BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi there,

Wasn't sure where to post this...just curious if there are any doctoral students or graduates out there? I am considering going for a doctoral degree but the thought of more student loan debt holds me back. I've always pursued education for personal growth, knowing that you are not guaranteed a better job, better money, etc. at the end of the road but in this instance I'm just not sure if the end justifies the means. If I had a benefactor, it would be a no-brainer for me

If you do have a doctorate, what or why 'made' you choose to pursue it? Just curious.

I'm also considering doctoral work and would be interested to hear some comments. However, I think this should probably go over in the members forum instead of this backwater - it isn't really travel related anyway!

My biggest concern isn't the finances but the stringent language requirements. I know that this is a Good Thing, but I've never been good with languages and the idea of passing a reading exam in TWO foreign languages (common for PhDs in the humanities and social sciences) in a few years scares the crap out of me.

I may need to live abroad just to pick one up!

I'm just graduating MBA this spring (March) and I was considering PhD. We'll see though as I might just gear towards an MBA in journalism or English lit.

I did teach for a semester last year and the idea of pursuing an academic path along wt freelancing was rather ok. that was before i switched to full time travel writer...and needless to say i love it!

My main problem is mixing yet again full time work wt school (which actually means teaching on full time basis!!!) and family...I might just want to take a break though LOL

You have a point CL. This nearly escaped my attention in the student forum and more people are likely to reply in the members' forum.

I've always wanted a PhD, so for me it was also a question of personal growth and I was lucky that in my time student debts were a much smaller issue than they are today.

But it also depends on the subject. If you want to work as a research scientist, a PhD is almost a must. There are some possibilities of completing one while employed by (say) the pharmaceutical industry, but competition for industry-funded places is fierce.

Regardless of subject, completing a PhD demonstrates that you are motivated, capable of seeing through a long-term project and show initiative. It should be a great bonus for your cv, but I'm surprised at the number of employers who are weary of hiring 'over-qualified' applicants.

Any opinions from those of you with PhDs?

I don't know what's the case in US but in Europe you need a PhD only if you pursue an academic career. Otherwise, as said before, you are seen as "overqualified".

I'm 3.5 years into my PhD research in chemistry, with hopefully only another year to year and a half left. Physical sciences, and chemistry especially, has the wonderful benefit of paying its students enough to live on and cover tuition. And if you want to do anything past teaching high school or simple lab tech jobs you've got to have at least a PhD in chemistry, if not a post-doc, too.

Sounds like you're considering a social science or humanities degree, so my position isn't completely analogous, but future Dr. BnAer's do exist.

i have a PhD in keeping it real...

I almost went this route but I'm glad I didn't. It was strictly a money decision. My cousin went and got her Phd and cannot find a good job to save her life. She is seen as overly qualified and getting a job in the academic field is next to impossible (which is what she wanted). If money wasn't an issue I would go back for sure.

It's funny, i was just thinking this morning that there really needs to be some federal help w/ college funding, etc. It's just too expensive to go to school now. Even the difference between what I paid years ago vs. what my sister pays now is ridiculous. It actually makes me very angry. There are so many people that would love to further their education and don't simply because of the outrageous costs.

I'm just about to finish a PhD in microbiology (in a few weeks). Why am I doing it? Because I get bored easily. I like the challenge of research and with my undergrad degree the only other real option was working in a routine diagnostic lab.

I think the think about whether it's worth it really comes down to your personality and field. In science it's worth it because it takes you from being the lab slave to being the one who actually gets to think and tell the lab slave what to do

I've learnt a lot during my PhD candidature that isn't directly related to my project. From learning how to deal with difficult people to how to take useful notes in meetings (that was surprisingly hard for me). But the main thing is that you need resilience. Nothing ever goes according to plan and there's a little voice in the back of your head saying "it's all too hard, just quit and get a real job" and finishing a PhD really comes down to ignoring that voice, putting up with the frustration of things that don't work, ideas that turn out to have wasted a whole year and supervisors who don't understand why it's all so hard.

My suggestion would be to think about what exactly you want to do afterwards and then find a group that will help you get there. Then talk to the students. Always talk to the students, not just the head of the group. Then you will start to know if it's for you.

Good luck with the decision.

ickis, congrats on almost finishing!

i'm planning to get a phd, to combine my two main interests: travel and global health.

in my old malaria lab, the principal investigator was originally from germany. he worked at NYU for a bit, then came to seattle. here, he hired post-docs from poland, the UK, a french tunisian, and a canadian who he sent to australia for a year. some of them regularly make trips to their field clinic in tanzania. i currently work with a post-doc from india, and may be working with an md-phd from germany. i love this field because you work with so many different people around the world for a good cause. i know, sounds cliche, but it's true!

i've heard this from everyone though. if you're planning on doing graduate studies for the money, get a masters. if you're doing it because you want to do it, go for a phd. also, i'm not sure if this applies to non-science fields, but all the programs i've looked into will pay you a stipend.

Grad school dropout, here. My $.02: You seriously need to eat/breathe/live your discipline (and niche within that discipline) in order to even consider grad school.
- Don't consider grad school if you're just luke warm.
- Don't consider grad school if you're just not sure what you want to do with your life.
- Don't consider grad school if you just "enjoy being a student".

Grad school is a serious commitment that will consume your life (in both positive and negative ways); it's about making the switch from being a consumer of knowledge to a producer of knowledge - and going through some rigorous training along the way.

I also tend to offer the following advice:
1) Don't consider grad school if you have to foot the bill yourself. I've seen too many people enter grad school with idealistic notions only to screw themselves over financially. Somewhere, somehow, you have to be practical.
2) If you can see yourself being successful and happy in *any* other career path (i.e. something non-academic), go with that. From a sheer statistics standpoint, you'll have an easier time in the general marketplace than in the academic marketplace.

Don't get me wrong. I still love my discipline and my former program. I'm still connected to my former cohort, etc, etc. However, I've also watched friends ridiculously taken advantage of by the "bad side" of academia (in other programs), and seen some really undesirable outcomes for some fantastic academics (i.e. geographic purgatory v. financial purgatory near a major university).

We're basically talking about long years of underpaid "apprenticeship" (usually 5-10yrs for an MA/PhD in the U.S. - depending on discipline, program, and type of research conducted), followed by highly competitive academic job markets where you have to basically be willing to live anywhere. We're also talking about grueling publish v. perish dynamics if you legitimately want to target "Research I" universities.

Now, IF you're immensely passionate about your discipline/niche, and IF you're not deterred by all the obstacles and uncertainties...more power to you. We need our academics. It's just not a path for everyone...and that's okay.

Signed,
~ A "recovering academic"


Backstory: I dropped out of a highly ranked MA/PhD program in the social sciences (U.S.) during the first year. I had guaranteed funding for 5yrs (i.e. tuition + living stipend that was actually livable). I could've stayed to at least finish my MA; however, my previous job/career was waiting for me. C'est la vie...

JD here.

i am also in the second semester of my second year of a JD

quote:

Originally posted by Eppyboy:
i am also in the second semester of my second year of a JD

We should´ve quit while we were still ahead.

haha yea, you ain't kidding...

A lot of us appear to have PhDs in packing.

quote:

Originally posted by Eppyboy:
i am also in the second semester of my second year of a JD

Another J.D. here, though I don't know if the experience can be compared to the more "academic" doctorates. Yeah, it's still grad school, but it's a different animal.

Eppyboy - by my calculations, you're going to be spending your 2L summer traveling (if your ticker's right, at least). Bold! Good luck!

Eppyboy should be spending his second summer wondering why he didn´t drop out after his first year, rather than second. Actually, for most 2Ls, it´s already too late - the debt is too heavy, and you have to work as a lawyer for a while to service it.

krisk,

I think there are some resources that may better aid your decision making process specifically www.phds.org.
There are plenty of people on these board with and without advanced degrees; however the common thread amongst them is travel. Love of travel is not a strong enough commonality for you make such a weighty decision.

I posit that Phds are either seeking money or exploring and further developing a passion they have.

At any rate good luck with your decision.

Thanks for the comments and advice. Interesting points and definitely lots to consider. Personally, I'm still undecided but I still have some time...I am 6 weeks away from graduation for my MBA but I think I need a break after that, for a bit, anyway.