Work Week
Grad school is a marathon. I used to pull >50 h weeks in undergrad, once working 90 h in 6 days. I could do things like that because it was temporary. I would always have enough time to sleep off the exhaustion and catch up with friends and family the next day.
There are many who believe I need to work excess of 60 h weeks on a constant basis in grad school. That's 12 h/d for a 5 day work week. The arguments range from "If you're truly dedicated to science then you will WANT to spend every waking moment doing research" to "This is how it's been in the past (and for me), so it will be the same for you". It's all a load of crap.
Sure, there are some people who thrive working 90 h weeks. One professor I had admitted it and called herself a workaholic. She also said she loved it. Some people like that. Others want more out of life.
If I work more than 50 h/week on a constant basis, I WILL burn out. It's happened twice in my 2.5 years and I don't doubt it will happen again.
When we spend all our time working, we're not spending any time taking care of ourselves. We're not taking steps to cope with the high amounts of stress that come with this job.
Let's not forget the pay. I make $11/h for a 40 h week BEFORE tax. It's a fixed salary, so there is no monetary gain from working myself into another ulcer.
There is always another paper to read and always another experiment to do. There's always another book to read another skill to hone. This is a craft built for a career, not an apprenticeship.
There are many who believe I need to work excess of 60 h weeks on a constant basis in grad school. That's 12 h/d for a 5 day work week. The arguments range from "If you're truly dedicated to science then you will WANT to spend every waking moment doing research" to "This is how it's been in the past (and for me), so it will be the same for you". It's all a load of crap.
Sure, there are some people who thrive working 90 h weeks. One professor I had admitted it and called herself a workaholic. She also said she loved it. Some people like that. Others want more out of life.
If I work more than 50 h/week on a constant basis, I WILL burn out. It's happened twice in my 2.5 years and I don't doubt it will happen again.
When we spend all our time working, we're not spending any time taking care of ourselves. We're not taking steps to cope with the high amounts of stress that come with this job.
Let's not forget the pay. I make $11/h for a 40 h week BEFORE tax. It's a fixed salary, so there is no monetary gain from working myself into another ulcer.
There is always another paper to read and always another experiment to do. There's always another book to read another skill to hone. This is a craft built for a career, not an apprenticeship.