Sorry, my choice of word was not great, I was not targeting you in specific, but the way the education system works prior to a PhD in general.

I’m aware the experience will not be the same everywhere as PhD programs can be quite different, but many students that asked me if they should do a PhD are surprised when I tell them it’s not just up to the university or their advisors that they will get their degree and even more surprised when I tell them how early they have to start submitting their papers.

Even though I was well warned by my seniors, I admit that I also had this misconception to some degree.