Weeks 126 and 127
Well, it has begun! It took a long time to get here but I can finally say that I am no longer a student but a doctoral candidate!
BMAL 785 DRP Research Concept statred this week and probably could not have been at a worse time.
This is what I wrote as my discussion post to give you an idea:
I am sure I can speak for all of us in the course that this is an exciting time for each of us in the program. So much work has led up to this point, and I am glad to be here. I am grappling with my proposed topic and how it relates to Task 1: Problem Statement. First, I look forward to researching transgenerational succession in a small business—specifically with an upcoming female leader.
My progress will be slow this week for medical reasons, not anything related to school. On Thursday morning, I will be flying to Seattle for dental surgery to get two implants in my lower front teeth and the removal of my wisdom teeth, six teeth in all. I am 51 years old and not a massive fan of the dentist. However, I hope recovery is not too bad, and I can focus on dialing in the problem statement later in the week.
My biggest roadblock is that I live in Alaska, and I am thinking of how my research project can relate to local businesses or if I will need to pick a company in Seattle or Portland—at least a four-hour flight away. I have thought a lot about this and hope that no matter which direction I go, I can find a willing business to do my case study. Lastly, I hope to finish Task 1 with minor edits or revisions and move on to Task 2 next week.
One of my peers in the class replied with this classic response:
Robert,
Best of luck with the surgery! Bad timing to take wisdom out of your head–you may need that wisdom while writing.
Cool topic you have!
Steve
All that being said, I am writing this just a day after my dental surgery and sitting in a hotel room in Seattle recovering. I am in a bunch of pain but I will manage. I fly home tomorrow and will jump in to my Task 1 bright and early on Monday. Thankfully this class is much different than others in that the assignments aren’t due on Sundays, but that sets up a whole bunch of other areas!
Weeks 126 and 127 of my #doctorate program are in the books! #AcademicChatter
Oh, if you are on Twitter, I highly encourage you to follow the hashtags, #AcademicChatter and #AcademicTwitter both are great threads with advice, motivation, and a very supportive community and if you wouldn’t mind, give me a follow at @robertforto and send me a tweet letting me know you found my blog helpful!
Score: 1/24 (Pass or Fail Course)
