Perfect Getaway

Sometimes, I feel that doing 6 years PhD (yeep its 6 years) is quite tiring.  How come it will not give you that feeling, when you need to do research as well as consultancy projects in the same time. In my case, both of my research and consultancy projects are very different, so I need to think twice for doing both of them. The consultancy project in here related to the statistical data analysis for company/industry/government/NGO/non-statisticians-PhD. This year is my 4th year of PhD, meaning that I still have 2 more years to go. In the same time, the jealously comes to my mind, since my colleagues, with the same entry year, with 4 years PhD period, will be defense in this year. I am gonna be alone.. haha

Other feeling that also sometimes comes up is boring moments. I am just a human, sometimes I fed up with what I've done, and want to finish everything as soon as possible, just like others PhD students do ... hehehe. Now I know why everyone disagree with my decisions when I was considering to take this PhD project in the first place. They said that 4 years Phd is hard enough, no need to add 2 more years.. Hahaha.. But in the end, I still took this opportunity after I have gotten permission from my parent. 

However, I think Allah really knows what the best for me. Why Allah give me this opportunity to do this kind of PhD. Yes Allah absolutely knows me very well. I am very moody person, when I am doing something, it always depend on my mood (though not quite good :p ) . I need to find the right moment to do all my jobs. When "the perfect" time came for me to do my research, I diligently finished it very fast. But when I got stuck in my research project, I delayed it until I got the solution on it. In these times, my consultancy projects are the perfect getaways. I could do these consultancy projects while thinking about the solution of my research. In these periods I felt so grateful that I have other projects to do, instead of only doing research projects. The other way around when I felt so lazy doing the consultancy, my research is the perfect getaway. However, this moody action sometimes need to be forced so that I could finish everything by the deadlines. Perhaps, If I only doing the ordinary PhD, the research project only, I will be very stressful more than what I felt. 

Me and CN Tower, Toronto.

One of the positive sides doing this kind of PhD is that I do gained a lot of new knowledge in statistics from the consultancy projects that sometime the topic is very new for me, I never knew it before in my bachelor or master degree. The statistician networking also has been built in this case. Not only related to my research but also outside area, just like networking with statisticians in industry, government, NGO or from other university.

So, here I am now. Almost finish my 4th year of PhD with: 5 research papers (3 published; 1 submitted; 1 in revised process), 1 new research project, 10 finished consultancy projects ( 3 very big 

projects - 2 up to 3 years time scale; 5 medium projects - 3 months time scale; 2 small projects - 2 weeks time scale), 3 new consultancy projects. Alhamdulillah. 

The journey of my PhD is still coming, please pray for me so that I 

can finish next year (yes, I know I still have 2 more years, but I do hope that I can finish earlier), Insyaa Allah... hohoho ..(although Mr Tiring and Boring will always come),  

Half of my PhD period in UH

Alhamdulillah, today is exactly half of my PhD period in UH. Still 3 more years to come in order to complete my degree (in syaa Allah), though I really hope that I can defense next year (haha... dreaming! :) ). Is it long enough to get my PhD? yes! (i bet you said it loudly). I thought the same thing in the beginning, but within this 3 years I still feel the same... hahaha. Just kidding! Although some times I feel so depressed with my works (I bet all PhD student have the same feeling on it ;) ), one by one the works could be finished and I really enjoy the learning process. So here I am in the half of my way, I feel it just like yesterday when I was signing the contract as PhD student in UH. 

Why I have longer period for my PhD compared to normally PhD student has? A lot of friends asked the same question about it. I have 6 years contract being a slave...ups ... being Phd in UH. Compared to ordinary PhD (4 years), those students mainly doing research in those 4 years, perhaps some of them also doing other works (teaching, consultancy, etc), but the percentage of research:other = 85:15. In my case, instead of only doing research I also have to do some consultancy works (the percentage is 50:50 between the two), that's why I have longer period than those students. In UH, there are some colleagues that have the same PhD period as mine, but they have different tasks. They have to teach the bachelor degree instead of to do consultancy (as I know all of them are native in here), but some of them also doing consultancy as well (teaching+consultancy)..hehe. 

It is quite challenging experience doing research and consultancy in the same time.Since my research and consultancy project have very different topic. And also I need to manage the time wisely for the two types of works (research+consultancy), yet I really bad in this area. I am still learning how to divide my time between the two, especially when the deadline of the two very close each other. Is it stressing? yes!but what I learn from those 2 different things is valuable.

If I score what I did for this last 3 years (I need to be objective for myself), and compare the ones what I gained and the personal target that I had set in the beginning of my PhD ( I am a dreamer! ;) ), the scores as the following:

1) Research Papers (6/10)[Target: min 2 papers per year --> I still have 4 submitted + 1 drafted (the deadline is this week:( )] 

2) Consultancy (5/10) (Target: being expert in consultancy ---> haha.. still very far to go)

This scores made me realize that I still very far from what I expected and dreamed. I realize that this past 3 years I had so much leisure times as the escaped moment when I faced the difficulties in my research or consultancy projects. That's why I have and need to work harder to accomplish what I dream for. I really have to stop being lazy all the time and comeback become "old" myself that always work harder to get my dream come true. Lets starting this comeback by finishing the 5th paper this week!!Bismillah!