Mid Career Phd

12 reasons not to get a PhD

1. A PhD takes twice as long as a bachelor's degree to complete. The average student takes 8.2 years to slog through a PhD program and is 33 years old before earning that top diploma. By that age, most Americans with mere bachelor's degree are well into establishing themselves professionally.

2. Professors will exploit you. It takes forever to earn a doctorate degree because graduate students are routinely treated like slaves. Grad students perform the grunt work that professors find distasteful, such as teaching undergraduates, grading papers, holding office hours, and playing mother hen to undergrads. And it's hard to say no to a professors' unreasonable demands because grad students needs faculty members on their side.

3. You could drop out. Only about 57 percent of doctoral students will get their PhD within 10 years of starting graduate school.

4. You might end up on food stamps. In the three years since the 2008-09 recession, the number of PhD's who filed for food stamps tripled to more than 33,655 in 2010, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's Urban Institute. In part that's because part-time professors, who are paid by the class, can earn less than university secretaries.

5. Academic jobs are tough to find. According to the authors of the book "Higher Education?," America produced more than 100,000 doctoral degrees between 2005 and 2009. During that period, however, only 16,000 new professorships were created. Here's another grim stat from the National Science Foundation: Only 14 percent of Americans with a doctorate in biology and the life sciences are landing an academic position within five years of graduating.

6. It could cost you. About 40 percent of PhD candidates borrow money to obtain their degrees, with the average debt nearly $37,000, according to FinAid.org. This debt would be on top of any loans a student assumed as an undergraduate.

7. You probably won't get tenure. The old model of academics paying their dues and ultimately securing tenure for life at a tree-lined campus is archaic. Non-tenure-track jobs now account for 68 percent of all faculty appointments in the U.S., according to the American Association of University Professors.

8. College presidents would eliminate tenure if they could. In a Pew Research Center survey, less than a quarter of college presidents said they favor having most of their faculty as full-time tenured professors.

9. More than 50 percent of faculty are part-timers. Part-time faculty usually don't have access to health insurance, retirement plans, and other benefits.

10. Jobs can also be scarce outside academia. PhD holders in the humanities have long struggled to find jobs related to their expertise, but it's also become challenging in the sciences. For instance, the pharmaceutical industry was once a job haven for PhD grads in chemistry and biology, but that pipeline has largely dried up as the industry has consolidated and moved jobs outside the U.S.

11. Graduate schools play with the numbers. It's hard to find graduate schools that provide meaningful job placement information about their alums. If schools don't track where their PhD's end up, they won't have to share their dreadful track records.

12. Unfortunately, you can't eat prestige. But you can write obscure papers that only a handful of people will read.

The bottom line: If you are smart enough to earn a PhD, you are smart enough not to pursue one.

MidCareerPhd wrote:

I have 10 years work experience and a masters. I have been desiring to do a PhD for some time now. Is it possible to do a PhD in 3 years from a top 50 university ?

Depends on what you want to get it in, and your career goals. If you would like to be a professor/researcher, the PhD is a requirement. One cannot obtain full professorship without it. Also, with an MS one CAN do research, however you'll most always be relegated to second or third author, and the title of "Research Assistant". Also, if its the scientific/medical field in product development (drug or otherwise), its also typically a requirement.

This is, for the most part true. Its tough these days. However there is still reason to pursue one, particularly if one desires to do research and loves it, like I did. All the people I was in grad school with are now either scientific/medical researchers and Professors or MD's. But its all a tough road. Wouldn't be worthwhile if it wasn't.

It can be worth it for you.

Most of the negatives listed don't apply to your case. Do it in 3 years like you said.

No one is staying 8 years in my group, I can tell you that...

Thanks, yes I am making decent greens and same goes for my spouse. My motivation isn’t earning a better paycheck rather doing something that I love. I want to transition into academics and a PhD is a necessary credential in that regard.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Yes, I want to transition into academics and maybe since I already have a masters in the same field, some of the credits may be reused and speed up the process.

MidCareerPhd wrote:

I have 10 years work experience and a masters. I have been desiring to do a PhD for some time now. Is it possible to do a PhD in 3 years from a top 50 university ?

No, I don't think you'll be able to do it in 3 years, though I think 4 might be a possibility. If you want to get into academia, you might need more time than that, though, in order to establish a publication record before going on the job market. Ultimately, you're going to need to tell us what field you're thinking about before we can give advice.

Thanks for such a detailed and informative response. I feel my reasons are slightly different. I am in a decent job but it doesn’t excite me. I yearn for Fridays. However, I have always enjoyed teaching and mentoring. I am currently mentoring a high school student and looking forward to mentor others, so that they can achieve their dreams. Even though I am a mentor, I have been rediscovering something which I had bottled up. Pursuing a job wasn’t my decision and it was more of an economical choice. You’re absolutely right it was during the financial storm of 2008-09 when I started my first job and can attest that it was a dreadful situation.

Thanks for the response. I have 4 publications in IEEE (2 were during my MS). Yes, I want to move into academia and that’s where PhD is important.

My field of choice is Machine Learning. I have a masters in that and I am a data scientist at a tier-1 firm based out of NYC with publications and industry certifications.

MidCareerPhd wrote:

Thanks for the response. I have 4 publications in IEEE (2 were during my MS). Yes, I want to move into academia and that’s where PhD is important.

Okay, that changes the conversation significantly. I still think 3 years may be impossible, but 4 could certainly be possible.

Just remember, if you are doing a PhD at a good institution (which you've now made clear is within your reach), the institution is going to want to get something out of you in return for funding and stipend. In your case, that will likely be research assistance, though not necessarily on work that will go into your dissertation. Also, it will be a good idea to teach at least once while in school.

It is for these reasons that I think 3 years is impossible. Your PI is going to see year 1 as your training for his/her project. You'll likely have to take some classes as well. Years 3-4 will be research assisting, some teaching, and your own writing. I'm not trying to discourage you, just trying to be realistic. In Europe, yes, you'd be out in 3 (but then straight on your ways to years of post-docs). But in the US, I have a hard time seeing it.

i got a math PhD in 4 years straight out of undergrad. if you have a fellowship of some kind it takes the huge pressures of teaching off... also you shouldn't have to pay to get one.

Thanks for the response.

Wow, that’s amazing. Smart thing to get it out the way early on.

MidCareerPhd wrote:

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Yes, I want to transition into academics and maybe since I already have a masters in the same field, some of the credits may be reused and speed up the process.

At least in the sciences even if credits were transferred over it wouldn't do much to speed up the process. Do not plan on 3 years. You will be lucky if you get out in 4. Also depending on hiring in your field you may need to do a postdoc or two. If you are doing this full time you really have to look hard at the opportunity cost. You may actually never recover financially.

I think you mentioned you were married. Don't underestimate the toll it will take on your relationship. I know many people who got divorced during their PhD studies.

Finally talk to people who are in the program at all stages. Run into a lot of bitter 5th years who paint a different picture than the enthusiastic PI? Don't kid yourself, that will be you in 5 years. You aren't special.

I would really try to to figure out a way to do stuff on the side to meet your research/mentoring needs.

I did mine when I was young and poor and was a difficult experience. I can't imagine giving up a job with weekends off to go back and get a PhD.

Greek goddess wrote:

2. Professors will exploit you. It takes forever to earn a doctorate degree because graduate students are routinely treated like slaves. Grad students perform the grunt work that professors find distasteful, such as teaching undergraduates, grading papers, holding office hours, and playing mother hen to undergrads. And it's hard to say no to a professors' unreasonable demands because grad students needs faculty members on their side.

This was my favorite part of being junior faculty once upon a time.

This gave me a good chuckle. Yeah need to weigh in things more and discuss more with my partner.

MidCareerPhd wrote:

My field of choice is Machine Learning. I have a masters in that and I am a data scientist at a tier-1 firm based out of NYC with publications and industry certifications.

Choose your own adventure comment:

1) Are you a white male?

Yes - Skip to #5

No - Continue to #2

2) Are you willing to sacrifice 4-5 years of income?

Yes - Continue to #3

No - Skip to #6

3) Are you willing to spend the rest of your career catering to an oversensitive administration, entitled students, and admin work that pulls you away from teaching and research?

Yes - Go to #4

No - Skip to #6

4) Go for it!

5) You'll never get hired at an academic institution.

6) Forget about it.

(This is coming from a tenured professor).

Thanks Prof, useful algorithm to consider.