Updated 29.9.2023: “Does my PhD have meaning?” We all ask ourselves this question at some point on our journey through academia.
It may seem a strange question, but when was the last time you felt like your PhD had real meaning and significance beyond the academic landscape?
By the way, if you prefer to listen to this blog post as a podcast, please feel free to use the player below:
When you began your PhD journey, you probably had wild dreams about the world-changing impact you would have by the end of it. You dreamt about how you would change the world with your ground-breaking research, right?
Well, that’s until you started. Then that PhD grind had its way of wearing you down. It wore you down to the point of merely surviving what eventually becomes an isolating pilgrimage of sorts. And especially if you are a Mama who wears many hats, it’s even harder to not find yourself firmly planted in survival mode. Many of us feel so completely worn out from juggling a PhD with real life. As we seek harmony and perspective along the way, we forget that our PhDs can offer us more than a terminal degree certificate and doctoral graduation photo opportunities!
Even if you’re sailing through your PhD (said no one ever!), you can still lose sight of the bigger picture while in the midst of it.
Does it matter if my PhD has meaning beyond the degree itself?
Many may ask why does a PhD need to have deeper meaning beyond the accolade itself. After all, isn’t the ‘Dr’ title enough of an achievement?
With many PhD students at increased risk of mental health challenges, including depression and psychological distress (Levecque et al, 2017), it’s crucial that this journey offers some deeper meaning beyond the degree itself. In fact, Levecque and colleagues found work-family conflict to be a major predictor of poor mental health amongst those doing PhDs (Levecque et al, 2017). PhD students in this study commonly experienced feeling under constant pressure, having sleep issues due to worry, feeling unhappy and depressed, feeling unable to overcome challenges or enjoy their day-to-day lives (Levecque et al, 2017).
Taking this all into account, the outlook seems bleak for mothers pursuing PhDs as we naturally find ourselves at the heart of the work-family juggle struggle. So it’s even more important as Scholarly Mamas, that we take intentional steps to make this journey as mental health-friendly for ourselves as we possibly can.
What can be done about it?
Of course, there are also other things that the academy as a whole can do to support mothers in academia as discussed in a recent article in Nature.
But if you are in need of mental health support from a trained professional, please seek help from your university or general practitioner. There is absolutely no shame in looking after yourself Mama, and being mentally healthy is part of that.
I am not a mental health professional (disclaimer). So in this blog post, I just want to share a few tips I’ve picked up along the way on how you can rise above the slump and add even more meaning and personal value to that PhD you’re working your touche off for!
So here are 8 practical ways you can give your PhD meaning beyond academia:
1. Maximise opportunities for personal growth if you want your PhD to have a deeper meaning
The first way to give your PhD meaning beyond academia is to focus on your personal growth and development. Everything changed for me the moment I decided to focus on my personal growth during my PhD journey.
Yes, I was there to do my research and to contribute to the wider knowledge base in my field but in the process of managing all the ups and downs of that, I’ve been able to develop more perseverance, grit, persistence, resilience, and confidence, as I overcame so many ‘setbacks’.
My PhD journey has been atypical in many ways and along the way, I have had countless challenges. From funding issues, ethics delays, changing methodology, changing supervisors, interruptions, the pandemic and so much more. But I have chosen to frame my challenges in the context of my personal growth. Now that I’ve submitted my thesis and successfully passed my viva (oral defence), I can honestly look back and say that I am actually grateful for all of those challenges. They have made me so much stronger and also given me skills that I can apply to my life in general and my future endeavours!
So, Mama, seek opportunities that will help you grow on the inside too! As for the challenges, reframe those in a way that reminds you just how far you’ve come as an individual. Remember, when PhD life throws you lemons, you can make lemonade!
2. Make meaningful contributions through real-world application
It’s important to seek opportunities to make meaningful contributions to your field for greater impact. Perhaps you are able to translate your research practically for your clinical (or other) colleagues. Maybe you are able to offer practical training sessions to apply your research findings in an educational context. You can write recommendations for practice and actually share them with those working in the field through your professional networks and regulatory bodies. Professional newsletters, department meetings, email lists, networks and groups are all avenues of possibility.
Whatever your field of work, focus on the practical application and relevance of your research. How can it improve practice? How can it improve the lives of those it sought to benefit in the first place? Find meaning in the impact that your research can have in the real world.
3. Turn your passion into a project to give your PhD meaning
This one applies especially before you begin your PhD or if you are early on in your journey with some flexibility of topic. What are you passionate about? What difference would you like to make through your research? This could be an opportunity to turn that passion into some aspect of your PhD project.
It’s great if you have the privilege of shaping your research project as I did. So, rather than having to slot into a pre-existing research agenda, perhaps you can explore options for bringing your passion to life through your research.
I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to identify a clinical problem and generate questions that I wanted the answers to. I then sought out grant funding to answer those questions for my PhD. So not only was I researching an area of genuine clinical and professional interest to me, I was also getting a PhD in the process of doing so!
A win, win!
Are you passionate about race inequality in maternal healthcare? You can focus your research ideas around this. Do you want to see improvements in the care of elderly patients with renal failure? You can make this the subject of your research.
Once you’ve thought through this and have the opportunity to, then you can seek funding that genuinely aligns with your professional curiosity to allow you to turn your passion into a PhD project.
4. Leverage the skills you gain during your PhD
You don’t only gain research knowledge and skills during your PhD. Of course, you can leverage those to advance your research career with the expert knowledge you’ve gained if that’s what you desire to do. But you’ve also gained other skills during your PhD.
You are data-driven and can discern strong evidence from anecdotal accounts and unsubstantiated claims.
You have developed skills in problem-solving. After all, this whole PhD is about solving existing problems through the development of relevant and meaningful conclusions. It’s about coming up with recommendations after a critical analysis of your research findings and existing literature.
You have research skills that can be applied to other areas of scholarship.
Knowing how to take initiative and remain steadfast throughout the marathon of a journey is part of your skill set.
You have had to be creative in designing your research studies, collecting and analysing relevant data and disseminating research findings to both receptive and critical audiences.
With those skills, you could put that creativity to good use in business, entrepreneurship, writing and publishing, content creation or other areas that bring value to others. You have so many transferable skills, but it’s your responsibility to learn how to leverage them!
5. Share your experience for deeper PhD meaning
This one is very dear to my heart as it’s exactly why I started my blog. During a PhD, it’s tempting to feel like you are the only one struggling through this journey. The knowledge and experience you are gaining can feel isolated and void of purpose. This is particularly true if you are also a Mama and have to juggle this PhD journey with real life and all that comes with that.
Well, I’m here to remind you that your experience is not in vain. There are so many of us that can relate to what you are going through. But we can’t relate to what we don’t see. So it’s important to get visible and share your journey with others. You may have talents and hobbies outside of your PhD, like photography, pottery, or candle-making and more, that you can absolutely share with others. I started my platforms for Mamas like you, to let you know you’re not alone. I worked so hard on completing my PhD part-time over 8 years. Along the way, I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and begin the journey of starting this platform as well. My hope is that I can share the lessons I learned from years of PhD motherhood to help others like you!
Your experience is not in vain.
You can give your PhD meaning by using your experience to help others at the start of their journey. If you’re further along, they can definitely learn from you. I honestly believe that no experience, whether good or bad is ever wasted. Whatever your PhD journey has taught you, you can use that to help others.
6. Collaborate with others for more impact
If you want to give your PhD meaning, try collaborating on projects with others who share your vision. This could be collaborating on projects that help others (see point 5 above), building communities through webinars, guest blog posts, appearing as a guest on someone’s podcast or building a supportive online community.
Collaboration helps you to build a network of like-minded individuals who understand your journey and understand the purpose behind what you are doing. These are your people, share the effort by working together. I have been so grateful to have met people who get my vision and who want to support me in that. It really helps give this PhD journey meaning and significance when you know you are making a positive difference.
Sometimes this requires you to start something new. But when you can do this in collaboration with others who appreciate your vision, it lightens the load. Suddenly, this PhD journey takes on a whole new meaning.
I’m still working on this one if I’m honest. As an introvert, it’s hard to put myself out there. However, I can see how it will help me to find deeper meaning and significance in my PhD experience.
7. Never stop learning, even beyond your PhD!
One thing most people doing PhDs share is a love for learning. Otherwise, why on earth would you put yourself through this? There are easier and less painful ways to make money and build a career than doing a PhD. If beginning your PhD didn’t come from a love of scholarship, then you will quickly lose your motivation to keep going.
Let’s be clear: A PhD is no easy feat.
Even if, during the course of your PhD journey, you realise that academia is not for you, your love for learning can still help you to grow. This is true whether you are staying in or moving beyond academia after your PhD. Whether you are learning a new skill or staying focussed on personal growth, never, ever stop learning!
8. Use your analytical skills to innovate beyond PhD life
If you’re a PhD researcher, you have learned how to ask questions and apply specific strategies to answer them. In my experience, I’ve had to creatively adapt novel methodologies to my own research studies. This required some degree of innovation and creative thinking.
You too have acquired those skills and you can thank your analytic, curious mind for that! Put it to good use by tapping into your creativity and using these transferable skills to innovate. This will help give your PhD meaning beyond the confines of academia. It will allow you to apply your skills and natural curiosity to solving a variety of problems.
Whether you are inventing a product, starting a business, proposing a collaboration (see point 6 above), designing a course, starting a blog, writing a book, building an empire or answering your 5-year-old’s out-of-this-world questions that boggle even the cleverest-Mama’s mind.
Your analytical skills can help you find real-world solutions with creativity and innovation.
Conclusion
To conclude, remember that your PhD can have meaning beyond just the qualification itself but it’s up to you to make it so. You can leverage your PhD experience for the greater good. Especially if you are a Scholarly Mama, perhaps it feels like there is more at stake. You didn’t choose to do a PhD to just add another degree to your collection. Mama, you want to have an impact in the world and be a role model for your kids. You are also doing your PhD for yourself and you want to believe that it has some meaning beyond the accolade. Well, I hope these 8 suggestions for giving your PhD journey meaning and significance have been helpful. Which one resonates the most with you?
Let me know if I’ve missed any in the comments below!
Until next time, take care and remember that these are our journeys of becoming!
References:
Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beucklelaer, A., Van de Heyden, J., Gisle, L. (2017). Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students. Research Policy, 46, 868–879.
Leave a Reply