Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

You Don't Need a Perfect Chair

15 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief motivational segment, Steve Tippins Ph.D. urges graduate students working on dissertations to stop waiting for a perfect advisor relationship and instead seek help early. He emphasizes that reaching out promptly allows problems to be resolved faster, and that a functional relationship with the dissertation chair—grounded in understanding university guidelines, submission deadlines, and taking proactive leadership—enables steady progress. Tippins invites listeners to comment the word “help” to receive a link to a free dissertation‑help community, positioning the community as an additional resource for navigating the dissertation process.

Chapters

You don't have to stay stuck for months. It's reasonable for you to expect assistance, especially when you reach out and ask for it. Many people wait and wait and wait to reach out. The earlier you reach out, the quicker issues, problems can be fixed, and you can move towards your goal. You don't need a perfect chair, if even a perfect chair exists. What you need is a functional relationship. If you understand the system, if you understand your university guidelines, and dates for submissions. If you take the lead, if you help your chair help you, you can move forward. Drop the word "help" in the comments, and I'll send you the link for our free dissertation help community.