tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206220894855898230.post2822436213632818028..comments2023-10-31T05:46:44.678-07:00Comments on Ruminations of an Aspiring Ecologist: Timescales in graduate schoolKarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757213778638431428noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206220894855898230.post-77446576036488050672010-02-01T19:27:43.158-08:002010-02-01T19:27:43.158-08:00Grad school definitely adds a lot of certainty and...Grad school definitely adds a lot of certainty and uncertainty that makes life harder to plan in some ways. For example, I also took a couple years off doing internships and field positions and such, the did a masters, and then entered a phd program. Since starting this program, I've been planning my dissertation, and, three years after beginning to develop the idea, and a few months away from starting fieldwork, I'm kind of sick of the topic. And I know the next chapter of my life requires 15 months of fieldwork, and then at least a year of analyzing and writing, before I can get that PhD. But after that, I don't know where I'll be, and I don't know how to plan for that. I would really like to figure out, when/where in my life I'll be having kids, but since life after my PhD is such a huge question mark, who knows... I hate that it all depends on what the job market looks like then...Michelle Rodrigueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06525298555847611412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206220894855898230.post-48003286075034613962010-02-01T11:22:48.695-08:002010-02-01T11:22:48.695-08:00I think the time scales are crazy like that. Hone...I think the time scales are crazy like that. Honestly, the thought of spending 8-10 years on a project makes me super unhappy. Ten years ago, I was in a radically different place, and that's okay. If you can incrementally build up a project over 10 years and get good feedback and results from the intermediate steps, then I think it's an easier commitment (example: child rearing). But to spend 8-10 yeas on something and not know the outcome until you're done? It is very difficult, and I admire professors for being able to work on a timescale I find incomprehensible.pennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07727291511829658991noreply@blogger.com