No Grandma, I am not that type of doctor: Never be ashamed of your PhD


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Two weeks after I finished graduate school, my father-in-law introduced me to a friend by saying “I want you to meet my son-in-law. He just became a doctor.” While I forced a grin and politely accepted the ensuing congratulations, I instead wanted to clarify that I just received a PhD, and that I was not a physician. Immediately, after meeting his friend, I asked my father-in-law not to introduce me as a doctor in the future. This encounter also conjured up a memory of explaining to my grandmother that I was not studying to become a medical doctor. After thinking carefully about my feelings that resulted from my father-in-law’s introduction, I realized that my request about being introduced as a doctor originated not from a desire to avoid confusion, but rather from a subconscious regret that I held for deciding to pursue a PhD.