that it’s very hard to switch out of that zone (and if you do you then have to struggle to get back in). And it’s your project. Your thing - and unique to you and how you work. So whilst other phd students can offer support it is a very insular process.

It left me feeling guilty for not working at weekends for several years after (something many academics feel I think!) because I was so internally pushed to working then in that writing up period.

It’s shades of grey - my experience was in no way a bad one - some people partion like DunnyG - some are mega last minute stress types. I finished 6 months before the final deadline. Much of my motivation was driven by loving what I was doing - so Whilst it may sound bad - I loved being so immersed in the process.

I’ve since supervised 10+ students, mentor many others and run a course for first year phd students. Everyone is different - every supervisor is different and every project is different!

tomtom

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#29 Re: Work Stress
January 08, 2020, 05:48:59 pm
Ps. Happy to chat about it offline or via DM - I think we may know each other Battery...

Oldmanmatt

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#30 Re: Work Stress
January 08, 2020, 06:50:24 pm
I think doing a PhD leaves many people with a long term guilt if they are not working...
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Might be going slightly off topic but as someone who is applying to do a PhD as part of my role I'm curious to know what you mean by this?

I think it applies to anyone in Post grad, registered or otherwise professional employment.

 CPD innit.

To keep my registration up and institutions membership current (IMAREST, IIMS) I had get so many cpd points (attending certain courses, conferences and logging so much work), then there’s my Certificate of Competency, that requires so many days at sea (or in acceptable occupation) over a five year period and revalidation of Fire fighting, Sea survival, Advanced First aid etc (again every five years).
There’s no leeway for compassionate excuses with these people (I just went back to IIMS to renew my registration, they insisted I start from scratch, find proposers and seconders, sit a new interview etc etc. I was MIIMS for ten years.

I can’t imagine Academia is much different? Different language, same shite?

Anyway, it’s bloody hard to get to these levels and abandoning them takes quite some effort.

battery

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#31 Re: Work Stress
January 09, 2020, 06:43:45 pm
Ps. Happy to chat about it offline or via DM - I think we may know each other Battery...

I believe we do! And thanks for the offer, I'll buy you a coffee at the depot some time and we can chat, I'm the one with a baby in a pushchair!!  :wave:

Thanks for all the info folks, it's a practice PhD, part time, based on one of my major projects. There's not a lot of literature, research or in many cases even interrogation of the work so we're hoping to provide some useful information but also a catalyst for discussion within the sector. All very exciting but also quite scary!

Just need to find someone to fund it now...!

tomtom

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#32 Re: Work Stress
January 09, 2020, 07:47:42 pm
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