Why it took me 6.5 years to get a PhD | Things that slowed me down

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Hello! In today's video, I break down the reasons why it took me 6.5 years to get my PhD. Everyone's experience is different, and everyone's perception of time is different. To some, 6.5 years may not sound like a long time; to others, it may sound like an eternity. I just want to share with you my experience and what I think could have potentially slowed me down.
Timestamps:
0:00 - intro
1:16 - my project lacked focus
3:27 - my advisor let me drive my own research
5:25 - summer internships
8:54 - concluding thoughts / advice
LinkedIn: / janice-pan-8baa4910b
Website: www.janpancake.com/
Instagram: / janpancake
xo janpancake

Опубликовано:

6 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 31

@PatrickStockton 3 года назад

The issue of motivation and self direction for a Ph.D. topic is especially difficult during the pandemic. Another great video!

@NileNetworks 2 года назад

Been watching your videos for a while and you have always great takes. Your videos are just awesome!

@reemgody5492 Год назад

Your videos are extremely useful. Thank you for sharing your experience.

@sanjw 3 года назад

I took 7.5 years to finish my PhD in CS. My advisor doesn't give problems to us to work but rather let us find our own problems and turn them into research worth pursuing. I think it prepared me to think on my own from a young age. But since I joined the PhD program without a MS degree, I had to do a lot of course work and didn't have a good idea about what research is at the beginning. So I spent a lot of time figuring out what I want to do. However, I worked with senior students in my lab, so was able to co-author few papers around this time. Around my fourth year, I started leading a project which I thought would be my dissertation but later I found another interesting problem which turned my focus to a completely new direction. I took a huge risk to change my PhD topic in my 5th year but it was a very new topic so I got a lot of visibility and publishing was very easy as the topic was new and I was one of the early birds. My last year was focused on organizing academic workshops and making a name for myself in the field and wrapping up the dissertation. I'm so happy with the time I spent in grad school. I did two internships overseas. Didn't make much money but worth the experience. Every PhD is different, so I think it's ok to spend more time. PS. The average graduation time in our group is 6+ years which I got to know only after joining 🙂

@janpancake 3 года назад

This is a really inspiring story. I love hearing about positive grad school experiences! The average graduation time in my group was also 6+ years 😅

@sanjw 3 года назад

@@janpancake thanks for the kind words. I would have been still in grad school if not for my wife's constant push to finish it. I was so comfortable at the end and didn't want to graduate lol. My advisor was also very helpful and patient with me. It all worked out well at the end.

@guessidunno 3 года назад

Thanks a lot for your videos! I just started my PhD and t's so valuable for me to hear your testimonial :)

@TraorekBClena 2 года назад

Your videos are so valuable. Thank you very much.

@AnastasiInTech 3 года назад

Another great video! You’ve covered all my PHD fears in this video 😁

@janpancake 3 года назад

😅😭

@carljoshua8529 3 года назад

I just want to thank you for creating this type of content, it gives me ideas of what PhD is like. I'm an incoming sophomore only but I'm interested in getting a PhD degree. Some of my questions about getting a PhD has been answered on the video. It really wonders me what are the possible roles of someone with PhD when opted to go into the industry.

@janpancake 3 года назад

So glad I could help in some way :) Possible roles for someone with a PhD? It really depends on the field, but the options are really countless. I think you can tailor your education and grad curriculum to the type of role you are aiming to land, and if you have a space/specialization in mind, I might be able to provide a more specific answer.

@stanforddickson6349 2 года назад

Thanks for sharing. Really appreciate you! my PHD journey is still ongoing. This inspires me to keep going. I am struggling but still trying.

@sahilgupta3564 Год назад

I completely agree. I just graduated this semester with my Ph.D. in Network Security. It all depends on the advisor and your own personal goals. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

@krishnakoliadhikary1110 Месяц назад

6.5 years is average. Very normal in the US at least. I will take 8+ to defend (few more months) - that’s long!

@faust5784 2 года назад

That is an absolutely wonderful jumper/sweater! Where did you get it from

@haniefknight 2 года назад

I'm doing master now and this is my 6th semester, hope graduate soon and get some internship on robotics company

@technicalmachine1671 2 года назад

7 years and I'm still not done lololol

@estspartans 3 года назад

Do you mind doing a video on engineering research vs scientific research (physicist, chemist, etc) and how they differ? Thanks!

@janpancake 3 года назад

That'd certainly be an interesting discussion. I think I need to bring in a researcher in a natural sciences field. I'll try to track one down. Thanks for the idea!

@Jay-ex9fb 3 года назад

Don't worry it's not that long getting your PhD many people take more years. I know people who took 10 years! Keep the good work up.

@janpancake 3 года назад

oh gosh 10 years 🙈 I also know people who have taken 10 years, but I feel like if my school no longer funds people after 7 years, the 7 years *should* be the max!

@s.9417 3 года назад

Is it legal to let a PhD stay longer than 6 or 7 years? I believe this won’t be the same post pandemic maybe was in the past?

@janpancake 3 года назад

Haha legal? I never thought about what was legal or not. I don't think it's illegal to have a grad student and not pay them. Some PhD students are self-funded, but you *should* get some sort of funding if you're going for your PhD and doing research for a professor who gets money to support his/her group. It's more about what's ethical than what's legal I think 😅I doubt the pandemic will have a direct impact on how long professors want to hold on to their students, but it might have a direct impact on how long it takes to graduate, since it could slow down progress or create blockers for some students' research if they rely on certain products/materials, going into a lab, working with human subjects, etc...

@s.9417 3 года назад

@@janpancake I was admitted to PhD and this concerns me a lot, how to make sure a prospective pi won’t keep me longer if I were devoted to my project? Is it safe to ask him directly?

@janpancake 3 года назад

@@s.9417 ooof. tough one. I'd feel comfortable asking my own advisor. I hope you feel the same with your advisor. But I'd be honest about why I have such a time constraint.

@theAIEmpress Год назад

In your opinion,what do you think is the benefit of spending 6.5 years to become a software engineer?

@janpancake Год назад

I just make slow progress in life in general, so those years were helpful for me to learn and gain the experience needed to do the work I wanted to do after grad school. I wasn’t in a position to interview for SWE roles after undergrad, because my strengths were more on the theory/math side. So I wouldn’t call it a ‘benefit’… it’s more of a weakness of mine that it took me that long to get to where I am now.