Registered: Sep 2000
Location: The Bottom of the Toyem Pole
Posts: 9453

I was kind of hoping that this would happen right on 5K, but it's close enough.

I finished my dissertation about 20 minutes ago and am printing it out now, enjoying a fine chocolate bar in celebration. Tomorrow morning I'll go make copies and get them bound, then turn them in and wait for my defense. Since I still have the defense and a revision cycle left, this isn't really the end end, but its pretty significant.

I'm 29 years old and rather proud to be getting my PhD now. I've been in school a long time, and this is it. This is my final assignment and the project that will define me professionally for at least a few years. It's been a fun ride, unexpected twists and turns, a marriage to a teacher, kids, drugs, asylum, international residence, Y2K, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

I got accepted for the permanent tenure track position at the women's college I've been working at part-time for the last year, so come spring I'll be an assistant professor at university. I'm technically an English teacher, but I get to teach writing, Debate, World History, and other interesting classes, all in English. Assuming I can publish my dissertation, I'll get tenure there in a few years. I have a beautiful daughter that I'm looking forward to raising, maybe making her into a big sister sooner than later.

My brother and I some laugh at how long I've been in school, but it's finally coming to an end. I started when I was 4 years old, 25 years ago in September, and other than the fall quarter I took off from college to help take care of my baby sister, I've been in school the whole time.

Anyway, its kind of an exciting moment for me, and I've been to busy catching up after fucking off (typical fashion for me) to really relish it. But as I sat here, eating my chocolate bar, and took the screenshot you see above, it kind of hit me. This is it. It's what I've worked my whole academic career for, and I did it.

Not that anyone really cares, perhaps, but my PhD was especially special for me because I did the entire thing totally by myself. Wait, check that: My wife helped me a lot. Our research interests are closely aligned and we collaborate intellectually on theory and whatnot. But I had no help from the school at all. My initial advisor went on sabbatical the first year I was there and then he quit, never to return. No one actually knows what happened to him, he's literally disappeared. But I was stuck, as he was my last resort at the university, and without an advisor, I was about to lose my position at the graduate school.

Thankfully a member of his department agreed to by my advisor on paper, but her research interests (Slavic linguistics) couldn't be farther from mine. So I was on my own.

Having an advisor would have helped keep me on task and I'm sure I would have written a better paper because of it, but I still think I did a good job. The research I know is good, the dissertation was rushed and suffered from a lack of organization prior to jumping in and writing it over the last few months. But not having an advisor also left me free to do what I want, how I want, and I think that intellectual freedom really helped as well. I'm looking at my topic from a novel perspective that no one has yet to use, and that's exciting.

But anyway, I'm rambling (my fingers have momentum and I can't stop them). I just wanted to share this moment with you all, as you have become a really nice part of my life, and I'm grateful to have you here.

So I guess this 5K goes to all of us, and me. And my daughter. But not my original advisor. Asshole didn't even send me a good luck note.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: The Bottom of the Toyem Pole
Posts: 9453

And yes, this does mean you'll have to call me Dr. at the next pissup.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Sedona, Arizona
Posts: 18823

DOCTA NUTE!!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats, Nute. That is quite an accomplishment and you should be proud.

Since you are now a Doctor of Englishness, can we ship RiZZ to you for your first project?

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10411

Congrats.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17889

*edit* too gay to be seen by smug



fuckin A!!!!!


Congrats, Doctor Nute!!!!!!!

Last edited by Mugtoe on 11-30-2003 at 06:01 PM

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17889

'scuse me. "Doc"

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
Posts: 3876

Congratulations Nute. I am eremibnded of the words of Faust in his famous soliloquoy: "Heisse magister, Heisse Doktor gar, und bin ein Tor als zuvor"
I haven't read that soliloquoy in nearly fifty years so I may have misquoted it but that is the way I remember it. Anyway I am happy that you acheived your goal. Good luck in your defense.

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oxsan


Don't kick until yer spurred.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beatrice, Nebraska
Posts: 18490

Be sure to put the J in Doctor.

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The pinnacle of Failbot technology.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17889

it's his keyboard. his eyes work now

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 15123

Omedetou Gozaimasu!

(I think that's right).

Yay, Nute. Way to go.

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Houston
Posts: 545

Congrats J-rod! It certainly is a pleasant feeling to throttle back on the acedemic juggernaut and move on to the professional career. Good luck with the tenure. Maybe we could collaborate some time down the road, "Historical perspective of supersaturated gasses in Heidelberg after seismic events and self awareness."

I think all advisors are assholes too. I believe mine is stringing me along for the joy of watching me squirm.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Bangor, ME
Posts: 10153

Nice timing (almost)

Congrats and stuff

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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Shreveport, LA
Posts: 3786

wait.....your on the tenure track at a women's college? wouldn't this mean you'll still be in school, just on the other side of the desk, as it were?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35561

Congratulations.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Boston
Posts: 6561

Nute, my celebration over a fifteen page assignment should be humbled by your achievement. Congrats and have fun getting people to refer to you as "Doctor."

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Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Octopus's Garden
Posts: 1005

Does this mean you will cut your hair and try to become a model citizen???

Good job Dr. Nute!!!!

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Just to the right of the moon
Posts: 3141

At last. Someone else suitably well qualified. Dr Funkyrooster extends his congratulations

Don't sweat the exam. If your supervisor is good enough then you should not have been allowed to submit until your thesis was of the desired standard( A good supervisor is key. Without one you are sunk) My defence (we call them Viva Voce) was three hours up against two Professors who tried to pull my findings to pieces and who had both gone through the 100,000 word thesis with a fine tooth-comb over a period of 4 months. It was tough but I enjoyed it, in restrospect.

Now you can lookforwrd to molesting female students by virtue of your new found authority. I know you won't, but you should give it a go and then email me with your findings. Us academics need to stick together.

As for me, I find academia fairly boring and sterile. I'll be out in a couple of years and then off to make some money. But you seem to enjoy it so I wish you luck and fulfillment. Now all we need is for Smug to get his arse in gear and get himself badged.

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Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 15981

Funky, you should of spoke sooner. Union cards are not as hard too find as you seem to think - I've had mine since 1979.

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Rancho CucAmonga, CA
Posts: 277

Grats Nutri, I hope enjoy your life as a teacher!

Jazz

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Just to the right of the moon
Posts: 3141

quote:

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Originally posted by SimpleSimon
Funky, you should of spoke sooner. Union cards are not as hard too find as you seem to think - I've had mine since 1979.

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Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 15981

quote:

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Originally posted by funkyrooster
And then there were three. Superb

So far, the only effect my PhD has had on people is to convince them that something has gone very badly wrong with the system.

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Registered: Apr 2003
Location: . o O
Posts: 6367

WELL DONE!
About the 5k I mean. I don't know about that other crap, hope it all works out for ya.

Attachment: notworthy.gif
This has been downloaded 113 time(s).

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2451

I will add my congratulations to the adulation you have already recieved.

Congrats Dr. Nute!

and another wish for luck on your defense, may you remeber all your research between now and then !

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: is futile
Posts: 4982

Congrats man!

Mine is still ca. 7 semesters off... but I WILL join you at some point (damnit).

HOORAY.

154 pages is respectable... but I guess academic discipline plays a big part on that too. My advisor has given me a ceiling of 500 pages, + whatever appendix I will need to include (probably 1k).

Huzzah... there is light at the end of the tunnel!