FAQ

Who benefits from Individual Guidance?

Anyone. That is, while I have expertise in guiding the composition of doctoral dissertations and academic research, anyone may seek individual guidance as a means of improving his or her intellectual life.

Aren’t you a failure if you need help writing your dissertation?

Contemporary academic culture encourages conceiving the completion of your PhD as the Herculean effort of an indomitable individual. Often, such research is undertaken alone and in a highly-competitive and at times adversarial environment, where not only other students but even faculty can present a challenge to the completion of one’s degree. But this reality is not a necessity: rather, it is the result of ego standing in the way of truth. Having a disinterested external voice that aims to understand your work and to provide advice on how it might be improved can silence many of the doubts that creep in otherwise. You do not need to be alone, and seeking help is not a failure.

How can you help my non-dissertation project?

In all the same ways that I could help with a dissertation: being a sounding-board, thoughtful listener, keen questioner, insightful critic, and so-on. While many students focus, and rightly, on the completion difficulty of their dissertations, the same principles apply to all academic endeavors, from designing experiments and syllabi to publishing papers and monographs.

Will you edit my work?

Yes, but there are two considerations here: first, if your grammar needs to be fixed throughout a lengthy work, this will take many hours and will cost a premium. Second, “edit” and “write” are two very different actions. Under no circumstances will I act as a ghostwriter for any work, which practice would constitute academic dishonesty in these circumstances. Rather, if you solicit such a request, I will report you to your university.

What is Semiotics?

The answer to this question can fill books: but the shortest accurate definition is the study of the action of signs. Though an academic study in its own right—and indeed, one truly interdisciplinary—semiotics has also a broad range of practical applications: for we use signs in every communication.

So is semiotics just about marketing?

While the practical application of semiotics to marketing has been its most obvious and immediate use, it serves many more purposes than helping convince someone to buy a product. We can improve our works’ beauty, meaning, clarity, and coherence through an application of semiotic reasoning; improve our internal communication habits and processes; and connect our specific works and projects to broader contexts of meaningful lives.

How can you help my company?

This depends: what does your company need? I may not be able to do anything! If your only goal is an increase in profits, you should likely look for another consultant. My focus is on making your company better: but that does not necessarily mean immediate boosts to the bottom line. Rather, I can help with communication, quality of life for employees and managers alike, creating a better corporate culture, and generally making yours a better place to work.