Bill, before you set out on that PhD, I have few a words of advice.
It’s been a pretty good run going through our undergrad and master’s degrees. The work’s been hard, sure, but let’s be honest: there was a substantial amount of ‘recreation time’, right? And that’s good – great, in fact. But it’s PhD time now and you have to up your game. No timetables, no lectures – just you. I’m going all Schwarzenegger here to come back and give you some words of wisdom, so listen up if you want to live— I mean, get through your PhD.
You don’t have as much time as you think
I know you think that three years is ages, but trust me: it isn’t. It’ll fly by quicker than the speed you made it back in time for two-for-one cocktails during Fresher’s week. So you’re going to have to plan your experiments. But don’t just plan the experiment, plan for experimental design, plan for running the experiment, plan for when things go a little (or way) off-track, and plan for analyzing your data. Stick it in Google calendar or something you can easily block out days at a time, and try to stick to your schedule. It makes getting things done so much easier.
Read more stuff
While you’re planning experiments, set aside time for reading. I know that sounds weird, but seriously, set aside at least an hour each day to read the literature. That means reading about the researchers that have gone before as well as those who are putting out new data. Also, read around your subject: having a broad understanding of how your work fits into the bigger picture is immensely useful and helps you be a better scientist.
Speak to other scientists
It’s safe to say that networking has never been our strong point – you get better at it in the future, but we both know we’d rather be at home with a glass of wine and a book. You haven’t got to go out schmoozing at “networking events” (shudder), but try to get over that initial hesitancy of talking to other scientists. They’re not the unapproachable, lofty academics you think they are. In fact, they’re almost always helpful and happy to discuss their own work. Go out for a beer or a coffee with them, discuss their work, discuss your work, and you’ll quickly find you all face many of the same problems. You’ll also build up a great network of contacts and friends you can ask for support and advice if you need it. Just the other week I was having a beer with a professor of genetics and the director of a research institute! Plus you’ll learn loads of cool new things!
It’s fine to not know everything
Don’t ever be afraid to say, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Can you just explain…”. No one will be offended or think less of you. It’s never a good idea to simply pretend you know what someone means as you’ll quickly find yourself way down a pretty dark rabbit hole and you’ll just look silly when, after pretending to know something for ages, you’re caught out later on when you clearly had no idea all along. You don’t need to understand everything people throw at you right away. When you don’t know something, just ask. This science malarkey is all about gaining knowledge and experience, so always feel comfortable to gain it.
Relax
In between planning experiments, reading, pulling the occasional all-nighter in the lab, networking, and asking questions, make time – don’t try to find time, make time – to relax. It’s a complete myth that you need to be in the lab 24/7 to be successful. You need to balance things. Don’t spend all your weekends in the lab or the library. Get out. Do some exercise. See friends. Sure, sometimes you have to dip into the lab for an hour or two some weekends, but don’t make it a habit. The weekends are your time and you’ll be happier and more productive in the long run for taking advantage of them.
I think those are the main points to getting through your PhD with your sanity in check. Oh, save all your data to the cloud (do you have the cloud yet?) – don’t trust mechanical hard drives! But most of all, remember: it’s your research, so make the most of it. But don’t let it take over your life.
Bill
PS That facebook thing totally takes off, 56k modems become archaic real quick, no one’s colonized the moon, being a nerd is totally cool now (no, seriously), and there still aren’t any hoverboards!
