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In July of this year (2020) I finished my PhD. It should have been a time for celebration, but amongst the months of lockdown, thousands of lives and jobs lost and my own (albeit relatively minor struggles – maybe something I will write about another time), it didn’t really feel like there was much to be happy about. Of course this sounds quite pessimistic – finishing a PhD is a great achievement, not only for myself, but also all those that helped me get to this point (family and friends). But still it was hard not to feel a tad sad. Anyway, I thought I would jot down a few things I learnt from the PhD. There are of course many popular science articles dedicated to this. Indeed, it seems to come up in almost every other issue of Nature, Science, New Scientist, etc in some guise or another, but these are my thoughts. I’ll probably try and add to them/elaborate on things as time goes by:

1.      Being nice goes a long way. Being happy is the key to success, not the other way around.

2.      Science is a privilege, there is never a need to get angry in the lab.

3.      Don’t let others tell you ‘how science is done’, everyone has their own style.

4.      Read a book on Stoicism before you start your PhD.

5.      Patience is important, but it is okay to be in a hurry too sometimes.

6.      Don’t be jealous of others, fuelled by competition or vengeance.

7.      You’re probably not the smartest person in the room; don’t try and be, but know what you bring to the table. 

8.      Be honest, communicate accurately and be trustworthy both verbally and on paper. Not doing so only creates more anxiety. Never exaggerate.

9.      Your supervisor is not there to hold your hand, and you shouldn’t rely on them to do so.

10.   Romantic workplace relationships are hard. If you are going to have one, set clear boundaries and ensure you have good communication.

11.   You don’t have to be 100% certain you are correct – often putting out an idea into the field, even if you won’t ever be able to prove you’re right beyond doubt is helpful.

12.   Working in a small sub-team or pair is really useful as long as people’s roles are well defined.

13.   Reading lots and lots of papers is maybe not so important; but scientific Twitter is great.

14.   Value those who support you, above your work. Surround yourself with these people and make sure they know how important they are to you. Remove those people from your life who do not support you, bring you down or are toxic.

15.   Don’t ever be scared to ask for help – it is the worst thing you could do.

16.   Take some time to reflect throughout your PhD.. Have a plan of what you want to do after well before you start writing your thesis. Don’t be scared of failing at things, it is important.

17.   Work with people who you would like to be friends with. But be respectful to everyone.

18.   A holiday is a holiday, a conference a conference; don’t confuse them.

19.   Be your own PhD. student, don’t judge yourself by those around you…but learn Python and LabView if you’re are an experimentalist.

20.   Networking should be fun. Often people enjoy talking about the small things in life (e.g. football) as much as they do science.

21.   Publishing papers isn’t everything. After the first 5 papers the excitement goes away. If you have the opportunity to commercialise your work take it with both hands.

22.   The CV isn’t that important. Make sure you retain your hobbies and interests, even if it means less time in the lab. Socialise with people both from the lab and outside of it equally if you can.

23.   Be brave – whether that be in the science you do in your PhD or your life after.

24. Learn to forgive yourself, whether that be for a mistake in the lab or otherwise.

25. Look after your own mental and physical health, nobody else will. Cultivate life skills: cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry are important.

26. You can’t take back what you say or put down in paper, so be careful. There are consequences at somepoint to most of the choices we make.

27. You don’t have to say yes to everything. Fight about the important things; administrative nonsense is just that. 

28. Know when to stop something. Plan how you might turn your results into a paper (even if it is a small one) sooner rather than later.

29. Write down what you are grateful for each day and keep a journal.

Have I listened to much of my own advice? Absolutely not. I have caused myself many problems, most of which could have been easily solved by following the above. I will probably even make some (/a lot of) mistakes again – but I have begun to recognise the things that help me at least be a good scientist/person, even if it is all quite obvious. Maybe it will also be beneficial to you too!