Great, thank you, jg
On 24/03/12 23:46, Bob Este wrote:
> Dear Teena /et al/:
>
> Having just been virtually convocated with the Ph.D 20 Feb 2012 after
> 10 (ten) years of consistent effort (yes, 1/6 of my life), the only
> drudgery I ever experienced was with making a living during this time.
> This had nothing whatsoever to do with the intellectual challenge,
> learning and exploration that took place over that decade (and
> continues, of course).
>
> The unfolding intellectual pursuit of what I gradually came to focus
> on, about 1/2 way through that time -- which pursuit is far from over
> and in fact has become my life-long focus -- had nothing whatsoever
> either in common or isomorphic with drudgery.
>
> In achieving the Ph.D, I know that I created a path never previously
> trod. Simply put, I "broke trail" the whole way. Although others had
> perhaps been on parallel tracks, nobody had ever taken the path I
> chose. And in so doing, the notion of drudgery never once entered my
> mind.
>
> The metaphor that my supervisor and I both used from time to time
> emerged from our respective and quite independent experiences of
> growing up in the Far North of Canada -- something neither he or I
> even knew about when I began -- we knew nothing about each other in
> that realm when the first connections and alignments were undertaken.
>
> So, the Ph.d for me was a long, _/totally/_ independent, and quite
> difficult but exceptionally exciting journey through arduous (and, in
> my unique case in terms of physical health, even life-threatening)
> conditions.
>
> The metaphoric question was how to survive and get to one's goal in a
> very hostile environment -- whether this happened to be the real
> Arctic, or the intellectual terrain that was being traversed in such
> unique ways.
>
> I chose this particular journey very consciously -- and I have been
> unbelievably fortunate that my wife, family, and friends never stopped
> urging me to take yet another step, and then the one after that. Even
> if they got sick and tired of hearing my frequent cries of
> frustration, apparent hopelessness and expressions of profound
> existential angst, it was wonderful to know that my journey in such
> absolute solitude was supported in this way. In a sense, being so very
> alone meant never really being alone.
>
> So, on this almost impossible journey (that sometimes I thought would
> never end), my goal was to trudge through the penetrating cold and
> exceptionally deep snow to eventually get to something like a frozen,
> long-abandoned cabin in the wilderness. Finally getting there
> represented the completion of the dissertation. I pushed the creaking
> door open, and saw ... nothing.
>
> But, once inside in total frozen darkness, I had to figure out a way
> to spark a sustainable fire in the stove to warm things up, to get the
> kerosene lamp to flicker to life, to melt some ice to make tea, and
> then to get back on track and effectively make use of both the
> experience of finally getting there and the essential process of
> shaping the next steps. Onwards into the future.
>
> This last part is still very much underway.
>
> There is no drudgery in this journey. Joy and satisfaction, yes --
> drudgery, absolutely not.
>
> Please accept my best wishes for your successful completion (which I
> am sure will burst forth, no matter what) ...
>
> Bob Este, Ph.D
> Business Development Officer
> Institute for Space Imaging Science
> Department of Physics and Astronomy
> The University of Calgary
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 24/03/12 3:33 PM, Bill, Amanda wrote:
>> I'm with you, Teena. I'd happily do a PhD all over again! Enjoy these
>> final weeks of enlightenment and I hope the drudgery never returns.
>>
>> Amanda
>>
>> On 25/03/12 9:57 AM, "teena clerke"<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> I am delighted to see the positive responses to my provocation.
>>>
>>> Speaking as a doctoral candidate 4 weeks away from submission, while
>>> the PhD has been intense, confusing, enlightening, humbling,
>>> frustrating, exciting and many other things besides, it has never,
>>> ever, not once, felt like drudgery.
>>>
>>> On the other hand, professional design practice, teaching, academic
>>> life in general, as well as family life have all, at times, felt like
>>> drudgery.
>>>
>>> My hope is that life after the PhD continues to not feel like
>>> drudgery. Happy studying for those in the middle!
>>>
>>> cheers, teena
>>>
>>>
>>> On 24/03/2012, at 9:06 AM, Mark Evans wrote:
>>>
>>>> Teena
>>>>
>>>> Speaking as a supervisor and examiner, PhDs pose a significant
>>>> intellectual challenge and it¹s quite possible that the lack of
>>>> rigour and discipline experienced during an illustrious career
>>>> outside of academia has failed to equip the candidate with the
>>>> skills and knowledge required to undertake robust research. Or
>>>> maybe they just picked a topic that failed to inspire them.
>>>>
>>>> Dr Mark Evans
>>>> Loughborough Design School
>>>>
>
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