The doctoral (PhD) journey is not only about obtaining a degree but more importantly about how a person is transformed during the journey. It requires persistent courage to face the challenges, patience to explore unknown knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm for research.
[T]he process of completing a doctoral journey is challenging. Challenges may involve balancing energy and time between family, work, and research; establishing and developing student-supervisor relationships; significant changes and slow progress in research; and external instability such as the COVID-19 pandemic. From my perspective, if you view the challenges encountered as stepping stones towards achieving the completion of your doctorate, then they will serve as motivators and provide valuable experiences. Otherwise, you can get caught up in uneasy and high-pressure emotions about the unknown stumbling stones that may arise at any time. Therefore, how you view and deal with these challenges is crucial to the successful completion of your doctorate.
YIFEI LIANG
Firstly, choosing a research topic that resonates with our life experiences can be incredibly motivating and provide a long-term source of inspiration …. Secondly, maintaining a regular daily routine during the doctoral journey is essential to ensure physical and mental well-being, ultimately helping doctoral students to reach the finish line more effectively …. Lastly, embracing sufficient breaks and making self-care a top priority are essential for sustaining productivity and overall well-being …. While the doctoral journey can be a solitary one, it is important to actively engage with others and form social connections to prevent feelings of isolation. By reaching out and building a support network, we can navigate the trials of our doctoral journey with greater resilience and a sense of being connected and valued.
YANG ZHAO
Embrace this research opportunity to bring local knowledge for a meaningful change. Understand that the road ahead will be filled with challenges and it is crucial not to solely rely on conforming to existing research paradigms and doing research to ‘fit in’. Instead, dare to embark on alternative research paths. By venturing beyond the traditional boundaries,
PREETI VAYADAwe have the potential to make a unique and impactful contribution to our respective fields and decolonise the research space dominated by empirically verifiability and Western linear chronologies.
My objects of desire for a better life have meant a growing distance from my family. The visible success mis-recognised the invisible losses. In that sense I am both a ‘winner’ and a ‘loser’. This is a mixed feeling of gain and loss, of belonging somewhere but not belonging anywhere—this is a feeling of dilemma for many scholars from the Global South who have found the objects of their desire in the Global North through language, education, migration, and employment.
M. MAKSUD ALI
A doctoral journey is inherently lengthy and challenging, marked by complexities that necessitate various contributing factors to propel and ultimately complete the process. Reflecting on my personal doctoral experience, I recognise several pivotal elements that facilitated navigating this intricate journey. These key factors include supportive and strong supervisors, unwavering commitment to my research project, active engagement in a writing group, and establishment of a consistent writing routine.
MUHAMMAD ALI MUSOFER
As my doctoral supervisor, now mentor, once famously said, “a doctorate is for life, but life is not a doctorate”. After achieving a doctorate, one should never stop contributing to the field. While formal education may have come to an end, you can explore many other topics beyond your doctoral study.
Do not worry too much about competing with others. Work at your own pace and time. Always celebrate the mini successes throughout your doctoral journey. Developing a growth mindset is essential in ensuring your success. The doctoral journey is one of making mistakes, learning from the mistakes made, and coming out stronger than before.
HUAN YIK LEE
The global landscape of higher education is marked by an increasing trend of transnational mobility where students traverse national borders in pursuit of advanced academic degrees. I joined this trend to advance my career ambitions, secure a better education for my children, and fulfil
DANWEI GAOa dream I have had since my early university days. This transnational journey is not merely a geographical transition but encompasses profound academic, social, cultural, and even emotional shifts.
Racism is real and manifests in everyday interactions, as well as broader systems and structures. Experiencing racism as a racial minority is thus inevitable. This might look like receiving seemingly benevolent ‘compliments’ on the standard of one’s spoken English/lack of accent, being assumed to be a less capable ‘academic risk’, or significant difficulties in gaining employment, among other things.
Despite messages to the contrary, non-white knowledge, culture, and language are not deficits and should therefore not be overlooked or hidden for the sake of cursory and conditional ‘acceptance’ by the white majority. Unlearn internalised messages around supposed western superiority which have shaped our conceptions of education, and ways of being, doing, and knowing more broadly.
AARON TEO