The final few months: the fuzzy back-end
As a PhD candidate when will you be finished and how will you know when you can start whatever is next? It is less clearly defined than other types of degree. I am calling this the fuzzy back-end of the PhD
Why is the back-end of the PhD fuzzy? Put simply, you are finished when you get your thesis submitted and successfully pass the viva exam (and make any corrections required of that thesis). Simple. But what day, week or month will that happen for you? My PhD period is set at between 36 and 48 months. My funding runs to month 42 by default -i.e., with expectation that 36 months will likely overrun. This is the fuzzy back-end that I am referring to; all with whom I speak assure me this is the norm.
I flag this simply to make sure anyone reading this early into their own PhD journey can have this lack of clear end-date in mind. You will be planning your PhD end whilst also trying to negotiate or plan what is next. The question to keep in mind is therefore: what flexibility can be introduced into the back-end of the PhD, the front-end of the next career step, or both?
My solution is no more or less unusual than any other, I suspect. I am lucky to be surrounded by good people. That good fortune extended to mean I have work lined up that has deadlines but is also based around a process I can manage, plan, and own. I was therefore able to create a significant window in which I can both focus on the tricky last few months of thesis writing (and rewriting) whilst at the same time ramping up with other work. There are many ways to manage with flexibility in start-dates, end-dates, or accepting a gap between the two. In other words, there is no right or wrong answer here. I merely flag this fuzzy back-end because it seems rarely spoken of.
How will the fuzzy back-end find you?
To be continued…