It's Been 3 Years Since I Defended My PhD!

Three years ago, on December 18, 2020, I defended my dissertation on Zoom to a group of about 35 friends, family, and colleagues.

For me, my defence was truly the culmination of my PhD and it was incredible to have so many people in my life be able to attend remotely.

If I would have defended my PhD in person, my university didn't previously allow people to join by Zoom (other than the external examiner). So, it actually worked out better to defend on Zoom because the important people in my life who live all over the world were able to share that moment with me.

However, my defence doesn't feel like it captures all the aspects of doing a PhD. I mean, how could it? You spend about 2 hours in your defence and minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years dreaming, thinking, reflecting, planning, writing, researching, learning, and so much more to get to that point.

I often work with grad students who are nearing the end of their programs and their defence stands there like a shape in the distance that you can't quite make out.

For some grad students, the defence can be scary and intimidating because you don't know what lies on the other side.

For many grad students, the end of your program can make you feel rootless, purposeless, and not sure what to do next because your life had previously be charted out for you through courses, conferences, and all over structure.

When I defended, I had spent four months taking a leave of absence. One of the many reasons was that I wanted to spend time prioritizing what I was going to do after my PhD - get my registered clinical counsellor designation, start my own business, put the wheels in motion for How To Grad School, and most importantly, take the time to focus on my mental health, my physical health, my relationships, and myself.

These past 3 years have brought with them a flurry of activity and I've been reflecting on the best parts I'm carrying over from doing a PhD and the not-so-good parts. Stay tuned for the next couple of blogs where I dive deeper into the legacy of doing a PhD more specifically, such as how it has affected my work and my life.