I’ve got a hood but I’m not a doctor*

I recently participated in my third graduation ceremony, for my fourth graduation (no, the schools I attended did not have graduation ceremonies for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, or middle school).  For the first time in my life, however, I have not completed the requirements necessary to obtain the degree announced at the ceremony.  This will happen soon enough, but I have to wonder if being hooded by my dissertation advisor would have been a more emotional experience if it had actually marked the end of my time here.  Instead, I had the privilege of telling all of my family members that I’m almost a doctor.  Of course, none of them will be here to celebrate when I actually defend or file my dissertation.  I guess this is fitting since many of the big moments in an academic career are unobserved by others.

*Clearly, this title makes more sense than the song that inspired it.