Reflections on my year as a PhD

 Since I defended my thesis in early june last year I have been in a period of my research career where I have tried to both gain new perspectives and establish myself as an independent researcher, no longer part of a PhD-training programme. During my time as a PhD student I was actually quite worried for the period after finishing my post-graduate studies, since it usually is quite tricky to find a more permanent position or receive founding.

I in the center shaking hand with my thesis reviewer. 
My main supervisor to the right.


The perhaps hardest part during my last months as a PhD student was, together with finishing my dissertation, to figure out what I would like to do. Whilst migration was a intresting field of study, I also felt that I needed to widen my horizons and do more "fun" research thats was not about institutionalized racism or government policy. I.e., I was a bit tired of writing on greviances after doing it for almost five years. 

During the same period I worked as a research-assistant in my supervisors project on police history. My part of this project was to create an understanding of the organization of a local police authority and I stumbled upon a name. Henrik "Hinke" Bergegren whom I learned was a leading person in the debate around contraceptive politics. For reasons I can't quite understand I came rather obsessed with the life and writing of Bergegren and a new project was born. Therefore, I applied for funding on two projects on sexualpolitics from two foundations, funding I never imagined I would get. A couple weeks before my thesis defence I however got the first funding, and a week after it a second foundation approved my application. All of a sudden I had almost a year worth of funding. 

From there, things have sort of just followed in line. I have done alot of teaching at various universities which I have got through recommendations and my personal network. Many people have helped me to get where I am right now, and for that I have a gratitude which I can not express in words. For the past month I have also received further funding, one on digitalization of historical records and one on Swedish sexual politics. 

In Swedish PhD-education carreer-planning have become a key-word. And to some extent it is a good thing, new doctors should have the chance to gain merit during their time as a PhD-students. But I also think that it is really hard to actually plan for your career ahead. I always try to encourage PhD-students with regard to the time after their graduation but what I have come to learn is simply this: things will be all-right if you are open to new things. I do not have any former colleagues that are unemployed, but perhaps their careers did not go according to a "plan". Instead, to quote one of my favourite movies "Jurassic Park": life finds a way. Do things you like and aim to them good. If you do that, you might find entirely new ways of thinking about career, research and teaching. 

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