I have decided to take a break from my Ph.D. and there are several reasons why.

First of all, I am tired. It has been a long haul, and after this semester I will take an extended break. At this point I do not know if I will go back and finish. Perhaps one day. I have just come to the realization that while it is a goal of mine, I am missing out on many other things that I’d rather be doing.

I am nearly 50, and there is so much I want to do and see and having a Ph.D. is not only going to keep me from some of that, it also will not help.

Instead, I am going to start working on the book I have wanted to write for many years. This is a book on the history of my high school’s football team. I have already done a little bit of research, but not near what I would have liked. And the Ph.D. takes up ALL my time. I spend most nights at the library and most weekends too. I don’t see my friends and miss out on a lot. To me life has always been about experiences, and I am missing those right now.

I also want to start up my history podcast again. I have found a renewed love of teaching after the change in schools this year, but I find I do not have the time I want to do the things I want to do in and out of class while doing my Ph.D. So, the break will help tremendously.

Instead, I am going to focus on making my college course (I teach a dual credit US History course) the best it can be. I want to begin reading many of the books I have put off for so long. One of my goals is to read a biography for each president, in order. I am about to finish my first one.

And I would like to enjoy my time more. Do some short weekend trips to see historical places and sports arenas. I am a huge sports fan, especially baseball. Which reminds me that I used to run one of the premier sports blogs on baseball outside of the United States. That is something I would like to bring back. These are passions of mine that I really enjoyed at one point and most of them I gave up to try and earn a Ph.D.

So, there you have it. Soon here I hope to blog more and bring you some podcasts as I return to making those in the near future. Plus I plan on working on some of my other projects that really bring me joy.

Follow your joy. It makes everything else in your life better.

Till Next Time