One of my core subjects in my PhD Counseling program is called Advanced Methods in Research and Data Analysis.
I must confess, I took this course first because I was daunted—there would be math. And I guessed right. My professor, Dr. Erna Yabut, is a math lover, having a doctorate in the field. So far, she has set me straight with valuable input on my final course requirements. There will surely be more.
This class is about learning how to do your dissertation—a starter pack, if you will. The final output is a fully finished research paper, and some of my classmates have opted to work on the dissertation they’ll eventually use for the completion of their respective PhDs. I say respective PhDs because, being a core subject of CEU graduate school, this class brings together people from different disciplines.
I’ve gotten friendly with Angelo, an Asian Studies dude (teacher); two people doing their PhDs in math (also teachers); a Chinoy guidance counselor named Reiner (teacher and counselor); and a bunch of other PhD aspirants in the same field as mine (most of them teachers, too). Which brings to mind my incantation to the universe: Give me a part-time teaching job! If all of my classmates are doing it, I want a taste too!
I joke among these people that a lot of us are freshmen—using the term I’m familiar with as an 80’s kid. (You recall? Green is for freshmen, yellow for sophomores, blue for juniors, and red for seniors? Those times seem so long ago, and now the names and the colors have bleached out in favor of new demarcations.) Being a freshman (or a newbie) at anything means being full of expectations for oneself. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to belong, to be one with the other PhD students, but it looks like belong na belong naman ako! This applies to the age aspect too—we’re a mixed group, with some in their late 20s to mid-30s, and some in my same age range (ehem, 40s and 50s).
Our class meets every Monday evening or so, and it can end later than 8 p.m.—but every time I go, I’m stoked. Now, going home is another thing. Mendiola at nighttime is a hard place to get a MoveIt booking. If only that problem could be solved! For now, I’m content adding to my step count by walking all the way to Max’s Malacañang branch to get a ride—and then crashing at home to be welcomed by a warm greeting from Mr. Heger.
For my final requirement, I’m writing something about Jungian archetypes X writing therapy. More updates next time. I’ve gotten it into my head to make kwento here about what I’m up to…in layman’s terms.
The featured image on this blog was AI-generated by me using free tools, namely ChatGPT, Canva, and Leonardo AI. I use these images to support my written content creatively and cost-effectively.
