Teamwork, or pulling oneself up by the bootstraps?

For de som ikkje fekk med dykk mitt flotte innlegg om PhD-rettleiing på etisk frukost i dag så legg eg ut notatane her. Bon apetit.

The title can mean several things.
First, that noone can develop in a vacuum. All personal development and learning happens in some interplay with ones surroundings.
Second, that the two persons most importanf for finishing a PhD is the candidate and the supervisor. In this regard it is already teamwork.
Third, it is of great help to participate in a vital scientific environment.

Before continuing it is important to remember that a PhD-degree is a so called qualifying position:it is suppose to qualify the candidate unformally and formally for certain jobs.

There are some causes that makes it difficult to obtain a good Phd. I'll mention a few.
1. The candidate do not make the necessary effort. This is the most important one, ofcourse. The candidate has the main responsibility.
2. The project is to big:
- if it is an experimental project one should have some aspect of the project that ensures the formal qualifications.
- if the candidate has made the project him/herself: is it realistic? If it turns out (after 2-3 years) to not be realistic: can it be broken up to smaller parts?
Dont be unprepared for faliure!
3. There is bad chemistry between supervisor and candidate.
- People are different, and some dont get along, and some simply are assholes.
- Use co-supervisors, verneombud, HMS-routines. Dont let things get worse in the belief that it will blow over!
- Supervisors are not immune to critisizm of various degrees.
4. The candidate is alone or isolated on a project.
- This increases the chance of premature quitting!
- Who can one interact with? Research group, Phd-network,deparment seminars?
- RESEARCH IS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY
5. Unprofessional supervising.
- most supervisors are not trained supervisors, so it's dependent on persons
-maybe the university should arrange mandatory training?