What's in a Ph.D.?

Earning the third stripe is indeed a fulfillment. It is a manifestation that the years of sleepless nights, reading texts and references over and over again just to make sense of them, and depriving yourself of meeting friends and family, did not go in vain.  But really, why go through all that? And what happens next?

I earned mine a little over a couple of years ago. Of course, I was proud, happy and fulfilled, but the biggest feeling was a relief. Finally, I can move on to other dreams, and start focusing my energy on other duties. But after all the celebrations and congratulations, everything went back to normal. I feel the same person, I did not feel like I was an expert on anything, in fact, it made me realize that there are so much more that I do not know. Often times, I would find myself not knowing how to respond.

I realized further, that earning the degree does not make you an expert, at least not yet. It only strengthens your desire to know more, because whether we acknowledge it or not, others expect us to know more. Perhaps we do, but knowing that we could be wrong with what we know, make us even more careful of making claims. We become more cautious about what we say. And we are becoming experts in asking questions.

Well, we will not stay novice to this degree forever, and I have encountered a lot of brilliant mentors. But they too, are not shy to admit that there is still a lot they need to learn. They are also very much willing to do so. Another wonderful thing about earning the degree is that most people who have it are very generous in terms of sharing their expertise. They also encourage an enriching discourse and welcome different point of views.

Ph.D. also comes with a lot of responsibility. Part of the responsibility is to do research and contribute to the body of knowledge. Yes, that is deep. Although the access to information nowadays made reviewing literature easier, it has also challenged one’s capacity to come up with new knowledge that could be of relevance to individuals seeking it. And yes, doing research will always be a tedious undertaking, but ensuring its relevance, perhaps is more challenging. And in order to ensure relevance, one has to be continuously aware of the social issues in various fields. This presents another hurdle because of the abundance of false information. That adds to the responsibility of ensuring that the information we use is credible. 

But above all, our greatest responsibility is to make sure that what we contribute to making this world a better place to live in. Regardless of the scope of that contribution, what is important is that these efforts will make a difference. And perhaps one does not need a Ph.D. to do that, but that third stripe makes it all the more compelling for one to act and continue to act more.