Not many students get into the PhD program with a clearly defined goal. Most of the ones who do so, actually enroll themselves without any clarity of why they want to do the course other than the reason being only for the sake of PhD prestige. For them, it is actually a means of escaping from reality, than anything else. You must be wondering what sort of reality that has been talked about? We shall move on to discuss the implication of “reality”. It is not easy to discover your own strengths, know your weaknesses, and acknowledge them to find your passion. A lot of people, most often struggle with not only settling their lives and career but also of the people around them. Because of this, it becomes difficult to take responsibility of their own passion. Due to the dilemmas and fear of losing the game of academic career, a lot of people just keep moving directionless from one degree to another.
Compiling graduate and post graduate degrees is a harbor for the ones who don’t know what the best choice is for them, as by the social norm it is not acceptable to be without a job for long. Being in the university for a long time is an escaping drug that helps to run away from the realities of life. But, is it a wise choice to make?
It may not be because making PhD as a means to escape can never be a solution to any problem as eventually after the grill of so many years in getting the doctoral degree you wouldn’t be what you wanted to be. You would again be standing at crossroads, looking for solution to the problem. Because PhD has the capability of changing your life both negatively and positively, it may drain you out to the extent of having no inclination, and energy in trying to find the calling of your life. It is a path less taken but surely the right one if you are dedicated to follow your passion. It is a misconception that success would touch your feet if you have a PhD degree with you. There would be many PhD’s you would be able to see around you wandering aimlessly in different industries, trying to get a hold of their life, and on the contrary, people with lesser degrees but in a field of their passion, achieving glory and flying high on the ladder of success. Without self-realization, and understanding of your objective, you would still see yourself standing at the same place, not knowing where to go.