New Year, New Job, New Life

Now it is April 10th, already. I finished my Ph.D. officially at the end of March...March 24th to be exact. And here I am at a new job in a new office at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto. I always refer to this uni as Kendai, although I've heard others refer to it as Kenritsu Dai, or even PUK. I am very lucky to receive such a great job in a great university...the timing was perfect. I don't think it could have been better. In August, when I was making great headway on my dissertation and was planning to finish this year, I heard about this job. I had the interview. I got that call. I was in!

But then it was the next step to finish the Doctorate. I was there...almost. Could I do it? Could I make my point and defend my stance well? Could I make people believe in my thesis? In my goals? That was probably the most stress I've ever had in life. Harder than starting...and maintaining...a business. Harder than raising kids, than being a gaijin in a foreign land. I gritted my teeth and stared at that dissertation, thinking, planning, and stabbing.

I had the preliminary defense. It went well, they said! I was relieved, but not over yet! Still questions to answer, elements to re-focus. I ground my teeth and planted my eyes to the computer, never letting them go until I was teary-eyed. I re-focused, pulled out the stops, wrote and re-wrote.

I had the final defense. It went well..but, some more revisions, sweating, heart beating, until the announcement. I waited.

On February 18th, my birthday to be exact, I got the call. The voice on the other end said, "hello Dr. Jeff." I replied, "Is it true? Am I a doctor?" "Yes, you are. Congratulations. You made it!"

What a birthday it was...I had a Doc congrats party and a birthday party on the same night. I had professor and teachers congratulating me and students wishing me a happy birthday. I had great feelings, great thoughts, great emotions. I knew I would be an associate professor at that point.

My purpose for writing this is not to brag but to say to people that if you've ever felt you can't do something, please think again. I know this is a cliche, but it's true - you can do anything you put your heart, and mind, and soul into doing. It may certainly not be easy...it may be there hardest thing you've ever done. But when you complete it, finish it, have your goal, there's nothing like it in the world. Never give up.