At one point on this DBA journey, I remembered the words I gave to another colleague:
"One day soon, you will be looking down from the top of the mountain and realizing that you did, in fact, climb to the top."
My DBA cohort colleagues and I will begin our final in-class semester this weekend. We aren't at the top of the mountain, but we are starting to see it from here. What happens next?
This semester, we will dig deeper into the analytical tools at our disposal as we start pursuing the physical task of writing our dissertations. It's almost surreal to even write that statement. (Isn't this what mountain climbers call "the summit"?)
Dusting off my laptop after our one-month break, it's time to engage those "New Year/New Me" academic behaviors. Fifteen articles to read, one piece of software to download, and I'm certain I'm already forgetting something. How did some of my 30-year-old undergraduate behaviors sneak back in here? Again? January to May for in-person classwork, and then we are on our final countdown.
New year's bring different perspectives for everyone. This year allowed me to reflect. We were told early on to be curious and research a topic that was important to us. We were also told we would likely despise our topic by the end of that journey. I'm not 100% in disdain with my topic, but I surprised myself by realizing I was not immune to the constructs I have been knee-deep in researching, as I reflected upon my goals from last year.
This journey hasn't been a walk in the park. As a class, we've experienced joys and losses. We've celebrated each other's successes together. Many of us have experienced major losses along the way. Parents have passed away. Jobs have been lost. We've said goodbye to colleagues who have taken other paths. Beloved pets have been bid adieu. There are some frustrations we have not been able to get past. There have been friendships built, new ventures established, amazing trips celebrated, and wonderful meals enjoyed together. And there has been wine. A lot of wine...
As we kick off our new year at DBA Chronicles, it's an honor to have you along the way. This life-long learning commitment is one to be shared, and our goals are to give you the education, exposure, experience, and experts we were curious to discover on our journeys. We have a great line-up of DBA scholars and educators, along with resources and recommendations to share. If continued education is part of your "New Year/New You", stay engaged on this year's podcast. Learn with us and let's continue to grow together.
