Okay. So I know that I want to do it. I found a department that would be a good fit in terms of scholarship and available supervisors. I know I can do it. I just don't know if I can do it and still be a reasonably present parent. Can we have a household in which one parent has a full-time (+), pretty consuming job and the other parent has a full-time (+) PhD program, and still have kids that are nurtured and (more than) adequately cared for and about? Can we strike that balance? One minute I'm filled with hope and ethusiasm and I'm sure it's possible. The next minute I'm equally sure it's the nuttiest plan I've ever come up with.
Does someone have a magic 8 ball they could lend me?!
Yeesh.
You can absolutely do it. You'll make it work!
ReplyDeleteYou know what?
ReplyDeleteYou may fail.
You may also succeed magnificently.
Whatever you decide to attempt is not etched in stone. You can always change courses and fix things the way you need them to be.
The important thing is that you're taking care of what you need to do.
Go for it! What's that saying.... Act like succeeding is the only option!
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself and your family, and sounds like this is the right thing for you!
hey there
ReplyDeleteI think you should DEFINITELY try. You will regret NOT trying and wondering "what if I had....". In 4 years, when L is starting K, you can start school too - TEACHING at university.....
sounds like a plan everyone would like....
good luck!
A piece of advice, if you don't mind. Most definitely go for it, if you have a passion and a real, true interest in doing so. But, I'd wait to start a program until you have a very clear, specific, and well thought-out idea of what you want to get out of the PhD and your dissertation topic. I was in a PhD program (in psychology). I started it before having kids. Well... 4 years into the program, I had my son and then a couple years later my daughter. I completed all of the coursework and clinical internships, but I never had a clear vision for my dissertation. This made it all too easy for me to get sidetracked and lose my motivation and momentum. I ended up withdrawing from the program without finishing. I can't say that I regret my decision, but I do think that if I could do it over, I would have a better chance of finishing and finishing quickly. My classmates who had clear visions from the start were able to tailor much of their course related work to fit into their dissertation topics and, as a result, they had much of the background work done before they ever got to the dissertation stage. And, their clear visions helped them stay motivated and on task, when I was waffling in confusion! Good luck to you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. I think I'm going to give it a shot :) Too late to apply for this year, so hopefully I can be spectacularly organized (!) for next year... Sarah - thanks for the advice. I will definitely be needing to have a clear picture of where I want to go before I apply, and apply for scholarships etc., too.
ReplyDelete