Dear Dr. Noelle: Overworking and Underwriting

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: I work full-time and more! How can I write my dissertation?

 — Overworking and Underwriting

A: Most doctoral candidates work full-time. And have families and responsibilities. If you’re at the dissertation stage, finding time for writing is especially hard. Maybe a few fortunate students can quit work and devote themselves completely to the dissertation. But if you cannot quit, there are still ways to make decent time for it. Other than speaking harshly to yourself to devote Saturday to the dissertation instead of the game, one way that many candidates have found effective is to meet with your employer or supervisor.

2026 TAA Institute Bookstore Featured Book ‘Service Excellence in Higher Education: True Stories of Servant Leadership’

Service Excellence in Higher Education: True Stories of Servant Leadership, co-edited by Dr. Joseph Michelli; Dr. Joseph Hopkins; Dr. Bill Budai; Dr. Rocky Wallace, is a warm and engaging collection of stories of servant-leadership in action. Serving others has long been at the heart of Kentucky’s Campbellsville University, and this book contains inspiring true stories written by many of its educational leaders. Each chapter is grounded in first-hand servant-leadership experiences and concludes with thoughtful questions for further reflection. Service Excellence in Higher Education is a beautiful example of the head, hands, and heart of servant leadership working together, for the benefit of all. It deserves to be read by servant-leaders everywhere.”Larry C. Spears, Author, educator, executiveSenior Advisory Editor, The International Journal of Servant-LeadershipServant-Leadership Scholar, Gonzaga University