Ways in Which Having a Ph.D. is Advantageous

Thanks Articulate Dad! Your comment was precisely what I needed to hear! And to think that I was drawn into blogging precisely by the Invisible Adjunct's blog. Of course your experience (and hers and other people's) is what has been keeping me away from applications to be an adjunct. And now that I come think of it, one of the main problems my unpleasant discussion with K the other day was my argument that I was going through a phase, the "Ph.D. Blues," and that it would pass. And he would become angry with me saying that I have been negatively influenced by my online interactions (or even online sources like the articles in the Chronicle that Invisible Adjunct linked to trying to talk people out of graduate school) in my negative view of academia.

Today, as I went through my day I began to reflect on the advantages of having worked towards a Ph.D. and finally finished it. I think I have nailed the main one:

Nothing in the world seems too difficult. Any tasks, no matter how hard, can be tackled and resolved if one is persistent enough.

And, surprisingly, I was thinking of home renovations, of how K loves to read about something and then go ahead and do it (of course anyone can do that, but those of us who have struggled and won the battle to get to our degrees have really figured out how to solve problems). I was thinking that we could actually do pretty much anything around the house, even replacing the roof. The only difference between us and the trained professional is how quickly they accomplish their tasks.

another "advantage" is the awareness that in fact, we know so little about so many things! And the process of getting this degree involves being able to know where and/or how to find the answers we need


OK, I'm sure I have many other ideas on this subject, but I'm sleeping sitting up in my chair right now...