From Dreams to Burnout and Back: Reflections on My 11-Year Academic Journey

It’s hard to believe, but I've spent more than 11 years at university. My plan was to earn a PhD—the ultimate proof of a would-be intellectual—by 2021.

But life had other ideas. First, the pandemic hit, and then, I was offered a chance to relocate from gloomy Saint Petersburg to the sunny shores of Cyprus. It was an opportunity too good to pass up, so I set my thesis aside with a “maybe later.”

Though I had to step away, I’m proud of what I accomplished. I contributed to a joint university study, and even represented SPBU at a conference in Kanazawa, Japan. Those were some of the best times—challenging, yes, but so fulfilling.

Today, my life is more focused on work. After going through a tough burnout, I’m all about a more intentional approach, letting go of the things that pushed me into the hustle. I’m not sure if I’ll ever return to university, but I look back fondly. It wasn’t easy, especially navigating a foreign country alone while finding my place in the corporate world.

Science still fascinates me, though. I keep up with studies and scientific articles, hoping that maybe, someday, I’ll leave my mark in that world too.

Here are the books that inspired me throughout my university years, and still resonate with me today:

• Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams – A revolutionary look into the unconscious mind and dream analysis. Though it is no scientifically proven, it has still made a huge impact on psychology and view of human psyche in general.

  
  

• Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols – A foundational text on archetypes and the collective unconscious. Again, not actual science, but still very impactful.

• Andrey Karvasarsky, The Basics of Psychotherapy – Essential insights into therapeutic techniques and methodologies. Actually, I would throw his The Clinical Psychology to the list as well.

• Erik Erikson, "Childhood and Society"

• Ichak Adizes, Corporate Lifecycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do About It – Adizes' take on organizational dynamics and practical strategies.

• Jay Magidson, Statistical Innovations series – Providing depth on practical applications of statistics in psychological research.

• Lev Vygotsky, Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes – Vygotsky’s influential work on cognitive development and social interaction. Especially fascinating, keeping in mind his work was done in the times of Soviet Union - reading it I was trying to decode if he was actually critisizing his western colleagues or just wanted to share their input but had to tear them down in order to do it.

• E.A. Sidorenko,  Training on communicational competence in business interactions»– A comprehensive resource on social psychology and trainings (I took her course in my Master's).

• G. Allahverdov, Psychology of Creativity – An exploration into creativity from a psychological perspective (Also was happy to study in his class).

These authors fueled my journey and continue to remind me of the beauty of lifelong learning.