Presidential campaigns and the doctoral journey
by Constance Davis | November 5, 2008
While we might have become tired of what seemed to be the never-ending presidential campaign, we have all seen that race come to an end. So, too, will you one day complete all of the work you need for your doctoral degree.
Let us look at some similarities between the presidential campaign and your own quest to complete this degree. First, you must determine that you are going to do it. The candidates likely had intense discussions with their family members, with friends, with trusted advisors and others whose support and feedback they needed before they moved forward. Your own pursuit of a doctoral degree was likely also decided after consultation, discussions about time and finances and other factors that are of the biggest concern to the learner and learner’s family.
Once candidates and doctoral learners decide to enter the race or the program, some serious learning begins. Successful candidates do lots of homework and learn as much as they can by seeking out those experts who can best help them understand the key issues. Doctoral learners begin their process by completing a series of courses, taught by experts, that lay a foundation upon which the learners will keep building. Both candidates and learners build a strategy and set a timetable to keep them moving forward, and tweak it as needed.
Then the presidential candidates and the learners apply the knowledge they have gained to date as they begin to be tested. That is when they really learn that no matter how much knowledge they think they have acquired in the preparation phase, they will continue to encounter those areas where they need to gain a basic knowledge or a greater depth to continue to move forward.
Finally, the sprint to the finish begins. Both the candidates and the learners are moving forward, but they are frequently checking their progress, figuring out how to overcome roadblocks that seem to arise, and returning to their checklists to make sure they are doing everything they need to do for a successful completion. They want to make sure they are doing everything they can.
Just about the time a learner is becoming sick of a dissertation, a candidate is exhausted by the journey, and millions of television viewers tune out the commercials, it is over. The race is done. The learner’s mentor and committee declare you the winner. You have achieved that goal, that goal that seemed so far away. Just like the presidential candidates, you will get to thank your supporters, you will have your moment on the stage, and you will have a new title. Take stock of how much you have learned, and how much you will continue to learn as you go forward. After this journey toward your degree, you will find your thinking and reasoning is more complex, that your acquisition of knowledge is more deliberate and your appreciation for learning is more complete. And you (as well as the president-elect) will discover that your learning, in many ways, has only just begun.