Week 11 PhD on the business card (part 1)

How I perceive the problem help her think through three questions posed by her PhD mentor:

1. Why are you taking on PhD (opportunity cost)

2. How will you transition in your career post PhD (within corporate, government or academia)

3. How will you monetize your PhD (put in on the business card)

I felt these were succinct questions to crystalize the PhD story and help me pen down my PhD strategy

1. Why are you taking on PhD

PhD transcends the "love of knowledge" or "love of books" or simply "good in academics" . It demands the reader to contribute to knowledge i.e. something new that humanity needs to know... it needs an "aha".

But why an extra tiny inch of "aha" for the human society?

For that we must appreciate the innate essence of human society - the need to survive and exist far surpasses any other drive for humanity.

PhD needs to connect the dots to supporting life. Period! That's why it is always easy to situate and defend a doctor.

A doctor studies to save lives.

In the same notion an engineer can express her quest for progressive knowledge anchoring on the preservation of life

An engineer studies to improve technology to save lives

As human beings organize socially and create more complex networks, the protection of personal life becomes intricately connected to how the society is structured, functions, its value systems and norms. For instance, the shared society value of sanctity of life is of necessity to preserving life as we live in our social settings (from the nascent organization that is the family up until nations).

Then we can connect the dots that:

A lawyer studies to improve laws and norms to ultimately preserve life.

A policeman studies to improve enforcement of law and order in society to ultimately preserve life

Human beings need to food and water to survive. And as society becomes even more complex, humans need to work to get access to these basic needs for survival.

A common feature of social organization is conflict - often over these basic resources or on the next level, access to secondary resources (e.g. paid work) to support access to the basic needs.

Its at this essential level that economics/ finance/ mathematics/ social sciences comes into major play.

An economist studies to improve human livelihoods to support the well being of society that ultimately supports preservation of life.

The thought process sounds easy and intuitive. However, the process of making sure every other human being has access to the resources they need is not so clear cut and is often conflated in culture, powers and interests, psychological behaviors and even religious beliefs. The struggles of how to organize universally shared deisres of eg

As an economics or social science PhD student looking at a problem in society today (the wound that reveals the gaps in realizing the ultimate desire of preserving human life) we need to peel back the problem and make sure it connect back to the essence of knowledge (for the good of humanity fundamental of which is preservation of life)

For this we have to engage in the seven levels deep - why's to be sure that the problem is fully expressed to its essence (and not chasing the dog's tail)

This is well illustrated by a beautiful narration of a tourist who finds a haggard looking fisherman basking in the midday sun by the shores of the Indian ocean in the war torn city of mogadishu, Somalia. The foreigner feels compelled to infuse a new way to the local on achieving his level of "success" that allows him to take time and tour the world. He engages the poor looking fisherman

"Why are you resting in the middle of the day?" the tourist asks

"Well, because I have already caught my two fish for the day and exchanged one for some grains and vegetables and given my wife the other to prepare the family meal" The fisherman answered confidently

"Why don't you go and catch a few more fish" the tourist pestered

"Why would I do that?"

"Because with the extra fish maybe you can sell them and have better clothes and schools for your children and keep your family healthy"

"Why would I do that?"

"So that your family will be comfortable and allow you to have more peace and catch more fish"

"Why would I do that?"

"So that with the extra money you can buy a bigger boat"

"Why would I do that?"

"So that you can catch even more fish"

"Why would I do that?"

"So that you can build a good home and employ other fishermen to work for you!"

"Why would I do that?"

"So you can free up you time and you can spend your day as you like. Just like me, take a holiday and go to the beach and bask in the sun"

"But am already doing that now....."

The foreigner walked away.

Engaging in the seven "why's" buttresses the PhD on solid ground. It cannot be for the finicky measures of economic growth or projecting ideological biases. It must transcend biases of what is a "better life" , simplistic measures of "growth" "progress" or "success" and imported ideologies to capture the human essence of life.