Following on from my previous post on my ups and downs during my 1st year, this post covers my main ups and downs from my 2nd year. Mid-point struggles I…
Research in foreign Lands: Part II- the cherishable experience
In the first part, I discussed some of the challenges that scholars face when moving to a foreign country for their research. But it’s not all that bad, once the…
How can we help academic colleagues to stay healthy? Experience & ideas
Recently, I wrote about mental health in academia. I said that we need to talk about mental health, and our struggles with it, so we can end the stigma. I…
How I found out, how NOT to be an academic
Recently I’ve been following the narrative about working hours in academia. What we talked about on the blog, and what you told us in a Twitter poll. What the brilliant…
Mental Health in Academia: Lets talk about it.
Let’s talk about mental health in academia. I know we sometimes don’t like to talk about it much. We’d rather talk about anything else than talk about mental health –…
Before you say Yes: 3 questions to ask yourself (And I’m not talking about marriage!)
Some academics do seem to be wedded to their research, but let’s leave the marriage metaphors aside. This post is all about choosing which academic work commitments you say ‘yes’…
What I learned when I took on too much: I am not a PhD superhero
As a PhD student with high ambitions and an equally high mortgage payment, I have tendency to say ‘yes’ to most things and up until now it has served me well. By saying ‘yes’ and having the to confidence to say ‘I can do that’, I have learnt so many new things and met some wonderful new people. I’ve travelled the country (next stop, the world!) and stood up to many fears. Because of this I am making connections – people know who I am and what I can do. I am building my network and my skill set, the foundation of a successful career, right?
But what good is a network if I don’t have the time or energy to nurture it? What if people know what I can do, but I can’t actually do it because I am doing too many other things? My drive to be a PhD superhero was becoming counterintuitive […]
Saying No: Why it’s important to be brave
As we begin 2017, perhaps some of you will have taken a seasonal break from your work. Or perhaps you worked right through: it can be hard to take time…
Being a supervisor – 3 things I’ve learnt
Our correspondent writes about her experience of being a supervisor of others’ PhD work. It involves collaboration between first and second supervisor, and professional development…
Staying in academia: 3 things I find helpful at challenging times
Working in academia can be a tricky thing. As much as the work can be inspiring, creative, and life-changing, it can also be isolating, uncertain, and insecure. In fact, Piirus…