Dear George,

Thanks for your humble response and I really appreciate that you shared an inspiring experience that I currently need. I am recently engaging in a very rich academic environment and having the fear to avoid such opportunity in the sake of dissertation completion in a short time. This fear in fact is coming from the idea that I may not have such opportunity in the future after I graduate because no one will mentor me on research and teaching as does during my graduate education. I also think being equipped is crucial before I go to job market. I believe a good start triggers larger steps. However, your experience and suggestions are powerful to change my mind. I would like to hear more from you and challenge my beliefs. Thank you.

It's very simple. Finish your task at present. Next focus on your self development and do not worry about future since you will have necessary skills to survive. There are so many scholars willing to help you. You try to contact them whenever you need them. The secret is consistent effort to achieve your goal. 

 Dear George and Arumugam,

You contributions mean a lot to me as I am in the early process of my academic career. I want to make right decisions and that's why I wanted to hear from your my experienced colleagues like you both. As I hear more about such experiences and advices, I feel more confident and motivation to complete my dissertation as soon as possible.

Special thanks to George for willingness to share your personal stories. it is truly inspiring. By the way, you still look young:)

It is fundamental to keep working on the dissertation AND teaching as a graduate student. Once you graduate, you sever your ties with the institution which will make it hard to stay abreast of whatever is going on on your field of study and will take away your opportunity to gain teaching experience, a very important item on your CV if you want to stay in academia. It is important to keep working in a dissertation especially because it you apply for a tenure-track position and you receive favorable reviews, then  and there you can go on and defend it, finish and get the job without losing time in further job-junting. That is what I did. I kept teaching and writing, getting more teaching experience, making connections, going to MLAs etc. When the time was right, i presented by dissertation, it was approved and I just started in my new tenure-track position. I NEVER stopped working in my dissertation. If you stop, you will lose momentum and focus, and will never get a real teaching or research position with tenure. The academic job market is very tight. Working hard is essential.

Best regards, Lilliana

I feel like what is left out of this discussion so far is the factors involving rising costs of education, reduced livability of graduate student earnings and support, and institutional "accountability" models common in public universities in the US.

For many, the opportunity to revolutionize or contribute to their field is greatly mitigated by financial concerns. For myself, returning to school in my mid thirties, I was essentially forced to choose a 2 year terminal degree which would allow me a foothold of employment on the staff side of student wellness, in order to continue my research.

Stipends offered by most institutions range around 1200-2000 dollars a month. An adult with children, mortgage, and other financial responsibilities simply will not have the option of maintaining the "student lifestyle" without going significantly into debt, even more so if one is not funded.