Oh Gosh, this has been drafted starting in 4th April 2018, and I have yet to finish it! So, today, I finally wanna complete this post, and hope to show some lights to those who are/ going to be in the same situation as me! I have ended postgraduate life around 4 years ago, and working and personal life did not get better after that at all. After this post, I will share some of my struggles after getting a PhD in Malaysia.
But for now, I guess it is time for me to share my personal PhD experience which took me more than 3 years plus to complete. Nothing to be ashamed of because each person has their own project difficulties and timelines. However, recently, Malaysia (I checked), really Malaysia only, sought something called Graduate on Time (GOT). In which, I find this to be meaningless and create unnecessary stress to those students. I shall blog about this after a thorough study on GOT.
- Gain some working experiences before going the path of no return!
- Choose wisely your SUPERVISOR and RESEARCH TOPIC!
- Economic and budgetary planning! (Preferably with 6-month to 1-year savings)
Say, today, you made your choice to pursue PhD/ Master programme, but it was more than you could bargain for, this post perhaps could shed some ideas! But in no way, you should take such actions before discussing with your PhD/Master supervisors.
1) Seek Help From Supervisor/ Co-Supervisor/ Module Convener/ Postgraduate Chairperson/ Dean
This really depends on what issues you are facing. For research and resources related, of course you can always ask help or guidance from your supervisor. In a very rare circumstance, if your supervisor cannot solve research/ resource issues, you can then check with your co-supervisors. Therefore, you should not neglect the importance of co-supervisors, which usually comes in pair (^^).
But say, if you are facing some "abuses" from your supervisor, then you need to check with the module convener in this case. And, many times, this abusive supervisor issue is very common. Unluckily, I was badly treated by my own supervisor, and as I was awarded with the scholarship, I thought I might lose it if I have spoken up or requested to change supervisor. This is a very important point to check with the module convener/ postgraduate chairperson.
The very last resort is to lodge a complaint to the dean, and make sure you properly collect the evidence of abuse before reporting this. In my university, there was this lecturer who treated both his PhD students as servants. He asked them to prepare lectures and even buy coffee for him. When both of them reported his doings, he quickly resigned and left them helplessly. Both of them needed to start their work from scratch again after wasting a year! Only from this story, I realised that the scholarship could be transferred to other supervisors, I was so foolish knowing about it after 3 years, and it was too late. You need to know the scholarship Term and Conditions thoroughly!
2) Change Research Field/ Change Supervisor
If your current work/ field is something that you are not very keen after researching a while, you can still change the research field. Of course, this is not as simple as it seems. If your supervisor knows the other research field, perhaps he/she can help out. Else, you might again need to search for a suitable supervisor. This can lead to loss of time and money for this sudden change, and also subjected to approval by the university.
Referring to Point 1, you must know your PhD conditions! Say, your supervisor is abusing his/her influences against you, my say is to report and change supervisor. I have been patient with my horrible and bitchy supervisor for almost 4 years!!!!! It truly took a toll on my #mentalhealth ! More importantly, why I advise to change as soon as possible, because your PhD supervisor will be your academia referee for life, whenever you apply for a postdoc/ research position/ lecturer !!!! But, as for me, I have kinda left academia and moved on with industry, so her being my referee did not matter much.
3) Quit for Your Dear Life
Quitting is not a shameful act ! By knowing what you like and dislike, quitting perhaps is the best solution. I used to think I ain't a quitter, but boy, I was so wrong for being so stubborn! Actually, with my diligence in research, I could have made it bigger with a different supervisor. I never feel regret until today for taking a PhD, but my biggest regret was I did not stand up against this academia tyrant bitch! Oh yes, you read it right!
You can quit, but definitely with strategy ! For PhD course, you are either paying your own fees or getting a scholarship. If you quit, you are basically throwing something you invested, money and time. Therefore, in the following scenario, you can opt to exit with grace by reducing the damages to the min:
- In first 3-month, if you regret, please just quit, burning away the scholarship/ fees
- In first 6-month, if you regret, you need to weigh the pros and cons. At this point, you are about to be assessed by internal examiner for your progress. Once you are found to be not meeting the requirement, you might end up terminated from the programme or if you progress with conditions
- In first 9-month, if you regret, you can hold on longer to convert your PhD to a master degree depending on the university policy. But, you would need to study up to 1-year to end this nightmare
- In first year, if you regret, you can basically get a master degree before resolving to quit
- In second year, if you regret, you are kinda in deep shit, but you can still opt for a master degree provided you have sufficient research support.
- In third year, if you regret, again master degree is always an option. At this point, you need to know whether your work can meet the research requirement. If yes, you should proceed to getting a PhD.
So basically, the most ideal timeline for you to quit, is really before 2nd year! You are at a point whereby you are less invested of the time and money. But, once you reach the 2nd year mark, every decision gets harder !
Hopefully, my three ways can enlighten your struggle. If you need some personal advice, you can always comment or email me @ ipohboyjourney@gmail.com
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