Before starting my PhD, I noted down a quote in my journal that has guided me throughout my journey:
A PhD is a global passport. A PhD holder is not only someone with foundational research skills but also someone who can identify societal needs, initiate projects, conduct research within limited time and resources, and possesses excellent communication skills.
Source (Translated from Japanese)
What is a PhD?
PhD stands for ‘Doctor of Philosophy,’ which is the highest academic degree awarded by universities across most fields of study. This definition provides a general understanding of what a PhD represents. To attain this prestigious degree, one has to enroll in a doctoral program.
What Do You Do in a Doctoral Program?
Many might think that a doctoral program is solely about conducting research. While research is a significant component, there’s more to it.
A doctoral program is not merely a place to ‘do research’ in practice; it is a place to ‘learn how to do research.’
What is research? Research is different from the studies we have done in school. In school, the material we learned always had prepared answers. Research, on the other hand, involves finding a question, formulating a hypothesis (though we often find our initial hypothesis is wrong and needs to be adjusted), finding a method to prove your hypothesis, and discovering the answer yourself. This process adds new knowledge to our world.
You may still not be interested in it, but after finishing school, we face many problems that do not have pre-prepared answers. The process you will follow is the same as what researchers do: find the question (which, in most cases, is a problem), put forth a hypothesis (estimate the reason or potential solution), find a way to solve it, and discover your answer by yourself.
These experiences mirror the research process and illustrate why choosing to be a PhD student abroad can be valuable. It trains you to tackle real-world problems systematically and independently.
Above all, it’s very exciting to explore questions that nobody has solved before! You are the boss of your project and get to drive it forward. This kind of experience is hard to get outside of academia, because in many companies, employees are required to follow established manuals and procedures for several years (although this is not the case in all companies or organizations).
Advantage of doing PhD Abroad
If you search on Google, you can find many advantages of doing a PhD abroad. Here, I would like to mention something a bit different.
1. Opportunity to Study Abroad Autonomously with a Salary
If you want to study abroad without financial support from your family, I strongly recommend pursuing a PhD. Of course, studying abroad for a bachelor’s or master’s degree is also great, but it usually requires financial support from your family or a highly competitive scholarship. However, most PhD programs offer a salary, allowing students to live abroad independently and autonomously (with responsibility).
2. Expand Your Common Sense
Studying abroad exposes you to a variety of academic and cultural perspectives. What is considered common sense in your home country might be completely different in another country. This cultural shock can expand your understanding of the world. If you have ever felt uncomfortable with the norms in your own country, this experience may help you find a place where you feel more at home.
3. Increase the Chance to Change Your Life
Have you ever imagined what you will be like in 10, 20, or 30 years? We often predict our future based on the people around us, especially the adults we know. If you are surrounded by people you admire and want to emulate, you are lucky and have a high chance of becoming like them. However, if the answer is no, it might be time to explore a different future. Doing a PhD abroad is one of the best opportunities to change your life because you can choose where you want to be in the future while cultivating knowledge, skills, connections, and a career.
4. Improve ‘RESILIENCE’
Living in an unfamiliar country presents many challenges, such as language barriers, cultural differences, integrating into the community, accidents, and research itself. You will need to solve and overcome these issues on your own, which builds resilience. Resilience, defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened, is a crucial skill. Finding solutions, asking for help, and overcoming difficulties will also help you in future challenges. This is one of the most important skills you can develop by doing a PhD abroad.
