An unexpected journey: From typing to dictating a thesis

Abstract

Unexpected twists and turns on the PhD journey can be directly related to the research itself, while others are related to the experience of the journey. For me, the most unexpected aspects were related to my health and saw me transition from writing and typing to dictating to the computer. This autoethnographic article is based on the lived experience of this unexpected journey and explores the implications for this necessary change in procedure. Implications included learning new processes for writing, transcribing interviews and controlling the computer by voice. Consideration of this experience viewed through Heidegger's ontological concept of being helped ease frustrations brought on by this unexpected twist. Becoming aware of the skills mentioned above may help others with accessibility issues, and reflection on the PhD journey from the perspective of this article may help others make sense of frustrations related to their own experiences.