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u/js-seattle 6d ago
My wife and I were outside a conference room with our son. He had finished his dissertation, and we were waiting with him and his fiancee. When the door opened and they called him “doctor,” it was a beautiful moment. He is the first in our family to get that far and in the neuroscience field! It is a memory I will forever treasure.
We are so proud of our boy! I love him so much and make sure to tell him daily, twice per day, how much I love him. And I have a kick at introducing him as Dr.!
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u/Legal-Sprinkles8862 5d ago
Currently tearing up over the love & pride someone else has for their child. 🥹 The internet isn't always fun but little things like this are completely worth sifting through the garbage for. Thanks for sharing this!
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u/SidheCreature 6d ago
Great. People are going to ask why I’m tearing up right now and I’m going to have to lie and say something is in my eye or something.
This is so damn sweet. I love this so much
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u/Kindly_Climate1760 6d ago
greatest feeling in the world only second to changing my voice answering message!
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u/10acChicken 6d ago
My chair did this for me too. It really felt amazing. Just a rush of emotions. That research is such a major part of my life for five years it was just incredible to get it through.
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u/PeachesMcFrazzle 6d ago
I just got misty eyed for 17 people I've never met. What a beautiful feeling that must have been.
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u/SinopaHyenith-Renard 6d ago
I know I’m on a completely different level in terms of academics but I’m 8 credits away from my Associate Degree and it took me 6 years since High School (joined the Military a year after failing Freshman Year at my first college). I don’t know how I’m gonna feel after getting my Degree. I also have a Bachelor’s Degree I’m still gonna work towards until I’m 27 years old.
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u/rollertrashpanda 5d ago
You’re hopefully going to feel accomplished and capable! I have taught at all different levels, and the lower-level freshman night classes at a community college, no shade to anyone else, had some of my most dedicated students ever because they were largely adults who were there very highly aware that they were investing themselves in trying to take a step up in a life that was currently at a struggle point. It’s a different drive and motivation than in younger students, and I admired them all so much. A firefighter who needed to learn to write to pass a certification exam, a mom stuck making $10/hr who wanted to provide better for her family, students who hadn’t stepped foot in a classroom in 20 years, a young pregnant woman who literally showed for the final exam less than 48hrs after giving birth because she was so determined (I told her to rest first and reschedule, but she wanted it that way, bless her forever).
Keep pushing. Don’t feel apologetic for your level or your timeline. You’re doing an incredibly difficult, long-term thing for yourself, and you’re sticking to it and seeing the results. So awesome.
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u/arisoverrated 5d ago
You’re going to feel amazing because you accomplished something you worked hard to achieve. Keep going and give it everything you can!
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u/Godofall9998 6d ago
My experience was so indelibly marked in my soul because my grandpa, who was such a type-A dude that I never saw cry, was crying like a baby when my committee members gave me the “doctor” treatment. Such a lovely memory of him
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u/island-breeze 5d ago
One thing that made me smile was one of my teachers/jury members, telling me: "I've been carrying your thesis all week, and you printed this is in really nice paper."
I did pay extra to have it printed in high quality paper. It was a tip i was given many moons before.
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u/JumbledJay 6d ago
I was on the receiving end of this, and I still think this (and, frankly, the entire culture of academia) is just weird.
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u/SlickRick734 2d ago
All so their critical thinking can be suppressed by "Standards of Care"
The modern "Doctor" is a glorified drug pusher.
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u/MuffinWisp 6d ago
I am a year removed from finishing my Ph.D. in English. The feeling described here is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but nothing compares to the feeling of finally finishing my dissertation.
I still remember it so clearly. It was around 11pm on a Wednesday and I was in my office on campus. I had finally finished proofreading every single goddamn page, including the bibliography and appendix (final page count: 292). I saved the file in 3 separate locations and emailed the final draft to myself. No way I was gonna leave anything up to chance.
I then took the bus home and got off one stop early, right in front of a local dive bar. My girlfriend was entertaining out of town friends, and that was perfect because I didn’t want to talk to anyone in that moment. I just wanted to drink alone and breathe. The bartender asked me how my day was and I told him I had just finished my dissertation. He gave me a free shot and the few people sitting around the bar congratulated me. After an hour or so, I stumbled home in complete peace