Why PhD?

Why are you doing a PhD?

That’s a question I’m asked very often these days, partly because I’m making many new friends, and partly because I’m into serious preparations for PhD applications.

I’ve lived my educational life up to now based on the process of elimination. I’ve been more geared towards math and science, but was never good enough to be at the top amongst my peers, so I got filtered at each stage. I did science subjects in secondary school and junior college because I never did like memorizing Shakespeare. I did business in university because I knew I would never beat the scholars at science and engineering, and had no flair for the arts. In a sense, I am choosing to do a PhD and probably becoming a professor because I cannot envision myself as a corporate type.

However, something is different. This time, I do have strong reasons for choosing to do a PhD, reasons that for me, are truly compelling.

I have been enthralled by the Japanese serial Hero since the first time I saw it. I’ve watched it countless times, and love the main character in the show. His name is Kuryu Kohei, a queer public prosecutor in Tokyo who has two rules to his method of work: First, he seeks the truth; second, he takes the view of the person being prosecuted.

I never really realised it, but it was the purity of his search for truth that attracted me so strongly to his character. I guess I’m an idealist at heart. I’m not studying law, I can’t search for truth like he does. However, research is clearly an alternative, and it opens up many new possibilities. It is this search that energizes me, this knowledge that a bunch of people care about understanding the world that we live in, and are willing to invest their time and effort in it.

That, and the money and hours are great.