It has been a wonderful Christmas. Lots of fun and frolic with my family. Plan to have a few “do nothing days” until I return to work on Wednesday -yippee!! Finally completed my “Challenges and Successes Year 1 Recap”, I have it in PDF form and will attach it as a stand alone document soon. It is lengthy post, so my apologies if it feels too long. Hope that it is valuable, I enjoyed pulling it together.
DBA Year 1 Challenges and Successes
Below are some of the key challenges that I faced during the first year of my doctorate as well as factors that enabled my survival and some successes. This information is not presented in any particular order, and is not intended to be representative of all research associates. My intention with sharing this information is to help others, who may be pursuing a similar academic path, gain some insight into the potential hurdles they may face as well as strategies that may be used to make the journey easier.
Challenges:
Re-Learning How To Read and Write An Academic Paper
The biggest shift that I had to make was quashing my habit of making generalizations that were not evidence based. My first working paper had many ideas and conclusions that were based on my professional experiences, not on theory or research. I also found it very difficult to read papers, which seemed to me to be overly long and filled with methodology that I did not understand. This was a very different from power point presentations and memos that I had become accustomed to in the corporate world, where less is more, and experiences are often shared and leveraged for decision making. My final hurdle was re-learning how to properly reference and making the commitment to learn to use ENDNOTES which is a huge time-saver once you get comfortable with the functionality.
Balance
For the first 8 months I struggled to balance my full-time corporate role, academic assignments and personal life. I can’t overstate how difficult this was and based on conversations with other research associates in my program, it appears to be a common challenge for my cohort. I am a very organized person and there were never enough hours in the day to accomplish what needed to be done!
I eventually settled on a routine that worked for me. Focusing on reading papers and/or editing during the week, and dedicating the majority of Saturday, at the library, to writing and thinking. I also had to recognize that some things had to give on the personal front. I decided to let go of some personal relationships and learned to become more comfortable declining social invitations, so that I could have the time and energy for the people that mattered most to me, my partner, family and a small number of close friends. Exercise has always been a core component of my life, and although it was hard to schedule at times, I always managed to do some form of exercise several times a week. This really helped with my overall well-being, energy and positivity.
Comfort with Discomfort
It has been over 10 years since my MBA and, as an experienced, mid-level corporate leader, I had become accustomed to feeling confident and generally successful. This sense of ease has been challenged and in some situations completed eroded by my new role as a research associate. It was, and continues to be, very humbling and challenging to “not know”, not just a little bit, but a lot!! There have been several occasions, particularly in statistics workshops, when I felt acutely aware that I was struggling significantly with concepts that were largely either already known or seemingly easily grasped by others in the class. I felt like I was in the “bottom quartile” and this has been really difficult for me. This is partially due to my ego and insecurity that I may not have the ability to learn the concepts at the required depth.
Fortunately I have a very supportive partner who has provided a great of encouragement and perspective in critical moments. Also my family and workmates provide regular support and gentle reminders that it is supposed to be this hard! Additionally, I have had a mentor who has been incredibly honest and direct about where my gaps lie and providing ongoing feedback, advice and support.
Success Factors:
Scheduling
As mentioned above, it took me a while to achieve some balance and find the approach that worked best for me. I now follow this schedule fairly stringently because it optimizes my output. Internally I view work during the week as “maintaining momentum” and Saturday as “heavy lifting”. I initially tried to write at home during the week, but found that I lacked sufficient time to create a quality result. I find editing a much easier task to do in an hour or so, and this is also the case for reading papers so I focus on these tasks during the week, usually 1-2 hours each day. I typically spend 6-8 hours at the library on Saturday primarily writing, thinking and planning.
I usually create deadlines in advance of actual assignment due dates and therefore have consistently handed my papers in on time or a bit ahead of schedule. I do this because, I recognize that many unpredictable things can occur that will impact completing assignments such as projects/issues at work, relationship needs or underestimating how much time is required to complete papers. Having a two week cushion has allowed these unexpected events to occur without impacting my ability to deliver assignments. This approach has helped to significantly reduce my stress level. Also, completing the assignments on, or ahead of, schedule has provided a great deal of personal satisfaction as I have regular tangible indications of my progress.
Rewards
In addition to having a fairly systematic approach to my research, I regularly reward myself for my efforts! For example, typically Sunday is “research-free”. On occasion I may need to edit a paper on a Sunday, but for the most part I have this day to do anything that I desire that is not academic. It is very useful to take a break and allows me to begin the new week with more energy and a greater commitment because I had a “day-off”. This is also the case on Friday nights when I will typically head out for dinner, play tennis, or watch a DVD at home. Again, it is a reward for a full week of work and maintaining momentum with my research each night. This break enables me to commit fully to my full day stint at the library on Saturday.
For the most part, I have used work vacation time to do research; however, I did take a 4 day vacation in the fall. It was wonderful to have a full break. I plan to take more dedicated time off next year because I think it is good for my mind, and overall well-being. That said, I am increasingly recognizing that I am becoming a researcher and therefore wherever I am, so is my burgeoning academic mindset, so I can never really leave the research associate at home. I am starting to view this as a good thing!
Writing and Good Advice
I have combined these last two items because the best advice that I have received repeatedly about writing is: “a researcher must always be writing”!! The role of an academic is not only to conduct research but also to share findings. It is really easy to not write for many reasons, but I find if I remind myself to not focus too much on quality and the benefits it is easier. Writing clarifies my thinking, and raises questions that I need to answer, either by rereading papers or searching for new research. In many ways it is a key enabler for understanding what exists and where I may be able to contribute to the literature. Additionally, I feel that by writing I am improving my ability to both write and edit because the two skills work in partnership. Finally, writing is an imperative because of the number of assignment that must be submitted and the thesis that looms ahead. Currently, I don’t look forward to writing papers, but it is what I must do, and so I do it. I do look forward to the very satisfying feeling of tangible accomplishment each Saturday when I print off the pages I have written.
My opinion on advice is that if you hear a suggestion from different sources repeatedly, then strongly consider taking the advice, even if you are resisting it for some reason. An example of this for me was mind mapping software. I am a bit “old-school” and generally am a late adopter with new technology so although I heard about FreeMind during my first week of school I avoided trying it. Subsequently, mind mapping was mentioned and recommended to me by researchers and friends, so I finally decided to try it. It was far easier than I anticipated to use and was a huge enabler for me in articulating my research ideas and possible thesis topics.
The final thing about advice is that you typically need to be comfortable with vulnerability to get the best advice. Although I struggle when I feel I am in “the bottom quartile” I am fairly comfortable with seeking clarification and asking for help. I continue to be amazed by how helpful professors, fellow research associates, university administrators, colleagues at work and published researchers in my field of study have been. Adhering to the three guidelines below has worked well for me so far and it may be valuable to others:
- Be clear and concise about your need/issue
- Express gratitude and offer to reciprocate the favour immediately or in the future
- Pay it forward, always be willing to help others
