Knowledge Gathering vs Doing Research
Dr. Sonjai Kumar, PhD, CFIRM (IRM London) Certified Risk Management Professional
PhD in Enterprise Risk Management, FIIB, New Delhi, India
Recently, I realised that learning and researching are not the same. I gathered this from my discussions with different individuals who reached out to me for suggestions on course selection, career guidance, research possibilities, and others.
Some individuals are young and hungry for knowledge gathering, certifications, career enhancements, and first-timer job-seekers. Such individuals require structured courses through which they can gather knowledge in their respective areas and progress in their careers. Even people with 15 to 20 years of experience who are on the threshold of digging deeper into their specialised field may further explore cutting-edge knowledge.
Individuals who believe that they have acquired deeper knowledge in a particular field may want to venture into research (PhD). However, this decision must be made very carefully. One must understand whether one wants to acquire knowledge further or identify the unknown. The two routes are very different. In the knowledge-gathering exploration, you move into the fixed course content, and at the end, your knowledge level is increased. At the same time, the target is unknown in the research, and you identify new information for knowledge seekers.
I interact with different individuals, and they have different reasons for entering research; some are passionate about the research, some want to change their careers, and others consider reaching the pinnacle of formal education.
This understanding is critical before entering into the research journey.