In the last semesters of their studies, the question of planning for the future arises for many students - because the number of those who, unperturbed by financial worries, wait for their master’s degree to finally arrive in their mailbox, is likely to be small. For many, there is a great fear that after graduation they will not know what will happen next, that they will not find a job for months or that they will have to pursue an activity that does not meet their own wishes and ideas. So what to do In addition to the classic search for jobs or internships in their own specialist spectrum, students generally have the option of staying at the university and writing a doctoral thesis if there is enough interest in science.
But how do you know if a doctorate is the right way to go? Should you decide on your gut feeling or even trust how other people assess your own suitability? As with many things in life, there is no right or clear answer here either. Basically, in my opinion, it can be said that it is worth pursuing the idea if you have a topic or, in the best case, even a very specific idea that you would like to deal with in your doctoral thesis. Chatting with friends, family members, and fellow students about the PhD option is also a good idea. Speaking from experience, no one has to shy away from expressing the idea of a doctorate to lecturers either. In the worst case, the person concerned advises against a doctorate,which sometimes can also be helpful, in the best case she gives tips and support. As a student, you have nothing to lose.
Can I deal with criticism and defeat?
This summer I decided to take the plunge and start a dissertation.
The thought occurred to me during the course of my master’s degree, and I first played with it for a while, did a lot of research and listened to myself.
Ultimately, I decided on the doctoral thesis because in the process of writing my master’s thesis I noticed how much I enjoy scientific work - from researching and reading to writing and discussing the texts and topics that I deal with Hardly any aspect of my job that I am not enthusiastic about.
Above all, there was the feeling that I hadn't finished my studies yet, but that in a certain sense I was still at the beginning.
Although studying takes a few years and you learn a lot in the process, most of what is worked out in this time is a reproduction of what has already been researched in the humanities.
Even the master's thesis only reaches the claim to enrich an existing research discussion with a new aspect or an increase in knowledge in individual cases.