Dear Proud to be PhD, 

First off, I’d like to offer you a massive congratulations on your PhD. It takes an incredible amount of determination, tenacity and work. Celebrate that achievement. 

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Your hard work, like anyone’s, should be respected and admired. The deplorable article in the Wall Street Journal by Joseph Epstein is nothing short of a misogynistic, anti-intellectual cry for attention from a sad old man. 

What makes it worse – and personal – is that he is attacking a woman who has dedicated her life to education. 

Women have struggled to earn the external respect their degrees warrant since they started going after them. Just look at Mary Whiton Calkins, one of the greatest contributors to Psychology, who completed PhD requirements at Harvard in 1894, but was denied her degree from the university because she was a woman. Her professors even petitioned Harvard to award her the degree, but the petition failed. So, it’s been a damn struggle for a long time. A really, really long time. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with flaunting your title, or choosing not to, and dropping it all together, but the key is that it’s your call. No one can take that away from you. 

The good news in all of this is that Joseph’s opinion is a tiny minority of people. The overwhelming majority of the people you will encounter in your life and career will have tremendous respect for your degree, because they will have an understanding of the dedication and research behind it. 

I wouldn’t put too much time into the concern of not being taken seriously, because every time a badass woman gets a degree and goes into the workforce to kick some ass, it’s noticed. Some will notice out of anger and spite. Some will notice out of admiration and respect. Regardless, they notice.

And here’s a quote from a woman who has been loved and loathed, the one and only Taylor Swift: “It’s not our job to make people like us if they don’t want to. It’s not our job to change people. That’s beyond our control. But what you CAN control is how you respond to it.”

So, if you do run into misogyny, discrimination, or someone just being an ass, remember that it’s not on you to fix them. You just keep being your brilliant, bold, highly educated self. Just like Dr. Biden is doing in light of the article.

Shake it off, proudly display that diploma that you know you earned through hard work, and meet critics and skeptics with the backhand of grace. Remember that bullies of all ages are usually triggered by jealousy and insecurity. 

Hold your head up high, add PhD to your LinkedIn profile, and call yourself a doctor whenever you damn right feel like it. Do it for Dr. Jill Biden, Mary Calkins, and especially for Joseph Epstein. 

Sincerely,
Jenny