The Real Benefits of Having a PhD Research Mentor

It is exciting to think of doing a PhD, right? You just have waded into your topic, you are now going out on the hunt of new and original ideas, and you might even have gone out and remade the world. However, here is the thing, it also seems to be too much. The constantly repeating literature reviews, pressure to publish in a system you have no idea is working, the maze-like methods and theoretical approaches, and for all you know not even being sure what you are doing is right. That is precisely the point where a PhD research mentor explains his part. Not a person who signs your forms, but actually a guide, someone who has gone along that path, and can be ready to walk some of that path with you. It is time to discuss why it is not only beneficial to have a mentor during your PhD but is actually essential.

They come in handy when you are clueless about where to commence

You start with some broad subject. Then what? You are supposed to narrow it down but how much? Too general and you sink. Too focused and nothing to base the research on. A mentor does not utter the words, figure it out. Their inquiry is on the right questions- What is it that you are trying to fix? What does it matter?--and assist you to frame something you can manage but adequate. In other cases, they will not tell you straightforward answers (and it is good), but their questions will be imprinted in your mind. And having four different maybes to choose between can be a life saver.

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They teach you things you did not even know you needed

Dig it. Many PhDs are trained to complete a research, yet not:

1. Writing a great paper

2. The presentation skills that do not make one black out during the conference

3. Scheduling (Making your time work for you) (Making your time work when life is standing in the way)

4. Or how to say no to a boss even

These tools are provided by a good mentor, more so a mentor who has been there. They do not necessarily refer to it as mentoring but you get some mentoring on the way.

They Open Doors that Didn t Know Existed

Doing PhD research may be like being inside a bubble. However, your mentor is probably having contacts in other universities, research laboratories, industry groups… even funding organizations. They can tell me:

Hey, this seminar in Germany is your subject. You want me to put you on to someone on the committee?”

Boom. New opportunity. New paper. New network.

And after this craziness you want a postdoc or a job? You see who is going to write your recommendations letter, or perhaps even taking you on?

They Make You Feel You Are not Alone

There are days when it is all meaningless. The hurt of the rejection of the paper is intense. Your test fails. You think that everybody is put together except you, you just feel lost. A mentor can change everything by saying something like, Yeah, that happened to me as well. All of a sudden you are not failing--you are learning. But you are not the first one to have shed anyone to a spreadsheet. In earnest, such trivia is actually more important than one can imagine.

They Assist You in Planning the Sequence (There is a Sequence)

Not all the people desire to remain in academia. Some of us want to teach, some want to work on industry, policy or even start on their own. One who comprehends that can assist you in preparing, polish your CV, advising on what should be the next step, go over grant proposals, or simply help you with deciding what you desperately want. The good hardly reproduce themselves in copies. They assist you to be you.

So… Where Do You Find a One?

In some cases you might be assigned one by the university. But there are some occasions when you encounter them at a conference. Nonetheless, in more and more instances, individuals are becoming mentors via research-sharing communities, such as ScholrsColab. It is a place where researchers (inexperienced and senior) communicate, inquire and collaborate interdisciplinarily. And Yeah, the mentorship can be a natural thing when individuals get excited about the same things.