A Ph.D journey is a hard choice to make, especially considering its long duration (3-4 years, or let’s be honest it could also take 5 1/2 years), and low income salary (although some prestigious scholarships like Vanier could grant you 50 k per year the average salary in francophone universities in Montreal is 22 k annually). That’s why I spent several hours deciding if doing a PhD after completion of my Master in Chemistry was the right choice for me. Finally, it was, and after 3 years I’m not regretting it even for a second.
Currently, I’m doing my PhD in Materials Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal/ Université de Montréal which has allowed me to expand my research expertise and acquire new skills that I can use to find a job in an increasingly competitive job market. However, there have been several hurdles in my path such as the linguistic barrier. Let me explain my situation, I’m a bilingual student (Spanish/English) studying/ living in a francophone university/city, and even though courses are offered in both (English and French) sometimes it has been challenging to communicate with some members of the staff. Hence, I’m currently learning French cause I strongly believe that hurdles must be transformed into learning opportunities.