I Attended the Degree Conferment Ceremony
My doctoral oral examination is over, and I am able to complete the doctoral program. The dissertation examines the role of the actor’s intent in identifying unlawful exclusion as private monopolization, focusing on unilateral refusals to deal and predatory pricing.
To be honest, I did not think I would finish in three years, so I was very happy when it was decided that the degree would be conferred. Thanks to that decision, my marriage was settled too.
The last year in particular was hard. I failed the few job openings there were, and faced once again the fact that finding a position is not easy. While nearly despairing — “am I going to end up dying in a ditch?” — I worked desperately to finish the dissertation.
The actual hours I spent working were probably not that long. But even when I was doing something else, I could not stop thinking, “what should I do about that part of the dissertation?” Normally that is precisely the enjoyable side of research. In my case, though, if I did not get the degree within the term of my JSPS DC fellowship, I would have no way of funding a fourth year of the doctorate. So I was constantly in the state of mind of someone being chased by a debt collector, thinking desperately about the dissertation in order to pay it off. I also gained nearly seven kilograms.
I was reminded that, in the end, people’s mental state becomes precarious when they have no slack in money or time.
I probably will not go through an experience like this again for a while (I would rather not!), so from now on I will do research and enjoy it properly. Fortunately, I have been accepted as a JSPS PD fellow from April. My living allowance will be higher than before and I will have no teaching load, so I can spend a lot of time on research. I am looking forward to what I expect will be a good research life.
This post was translated from the Japanese original.