I have been reading this blog for a few years, and despite its best efforts to steer me in the opposite direction, I began graduate studies in August 2012. So far, the writer is up to reason 89, and he makes nothing but good points, though I can’t say my experience has been as trying as he’d have his readers believe. I enjoy reading the blog’s comments as they are often just as insightful and entertaining as the posts.
I’ve not read all the reasons, but #62 on the list, “You have no free time” is really starting to hit home.
…however, whatever time is under your control is time that you could spend working. For some reason, awareness of that fact makes it hard not to feel that you should be working all the time. When doing something other than working, you may experience a feeling uncomfortably akin to guilt. Academic work has a way of burdening your mind on every weekend, every holiday, and every vacation. There is no end to the workday. You are never free.
AS of late, I’ve never been able to relate to anything more than I relate to this statement. As I finish up semester projects, I can’t help but wonder where the semester went. I don’t have much to show for my time, my house is a mess, I haven’t watched TV in weeks, my friends send texts messages asking where I am and why I’m ignoring them, not to mention I’m still swamped with school work.
The little time I do spend cooking a proper meal, or cheering on my son’s soccer team is riddled with not only guilt, but despair over the fact that the time I don’t spend doing class work or preparing for teaching duties is time that will come back to haunt me at 3am when I’m pulling all nighters.
Nevertheless, despite being exhausted the majority of the semester, I’ve actually been having a blast during the program learning new software apps and writing styles. Having completed a B.A. in English Literature, literally every project I’ve completed this year has been completely new to me. As the semester winds down, I’m looking forward to having free time to begin working on an online portfolio with samples of the work I done my first year as a grad student.
No free time but the first year has been a success!