Dear friends and colleagues, I am writing to inform you of my decision to withdraw from my PhD programme at the University of Bristol.
The reasons for my PhD withdrawal are threefold:
My primary reason for enrolling on the PhD programme in 2009 was to provide myself with an avenue that would safely and steadily lead to a book – the idea being to complete a PhD thesis and then adapt it for a populist market. However, populist opportunities having presented themselves several years ahead of my original expectations, the PhD is now far less vital to me than it once was.
Reason number two for my PhD withdrawal is that – having been enrolled in postgraduate studies for several years – I am now absolutely certain that a career in academia holds no appeal for me. I had originally considered that I might wish to pursue a career as a university lecturer. However, as a doctoral candidate it has been my experience that high-level academia is too often intellectually stifling, elitist, insular and regurgitatory. My preferred readership as a writer is populist and journalistic, not academic. I see little point in completing a PhD thesis that (as with virtually all PhD theses) will be read by only handful of individuals in a university library.
Reason number three trumps reasons one and two: it is financial. As my PhD is self-funded and a constant monetary drain on my household, I find it impossible to justify three years further spending on a programme I now believe will be of little-to-no use to me professionally.
For the above reasons, the continuation of my PhD programme is no longer a viable option for me.
Obviously, this has been a major decision for me, one that I have not taken lightly. But I am pleased to say I have no doubts whatsoever about the choice I have made. I am a proud person, but not foolishly so. Continuing with a PhD I no longer want or need for a further three years is plain foolishness.*
Despite my above gripes regarding academia, my time to date on my doctoral programme has been extremely valuable and I don’t regret one minute of it. My time as a PhD candidate has allowed me to conduct a vast amount of research into the topic of UFOs and Hollywood from both cultural and political perspectives, and it has afforded me the opportunity to regularly present this research within the harsh scrutiny of an academic environment. Every last morsel of my academic research will now be adapted for the populist market and fill the pages of Silver Screen Saucers: Sorting Fact from Fantasy in Hollywood’s UFO Movies, which is on track for completion within the next six months.
The few people who were already aware of my PhD withdrawal have been overwhelmingly supportive of my decision, and I thank them. Thank you also to the fast flowing stream of visitors to silverscreensaucers.com. Since its creation in February of last year, this humble little blog has received almost half-a-million visits – and it will continue to grow.
With appreciation,
Robbie Graham
*Though I began my doctoral programme as a full-time student in 2009, following a successful viva (a course upgrade following an internal examination) I decided in 2011 to take my PhD part-time before requesting a 12 month leave in order to pour more energy into my populist book, which was clashing with my doctoral studies. Though welcomed and encouraged by my PhD supervisors, these decisions extended my course duration to 2015.
