tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post115922408427925972..comments2023-10-16T05:22:00.853-04:00Comments on Pretty Hard, Dammit: Reports of my Death have been Greatly ExaggeratedStewgadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05341545093347318440noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159500718272196392006-09-28T23:31:00.000-04:002006-09-28T23:31:00.000-04:00Yay, good to see you! And for the record, it took ...Yay, good to see you! And for the record, it took me ten years to complete my degree (including a humiliating 18 months of revisions between my official defense and when I actually submitted the thing - I had to revise before submitting and it ended up with me rewriting the entire second half). And no, no one has once said word one to me about how long it took me to finish. Honestly, no one cares. I know a lovely man who took 14 years to get his degree and now happily has tenure at a school where they love him. (I do know a woman who took 17 years to finish whose career has crashed and burned, but it has nothing to do with how long it took her to finish; she actually got a TT job when she was done, but then didn't get tenure, which isn't especially surprising, as she's one of the world's most annoying human beings. But clearly the people who hired her didn't care how long it took her to finish!)<BR/><BR/>I hope these little anecdotes are remotely helpful. Also, have you encountered any of the academic coaches floating around the blogosphere? It's an expense, but they might be really helpful for breaking the cycle of anxiety and beating yourself up over what's not done, and helping you move forward.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159396966090869732006-09-27T18:42:00.000-04:002006-09-27T18:42:00.000-04:00Heh - thanks, Scriv! I confess I was thinking of ...Heh - thanks, Scriv! I confess I was thinking of you too as I wrote that comment... :)<BR/><BR/>I know, I know, it's easy to judge from the other side of the fence, but it kills me to see so many really talented people get so hung up over their dissertations that they can't move on. A month after you've defended, it will completely recede into the background, and in most cases will have very little impact on the rest of your life. So don't let it grow so much out of proportion.Pilgrim/Heretichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08588407758172717893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159324997495540282006-09-26T22:43:00.000-04:002006-09-26T22:43:00.000-04:00Hey welcome back! Hoping the work goes well. Lis...Hey welcome back! Hoping the work goes well. Listen to that Pilgrim/Heretic woman--she's smart.Scrivenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05922358016805022637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159323524780679752006-09-26T22:18:00.000-04:002006-09-26T22:18:00.000-04:00I have not read this blog or the other comments, b...I have not read this blog or the other comments, but the title has me in stitches! And so very glad you are right! And back. Now... I look forward to reading...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159314668282221502006-09-26T19:51:00.000-04:002006-09-26T19:51:00.000-04:00Good to see you back! It's a lot easier to give d...Good to see you back! It's a lot easier to give dissertation advice than it is to take it, but a little perspective helps - this is supposed to be the last stage of your apprenticeship and therefore the beginning of your career, NOT the last thing ever written in your field. It only needs to be good enough to show them you know the basic techniques, not the be-all and end-all of your whole professional existence.<BR/><BR/>And the hiding out from your professors thing? a) they really don't spend as much time judging their students as their students think they do, and b) it drives them nuts when students disappear for those reasons (waiting until you have something "good enough" to justify your absence... the catch with that is that the longer you're absent, the more you feel you need to show for it, and the longer you have to work on it.) Break the cycle and check in! Trust me, they'd rather hear from you than not, regardless of how much you have done.Pilgrim/Heretichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08588407758172717893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159312969650075142006-09-26T19:22:00.000-04:002006-09-26T19:22:00.000-04:00Oh, Oh, Oh! You are out there! Focus on the positi...Oh, Oh, Oh! You are out there! Focus on the positives and get to writing! Good to hear from you.RageyOnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03690295219089454070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159310944648136642006-09-26T18:49:00.000-04:002006-09-26T18:49:00.000-04:00You know that all of this perceived inability to f...You know that all of this perceived inability to finish is 100% pyschological, don't you? Don't give it that much power over you, stewgad. And do spend some time thinking about what may be at the root of your hesitancy to finish. <BR/><BR/>And, stop being so hard on yourself.lucyrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18157045295240648152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159310561633555442006-09-26T18:42:00.000-04:002006-09-26T18:42:00.000-04:00Welcome back. Now just finish that little paper, w...Welcome back. Now just finish that <I>little paper</I>, will you? And be done with it. The nice thing about dissertations, aside from all the things they might be, is the most important thing for them <I>to be</I>... and that's <B>DONE!</B>ArticulateDadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08407769773596623808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159303907800806942006-09-26T16:51:00.000-04:002006-09-26T16:51:00.000-04:00I'm glad you're back, and I'm sending good wishes ...I'm glad you're back, and I'm sending good wishes your way...Flaviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17832765671541392835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159302904063114212006-09-26T16:35:00.000-04:002006-09-26T16:35:00.000-04:00All I have to say is "I love you." As a family me...All I have to say is "I love you." As a family member, I get to say that on the blogosphere. You hold your head up!! I believe in you. Just keep going, one step at a time. You're at base camp for the trek to the top of Mount Everest. You've already negotiated permission to climb from the government, trained and gotten the experience and skills you need to get to the top, gotten yourself halfway around the world, and halfway up the mountain. Read "Savage Arena" if you want more visuals and good stories about mountain climbing. :><BR/>So...just one step at a time. And don't you forget, hold your head up high!sparkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15419915377375478778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13280638.post-1159302623155143412006-09-26T16:30:00.000-04:002006-09-26T16:30:00.000-04:00She lives! Hooray!She lives! Hooray!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com