Looking for your opinions, my bloggy and tweet friends...I am trying to decide if I should write my dissertation to officially earn my PhD or settle with being ABD (all but dissertation i.e. never graduate!).
OK, at first glance, you are probably thinking...."heck, you have come this FAR...why would you stop when all there is a measly 150 page paper to write?"
So let me give you a little insight before you give me some advice...
My journey started (for fun)--OK, So maybe I am a little sadistic but I love learning! and I live with all these teenage boys (and then my own little ones) so sometimes for ADULT CONVERSATION one would do anything :-)
This University came to my workplace, offering a PhD program in Human Development. 5 years of classes=1 night out a week for learning and adult conversation and it was 100% FREE (paid for by my workplace).
Umm...easy no-brainer decision!
And I loved the classwork, the papers, the conversation...But as we were about to complete our last class (before the final stages of the comprehensive exams and dissertation), a three of pivotal things occurred:
1st. The leadership in charge of adult education at my workplace changed (not a huge deal but did lose an advocate/or rather liaison with the University program
2nd. The decision was made my my workplace to not continue relationship with the University program beyond our cohort.
3rd. And by far the most important, our main connection to the University, the professor that had traveled the distance to teach us (work vs. University was about 2 hours apart and University profs came to us), who knew us best, who we knew...passed away without warning. (more about her in upcoming posts).
We were left floundering. With huge changes at both the workplace and the University, the fight to finish became a huge uphill battle--we became little fish lost on a huge, political ocean.
I did persevere and complete my comprehensive exam to enable the 'official' ABD status. And now face an even more strenuous battle if I ever want to be Dr.
It is a battle that I am not sure I want to pursue. Doors keep closing (with windows not opening) in the pursuit. And the windows that do open, lead in a very different direction. Time is a precious thing and there is just not enough time for the writing and research and the other things I am eager to do that I basically 'gave up' to pursue this degree.
The degree continues to be something I am doing (just for fun), but there is not much fun left to the journey...
So with that as the backdrop...do you have advice for me? (And even if you don't, I sure appreciate the listening ear).
