An Enduring Journey & the Coursework

Different stories stand to create purpose in the long run. There’s this loss of faith and denial of dreams – but not forever. All such stuff creates another level of education, something students can rely to experience.

One remarkable experience is that of a post-doc’s. Posted in The Guardian, it relayed the long, enduring journey that started with the completion of PhD in 2001. The next was a whirlwind cycle au fait to any budding biological scientist – funding running out, contract expiry, unemployment – and the struggle to wriggle free from those three.

The main assignments of the post-doc became inclusive of saving money and relentless applications. The money saving came even to the extent of moving “back with [my] parents” as well as the jobseekers allowance. Exacerbating such undertaking is the fact that the post-doc’s “33 and have three higher degrees.”

But as this “first full-time permanent position” came, it ended that 11-year journey. In its place was the mark of new prospects – a house, “foundations in a city.” Importantly, it made this scientist ready for the competitive and more gruelling years ahead.

The post-doc’s story is a mix of ‘experience subjects.’ The subject called Endurance was successfully passed by the post-doc, and so were Humility, Perseverance, and others. The 11-year journey wasn’t laid waste; the post-doc’s hard-work bore fruit. What’s more, the post-doc’s fulfilment is great – considering the other options for the post-doc – walking away, pursuing posts other than the academia.

Unlike a higher education coursework, those did not earn the post-doc any marks. In place, were the desired full-time position and the perks of dreaming more after an accomplished dream. Instead of figures for appraisal, the post-doc receive better figures, like the salary. Instead of the usual adjectives, the post-doc had titles complementing the post-doc’s name.

This story had a “happy ending” – despite the years, and everything else. It is important that undergrads read such stories; stories that realistically paint the ugly in academic pursuits. There is a slightly better rationale behind the ‘realistic ugly’ part; for one, if undergrads learn to love or at least accept the ugly part, they will find achieving the ‘beauty’ much more fulfilling.

So, while they restlessly whine over the coursework that needs constant revising, they might soon learn to appreciate its relevance, particularly when they get to the dissertation writing. Apart from realising the objectives, undergrads might become keener in pointing out the difficulty of seeing a complete picture.

Such difficulty makes the coursework a current enemy, fiend, foe. But believing or simply having faith that all these insignificant-seeming pieces of work will bring you to something ultimate is grand. The post-doc had 11 years to endure; could you beat that faith?