Hello everyone! I know I only post every so often, but life can definitely get in the way. In fact, life has gotten in the way of me practically doing anything hobby-related, at least for the past two months.

That is why i wanted to write this blog post. I wanted to share a few things about having a PhD that people don’t really tell you, particularly after grad school.

Now, I am not saying getting a PhD isn’t worth it. My god is it worth it. What I want to discuss with all of you today is the downsides of having one and how I am dealing with it.

List of the Downsides of Getting a PhD

Mental Health

Ok so obviously the first one is mental health. My whole blog is about mental health throughout grad school, but the effects of grad school do persist. In fact, I deal with a good amount of problems that I had while in grad school. Some of these are imposter syndrome, panic attacks, feelings of inadequacy, etc. The list is long.

I was hoping that all of these problems would just disappear after grad school. They don’t. However, I now have the tools to alleviate the mental health issues to a manageable level. Therapy and this blog helped significantly with that.

Know-it-all

Ok, the next is a bit new to me. People look to me for ALL, and I mean ALL, answers to everything. They assume that I have an IQ of 100000 and have all of the answers in life. Believe me when I say, I DO NOT!!!! In fact, the only thing that I do know is that I know nothing.

I try not to bring up that I am a doctor at gatherings because people want my input on everything. They think that because I have a PhD, I know everything about what they are talking about. It’s nice that people think I’m smart, but I also feel dumb in the moment because I really have little idea what they are asking.

Having a PhD does not mean you know everything. In fact, I think grad school was meant to show you that you know absolutely nothing in the grad scheme of things. Getting a PhD is about embracing this and trying to utilize all the tools you have to find out what you don’t know. But trust me, even then, you’ll still not know everything.

The Responsibility

Third, the responsibility that I have at work. Now I like to work on hard projects, I really do. However, I am not one to become the project manager, engineer, CEO, and administrative person on a project. I don’t like when I am in charge of everything there is. Unfortunately, I work at a small company where this is the case. However, because I have a PhD, I am expected to be good in all of these roles. Like holy cannoli, is this stressful.

I have many friends with doctorates and this is fairly common. I often forget that receiving a PhD is basically training for these upper level rolls and responsibilities. You don’t just go to an entry-level job with a higher paycheck. No, people expect expertise and work from you.

Doctor? You’re not a Real Doctor.

I guess people don’t actually know that the term “Doctor” originates from the Latin word meaning “to teach“. WE ARE REAL DOCTORS!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I know everything assumes a doctor is a medical professional. I get it because I was that way before. But do not tell me I am not a real doctor, because I am. I’m just one to tell you not to eat lead paint chips instead of saving you from cardiac arrest.

I hear people say I am not a real doctor all of the time, but I just tune it out. It doesn’t upset me when they say it. It upsets me when everyone says it so often. Like, cool, it was funny the first two or three times, but we are at the 100000th time now and it’s old.

You’ll Miss Grad School Like Crazy

I loved grad school. But, I didn’t know how much I loved it until after I left. The real world is scary and kind of sucks. Grad school sucked, but in a much different way. Obtaining my PhD was the ultimate goal, and I achieved it, but I think the journey to get there was way more important. Unfortunately, after obtaining my PhD, I won’t really experience that journey ever again.

I do miss grad school and have to be ok with knowing that I can not do it again. I do wish that I took the time to truly appreciate my time in school, while I was there. It might have made my time a little less stressful.