Considering PHD

@Punxi Well said! Do you both practice and publish? Do you lecture as well?

@PhantomMagic88 I chose this path because human development is, at its core, a continuous negotiation with change.

In forensic contexts especially, you see how unprocessed transitions—loss, identity shifts, trauma.....can harden into patterns that shape behavior in profound ways.

My work sits at that intersection.

Helping people make sense of what has happened to them, so it no longer unconsciously directs where they’re going.

Change is inevitable; integration is not.

That’s where the work matters most to me.

Publishing work like that is less about having something meaningful to say, and more about translating that meaning into a form the field recognizes as credible, rigorous, and useful.

If your aim is impact beyond academia, you might also consider writing a parallel piece for a broader audience, but the academic route is what establishes credibility in the field.

All of which is grounded in time.

@Punxi Thank you for taking the time to be so thorough

@PhantomMagic88 At the end of the day I'm wordy af...tbh. 🤣

@Punxi Oh, there's nothing wrong with that! I expected as much from someone who obviously has to be good with words to earn said degree :)

@PhantomMagic88 Out of curiosity, may I ask what your career path involves? 🤔

@Punxi If I persued this, it would involve me earning a phd over a decade since earning my masters. This would have to coincide with me still working in my career field at the moment :)

@PhantomMagic88 Ten years taught you what a classroom couldn’t, perhaps.

Now the PhD isn’t about starting over, it’s about finishing what experience began.

@Punxi Ya know, I never thought of it that way...thank you :) I go back and forth on this option every year or so, as there are obviously many factors to consider, but you put it very well!