Doctor

Around this time, about 14 years ago, I was stressed and nervous hovering over stacks of pages. I was submitting my PhD thesis. 

 

In the years since then, I have told myself a number of stories about the entire process:

 

·      Dr is just a fancy box you can tick for fun on forms (I only ever did it a handful of times in the census and once on a bank statement).

·      To include Dr in front of your name is cocky and embarrassing.

·      My PhD is not relevant to what I am doing now (I willingly gave up academia for a joyous immersion in motherhood).

·      I never “did anything” with my PhD so why bother mentioning it.

·      I am not smart enough anyway.

·      I don’t belong in the PhD tribe.

 

It is time I changed the story. Pick one, pick them all – all are worthy of respect. 

 

·      I undertook 4 years of hard work, perseverance while battling the imbalance of my gender.

·      I learnt an abundance of skills that are transferrable in all parts of my life from parenting to relationships, to work and being a decent human. Skills such as resilience, flexibility, negotiation, collaboration and advocacy.

·      I learnt other skills I may not use as often but demonstrated to me my ability to learn and grow – such as designing, implementing and analysing a long-term scientific study, publishing my research in peer-reviewed journals, OHSC skills, how to program an irrigation timer, and even, statistics (urgh, the mere mention of the word brings on heart palpitations).

·      I built a strong foundation in oral and written communication (and that’s not just fancy for my CV and future paid employment but in day to day life).

·      Pursuing study meant sacrificing years of wage contribution to our family household budget

 

So, in honour of all those who supported me through that time all those years ago, many who still stand beside me, and to tell myself a story I need to hear, I am proud of that commitment and that achievement. So today, I add two letters for all that work…with pride and confidence. And to show all those others out there, that we are all worthy of the PhD tribe.