ABSTRACT
Distance study acts as an important enabler for students with employment, family, care, and/or community responsibilities to be able to access doctoral education. This chapter celebrates the affordances that off-campus modes of doctoral study can bring, recognising that the configuration of responsibilities a student may hold alongside their doctoral enrolment often reflects deeply held values and/or non-negotiable personal circumstances. Thus, the chapter considers the nexus between distance doctoral study and other responsibilities from a place of acceptance and support rather than judgement or problematisation. The chapter supports readers to recognise the “greedy” nature of academic, employment, family, and community obligations and to feel a sense of agency in considering strategies for balancing doctoral work, other responsibilities, and wellbeing. Practical strategies are offered, including through direct student voice from students and graduates who have undertaken distance doctoral study alongside other commitments. Finally, the chapter considers relationships and the ways distance doctoral researchers might involve their loved ones in navigating boundaries and decision making that support synergy, wellbeing, and success.
