{"id":2174,"date":"2018-10-29T11:36:59","date_gmt":"2018-10-29T11:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/create-your-own-unique-path\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T11:22:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T05:52:46","slug":"create-your-own-unique-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/create-your-own-unique-path","title":{"rendered":"Create your own unique path"},"content":{"rendered":"

During my struggles as a PhD student, I realized something very important.<\/p>\n

No two researchers are the same and no two research journeys are the same, even though academic aspirations could be similar among researchers. What I am going through, what I am experiencing, is unique.<\/p>\n

I cannot compare my progress with anyone else\u2019s. I need to have MY own goals, which could be completely different from my fellow researchers\u2019.<\/p>\n

We all have different paths. Mine included dropping out of my first PhD, working for a while, and registering for another PhD in a different institution.<\/p>\n

I cannot compare my path with somebody who didn\u2019t go through the same steps, because it would only lead me to self-pity and depression. I cannot despise my path either, because it has helped build my character and confidence.<\/p>\n

I chose to embrace my path and make the best of it\u200a\u2014\u200athis has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life.<\/p>\n

This story is an extract from on an article written by Elodie Ekoka, a PhD student at the Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and guest author for\u00a0Editage Insights.\u00a0The full article is available\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During my struggles as a PhD student, I realized something very important. No two researchers are the same and no two research journeys are the same, even though academic aspirations could be similar among researchers. What I am going through, what I am experiencing, is unique. I cannot compare my progress with anyone else\u2019s. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":625,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2414],"tags":[2670,2454],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-researcher-stories","tag-life-changes-and-transitions","tag-researcher-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCreate your own unique path | Editage Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Elodie Ekoka, PhD student at the Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and guest author for\u00a0Editage Insights, talks about how every researcher's journey is unique.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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