Yana Asenova

There are two common paths into a PhD.

The first is straightforward: you complete your Bachelor’s, then your Master’s, and somewhere along the way you decide this is the natural endgame of your education – so you continue on to a PhD.

The second path looks different. After your Master’s, you’ve had enough of studying. You get a job, work for a few years – and then something shifts. A moment, a realization, a change in direction. And suddenly, you find yourself applying for a PhD.

I’m not sure how common the second path really is, but it’s the one that fits my story best.

Why not the first path?

I actually enjoyed working on both my Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, and I did pretty well. That should have been a sign. In fact, one of my current supervisors telling me how good a fit a PhD would be for me, should have been an even bigger sign. But no, I wouldn’t even let myself consider it at the time. I wanted to work.

There’s a saying in Bulgarian – the forever student (вечният студент). It’s usally used to make fun of people who keep choosing education, often collecting degrees from different fields instead of moving into the “real world”. Thinking about it, it’s a bit ridiculous to make fun of people who want their life to be about learning. Still, that idea runs deep in our collective thinking: you dedicate the necessary time to education, but after that, work is supposed to come first.

I was so focused on starting a job and earning a living, that I even chose the fastest way out of academia. I completed my Bachelor’s degree on an intensive track, which gave me enough ECTS credits to finish my Master’s in one and a half years instead of two.

I started university in September 2013, and by February 2018, I had two degrees and was starting my first job.

What Changed My Mind?

The road that led me to a PhD was long and made up of many moments that, together, nudged me toward this turn. I won’t go into details now – they touch on things I find deeply meaningful and may want to explore separately: loss, relationships, learning about myself, and taking risks in the face of change.

What I will say is this: among all the possibilities I imagined for my life at that time, going back to university for a PhD wasn’t even in a reachable corner of my mind.

At the peak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, like so many others suddenly stuck at home, I felt the urge to do something different. I had already been in my role as an Analytics Expert for three years, but I couldn’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I had a feeling that I needed to pursue something that truly brought me joy – and for me, that was music.

I’m not a musician myself. What I love is listening to music, discovering new artists, and learning about music history. So pursuing a career in the music industry felt like a natural next step. I invested time and resources into earning another degree in Music Business Innovation (yes, I am the “forever student”), while still working full time.

And just as I began applying for jobs in that field, my supervisor called me.

“Can you imagine coming back to university for a PhD?”

This question completely changed my perspective of how my life could develop from that point onward. I was now considering a shift to academia.

What Helped me Decide?

When this question came up, I was close to turning 29. In my mind, I had always thought that if I were to do a PhD, I should start by 27 at the latest – it takes a long time, after all. It’s a ridiculous benchmark, but one that had already, quietly, removed the PhD as an option by the time the opportunity appeared.

When this question came up, I was finishing a two-year Master’s degree while working 40 hours a week in a career where my responsibilities were steadily growing. I was burnt out.

I listened to what my supervisor had to say, and the first thing I asked was: Can we combine marketing research and music business? The answer was yes. And suddenly, I found myself considering a major shift away from the plans I had been building for years. I tried hard to find reasons against it, but there were none. It simlpy felt like the right fit – maybe even a breath of fresh air before returning to “real work.”

What helped me decide was actually the space the PhD position was offering for me to slow down. I was drawn by the idea that for a few years I can focus deeply on a few topics, instead of dividing my attention on a few more each week, as my job required.

There’s a lot I’ve learned since making this decision. For one, research is real work. Learning, exploring, experimenting – these can be a career. And music, as much as I love it, did not end up being the central focus of my research. But that’s a story for another post.

Until next time,

Yana