Follow-Up Journal

What barriers do you think may arise as you work on your doctoral studies, and what will
you do to overcome them?
The main barrier is maintaining a reasonable balance between academic work, personal
life, and professional responsibilities. As I get deeper into the program, especially when writing
the project and thesis and preparing for exams, things might become tougher, forcing me to
sacrifice family and work time. Effective time management and creating a working schedule can
essentially assist me in balancing my time well. Setting attainable, short-term, and smaller goals
will be necessary (Walden University, n.d.).
What support mechanisms do you have available?
My family, Walden’s Library, workmates, fellow students, and Walden’s teaching staff
and administration are my biggest support systems. Just having a supportive and understanding
family has been my source of inspiration.
In considering your schedule, what is your biggest barrier to ensuring 13 hours of study
time per week for one course? Or 25–30 hours per week for two courses?
Unquestionably, the biggest barrier stems from family and work commitments. I have to
work at least 52 hours each week and spare at least 32 hours for my family. This leaves very
minimal time (24) for study, considering that I have also to rest for 7 hours, sleep for 49 hours,
and commit to community services for 5 hours.
Who do you need to have conversations with to help minimize this barrier?
My faculty guide (capstone supervisors, research mentor, dissertation committee
members, or chair) is the right person to speak to. The faculty guide can offer appropriate

3
practical support and academic guidance, including how best to manage time and balance
between academic work, professional career, and family time (Hill & Conceição, 2020).
What did you learn in this course that surprised you?
This course has indeed been full of surprises. One aspect that shook me the most is the
difference between scholarly and non-scholarly sources, especially why scholarly sources like
peer-reviewed journal articles are preferred in writing research papers to non-scholarly sources
like news articles. I was also surprised to learn about the different types of evidence and
scholarly sources present in research.
How can you use the information and skills from this course going forward as a scholar-
practitioner?
There are multiple ways in which I can apply the different skills, especially time
management and article search, learned in this course from now on as a scholar-practitioner. For
example, I can apply “article search” expertise to identify, review, analyze, synthesize, and
report evidence from scholarly research to make generalizations. I can also leverage time
management skills to balance professional, family, school, and other commitments. I think I have
the expertise now required to create an effective work-life balance.
What skills will you be able to use in future courses?
Scheduling, time management, critical thinking, analytical, research, project solving, self-
management, written and oral communication, and interpersonal and leadership skills are skills I
might be able to apply in future courses.
What skills do you need to continue to work on in future courses?
Some of the skills I need to continue to work on in the future courses include
collaborating on projects, effectively mentoring peers, motivating others to participate in group

4
activities, managing projects from start to finish, and understanding and synthesizing large data
quantities (biga data), working efficiently with limited supervision and under pressure,
comprehending new subject and material quickly, and arranging and communicating ideas
meaningfully orally to large groups (Williams et al., 2011).
What resources, if any, did you find extremely helpful during the course?
The Master Schedule, Walden’s University Library, Doctoral Capstone and Project
Resources (webinars, articles and books, and blogs), and the APA referencing guide have been
extremely useful during the course.
What resources will you continue to refer to in future courses or everyday life?
I believe all the resources presented during the course will continue playing an integral
role in my professional or academic role as a student, employee, or researcher.

5

References

Hill, L. H., & Conceição, S. C. O. (2020). Program and instructional strategies supportive of
doctoral students’ degree completion. Adult Learning, 31(1),
36–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159519887529
Walden University (n.d.). 10 time management skills to make earning your online degree easier
https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/resource/ten-time-management-skills-to-make-your-
online-degree-easier
William, K., et al. (2011). Completing your PhD. Macmillan International Higher Education.