finally feel like a phd student.....and it only took 4 years

had an interesting feeling today as i was working frantically to make sure i meet a deadline (in like 3 weeks) that i just became aware of today. although, i am still waiting on experiments to finish so i have results to actually write about, i had a confident feeling as i continued to write as much as i could without data. the feeling was one that made me realize that i am a phd student, and i actually feel like one, FINALLY. i am not sure what sparked this new feeling, but i am sure it has a lot to do with the fact that i have set a deadline to submit my dissertation and am working toward this clear cut deadline daily. there is no more feeling lost or confused or stuck. it's like a job now---i come in, do my work, and leave.

the writing is becoming easier. partly because i know what to write as my knowledge level is higher and the amount of information i have to draw from is larger.

i am working through new problems confidently. using the fundamentals to build up to the problem from basic principles.

more intelligent things come out of my mouth when responding to questions.

and lastly, people come to me expecting me to be able to answer all their storage questions concerning performance and energy. does this mean i am an expert?