What's all this Phd stuff anyhow ?

There are a whole lot of misconceptions about folks who do a Phd, and about the process of doing it . Some of these misconceptions are funny , some downright weird. There are some who label aspiring phds as' mad' claiming that they've gone crazy about 'technical stuff' and they dont really belong in this world. Some others believe that a phd is a journey of prolonged depression that some 'mad' ( maybe this explains the earlier 'mad' bit ) people willingly undertake, so that they have enough things to crib about for the rest of their lives.

A lab-mate of mine recently asked me quite seriously ' How can you be smiling most of the time being a phd student?' ! His question left me laughing of course . These are my early days in phd, and my worst days ( and hopefully also the best :-) are yet to come. But I've done enough non-technical research to figure out that phd need not necessarily be a journey of misery. Its best treated as a project at workplace, where some things work and many don't. Intelligence matters, but not as much as perseverence. And perhaps, the most important thing to remember is that its no use reinventing the wheel .

Many students treat phd to be a (m)ad-venture where the advisor has you playing treasure hunt with no clues, and a hard deadline. I'm lucky to have a great advisor, and that simplifies things greatly. I think students might feel luckier if they realised that the advisor is actually doing them a great favour by poking holes in their arguments, and pointing out flaws before the student's stupidity is advertised to the world at large.

Perhaps, the most liberating thought is that while doing a phd does take a certain amount of madness, ( just like any other passionate endeavour does) 'balanced madness' is possible. I believe its possible to work an average of 8 hours a day , five or at most six days a week, and finish it in good time. Its possible ( and I believe, essential ) to have a life outside of work. Its good to intersperse one's worries about work, with worries about other things :-)

And most importantly, I think phd also offers an opportunity for great personal growth, if we are willing to recognize it. We can find the time to pursue other interests and work on them, if we so wish. Many of my musical ideas have emerged while day-dreaming; staring at the lush green lawns in the beautiful IISc campus, a setting that a cubicle can never hope to replicate, in terms of the inspiration it offers.

And to those who aren't doing a phd ( and treat phds with suspicion :-) - I' d like to say that folks who've done phds aren't really different . Some might turn out to be pedantic, some others might be snobs, but a good number are just like anyone else. It just so happens that they get paid little for working very hard. So they better be very interested in their work, for there is no other real motivation to do it :-)

So , here are my parting words to myself , and anyone else who might want to take it - 'Its better to travel well than to arrive' ( Buddha ) . So enjoy the journey !