ALICIA FOURIE How to survive your Masters or PhD degree. Or have fun trying. INTRODUCTION AT TIMES DURING YOUR POST GRADUATE CAREER IT CAN BECOME DIFFICULT TO STAY MOTIVATED AND AVOID BURNOUT. YOU MUST LEARN NOT ONLY HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE RESEARCHER IN YOUR FIELD, BUT ALSO HOW TO MANAGE FRUSTRATION AND, AT TIMES, A FEELING THAT YOU LACK THE NECESSARY MOTIVATION TO MOVE FORWARD. THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SURVIVE YOUR MASTERS OR PHD OR HAVE FUN TRYING. GETTING STARTED DON'T DOUBT YOURSELF FIND A TOPIC THAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WORK WITH OTHER MOTIVATED PEOPLE WORK TOWARD FINDING A BALANCE BE AS ORGANIZED AS POSSIBLE. MAKE FRIENDS IN YOUR DEPARTMENT KEY SKILLS FOR POST GRADUATES: READING, WRITING, NETWORKING Reading: you need to skim over a scientific paper and in a few seconds decide if you should invest the next 30 minutes reading it in depth. Writing: in academic papers you need to get to the point. You need to be comprehensive and concise at the same time. You need to be technical yet readable. Networking: although some academics would love to work in a cave away from the rest of the community, you should interact with other peers. TIP FOR THE DAY CONCLUSION REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED THIS JOURNEY IN THE FIRST PLACE ENJOY THE RIDE