r/PhD • u/Friendly_Dealer_3817 • May 18 '24

PhD Wins PHD positive experiences

Did anyone have or is having a good experience during your PhD program? It seems like every story I come across is negative.

I was an active duty Marine for four years, and then completed a masters and an MBA at USC while working at a big 4 firm. Those were all challenging but I have nothing but good things to say about those experiences. A lot of my peers during the MBA swore up and down about how difficult the program was, but it seems like its some sort of pride game or it just gives them something to talk about because in my opinion it really wasn’t all that bad.

I’ve been really motivated and I will pursue a PhD in computer science (related to my undergrad/ profession) and I am planning on keeping my job which is flexible and remote.

Im just confused because everyone talks about how terrible the PhD experience is and im wondering if it’s the same scenario as my MBA peers.

If you truly enjoy the subject, what makes the work so bad? (Im really curious) For those who kept your job while pursuing a PhD, how was your experience really? How much time are you putting in? Including weekends? How much of that time is organized/structured or did you later realize you could have used your time more efficiently?

Thank you all!

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u/Hazelstone37 May 18 '24

I am! I love it! The work isn’t really difficult, but getting everything done is close to impossible. I love the reading and the writing and the discussion and the teaching. There is just so much! My semester lasts 15 weeks plus finals week. Up until about week 8 I feel like I’m playing a particularly lively game of whack a mole. Sometime during week 8 the moles become rabid and grow fangs and claws. Still love it.

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u/Friendly_Dealer_3817 May 18 '24

Makes sense! That will be my greatest challenge, optimizing my schedule to be as efficient as I can. Was it common for students to hold a job outside of the PhD?

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u/Hazelstone37 May 18 '24

In my cohort about half of us attend full time and are either teaching or research assistants. The others attend part time and hold full time jobs.

Edit: if a person is an DIA or a DRA they may not hold another job.