Solo and Dissertations
July 13th is Han Solo’s birthday. (OK, technically it’s Harrison Ford’s birthday, but stay with me on this one.) Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on the life of Han Solo and the lessons it has for your dissertation…
1. Han Solo was proactive. Just after we first meet Han Solo, he is confronted by a bounty hunter named Greedo, who is determined to bring him in dead or alive. Don’t believe George Lucas’ revisionist history; Han shot first! He killed Greedo before Greedo could kill him.
Dissertation Lesson: Be like Han Solo. It’s important that you take action in the dissertation process. Your committee is not going to set deadlines for you. They’re not going to tell you what to do or when to do it. You have to set your course and take action.
2. Han Solo was a man of few words. As Han was facing death as a test case for an experimental cyrogenic freezing process, Princess Leia finally confesses her love for him. His acerbic response: “I know.”
Dissertation Lesson: Be like Han Solo. Scholarly writing celebrates a certain economy of expression. Your dissertation should not drip of perfumed prose, sticky with the sweetness of its lyrical lilt. Instead it should be precise, exact, and succinct.
3. Han Solo was fiercely independent. He once said, “I take orders from just one person: me.”
Dissertation Lesson: Don’t be like Han Solo. Listen, your dissertation isn’t done when it’s right, or you’re finished, or anything else like that. It’s done when it’s approved. Your committee has certain expectations for your work. Don’t fight them on this; just do what they say. It’s the much faster path to graduation.
4. Han Solo was mercenary. We only meet Han Solo at all because he agreed to offer Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi passage on his ship…for a tremendous fee.
Dissertation Lesson: Be like Han Solo. Look, your dissertation is a job, and your payment is your doctoral degree. Whatever it takes to get the job done, do it. (Except for cheating, of course, because that’s wrong. And, blackmailing or bribing your committee is wrong, too. And, I guess there are a few other things — OK, a lot of other things — that would be wrong, too.) Anyway, just focus on getting your dissertation done and being a good person. I guess that’s probably what Han would do, but probably in fewer words. See #2, above.
5. Han Solo liked to act first and think about it later, as evidenced in his admonition, “Never tell me the odds.”
Disertation Lesson: Don’t be like Han Solo. You need to plan your dissertation project carefully before you start wading in and doing a lot of heavy lifting. Trust me. I am not an outliner, mind mapper, or excessive obsessor, but a dissertation is just too big a project to wing it.
Dissertation Lesson #2: On second thought, do be like Han Solo. Don’t let anybody tell you that the odds are against you. They are, but no one ever won by being too scared to play! Get in there; try something. Get knocked down; get back up. Try something else. You can do this.
So, fly casual, and you know, sometimes you’ll amaze even yourself.
