Many people who start a dissertation never finish. There’s even a term for it: ABD (All but Dissertation). The focus and determination required for completing a dissertation are intense. Now pair that with the job of raising a family and working a full time job and you’ve got a Herculean task.
At CollegeRank we decided to interview Dr. Paul F. Sparacio who managed to finish his dissertation while raising kids and working as a full-time minister.
CR Editors: You were able to finish a dissertation while working full time and raising a family. Tell us a little about the experience.
PS: Yes, as a minister I was serving two rural churches in upstate New York, along with being a husband and father of three boys. To be sure it was a challenge—stretched thin time-wise—but thanks to a supportive wife and three sons who excelled in school and socially, the challenge was made much more doable.
Properly budgeting my time was an absolute necessity, with a priority on not (overly) neglecting my family while serving two churches and researching and writing my dissertation. It was a balancing act I was constantly having to fine tune in order to stay true to myself and my goals.
CR Editors: Can you tell us what was your dissertation about?
PS: For my dissertation, I translated a Greek text written by a Church Father (Gregory Nazianzus). The text is titled “Flight to Pontus.” Gregory, against his wishes, was ordained a priest. Stunned by this, he ran away to Pontus to figure out his way forward—whether to accept or reject this rather enforced calling. Finally, after several months, he returned to “the scene of the crime” and announced that, though he considered himself unworthy, he would embrace this yoke that had been placed upon him.
“Flight to Pontus” is Gregory’s explanation to his congregation his understanding of the priesthood, particularly the challenge and requirements of effective pastoral care. In addition to the translation of the text into English, my dissertation consisted of an examination and commentary, as understood by Gregory, on the nature and nuances of effective pastoral care.
CR Editors: Do you feel like you grew as a person from the topic and/or the process of writing the dissertation?
PS: I do believe that the writing of this dissertation accelerated my development as a human being. It was the biggest academic task I had ever undertaken and figuring out almost daily how to hold it all together as a cohesive whole pushed me to the limits of my capabilities, but also, at the same time, enabled me to discover capacities I previously had not yet known.
CR Editors: Did your dissertation inform or help your job?
PS: My dissertation most certainly informed my vocation as a Christian minister and enhanced my performance thereof. My research and writing of this dissertation, a dissertation based on an early writing of a Church Father dealing with the very subject of Christian ministry, became, for me, the equivalent of “Finding Your Roots.” It enabled me to be more firmly grounded in the historical, theological, and practical dimensions of traditional church ministry.
CR Editors: What was the biggest challenge throughout the process of writing your dissertation?
PS: I think, in my experience of writing a dissertation, that the greatest challenge is one of perseverance, of possessing the determination to push through obstacles—even, at times, seemingly pointless obstacles.
For instance, to offer what is just one of many examples, when I purposed my dissertation topic to the Prospectus Committee, one professor on that committee rejected my proposal out of hand, saying: “Why would anyone want to do that (i.e., translate an ancient historical treatise)?” Then added, “After all, they are just dead letters written by dead men.”
So, I had to fight to justify my chosen topic and, fortunately, with the help of a professor who thought my choice would make an excellent academic contribution to my field of study, I prevailed and was allowed to proceed accordingly. But, not without a struggle!
CR Editors: Do you have any tips or suggestions for someone just starting out with their dissertation?
PS: My one overall tip to anyone starting down the road of writing and researching a dissertation, is to make sure it is truly something you want to do, that the topic is something you really believe in.
I have encountered students who I discovered, upon listening to their stories, ended up not doing what they wanted, who, in fact, who were steered by this or that professor to write on a topic that he/she—the professor!—wanted. As a result, as they explained to me, the task was so much more difficult than it otherwise needed to be, mainly because their hearts were not completely committed to the subject at hand.
So, by all means, pick a theme that you love. If you love it, if your heart is truly into it, then the energy and motivation to complete the task will naturally be there. It likely will still be a challenge, but it will also be a challenge that will be so much more doable.
CR Editors: Were you happy with how your dissertation turned out?
PS: Yes, I was quite pleased with how my dissertation came to completion, as were, considering their comments, the three professors on my Dissertation Committee. I was especially pleased by how it brought clarity to the historical vocation of which I was a continuing part of, clarity to me and, hopefully, to others.
CR Editors: Do you have any words of encouragement for people working on their doctorate and struggling to pull their dissertation together?
PS: To repeat some of what I have said above, believe in yourself and your subject, and be prepared to persevere on behalf of both.