Tell me everything I should know about doing my PhD part time, while working
Tell me everything I should know about doing my PhD part time, while working
TallerTights wrote:
Tell me everything I should know about doing my PhD part time, while working
No sleep for you.
PhD is a worthless degree
Just ask anyone who has one
You will be over-qualified for jobs and nobody will hire you
PhDs are just to increase the status of the university. It does nothing to help you.
Better to get a skill or trade like glass cutter, fork lift operator, air conditioner repair etc
Also coding and development of mobile applications is a hot field right now
TallerTights wrote:
Tell me everything I should know about doing my PhD part time, while working
What field are you in? I know the average STEM PhD is around 5 years while working full time at it. I imagine it would take 2-3 years longer if only part time.
miss piggy wrote:
PhD is a worthless degree
Just ask anyone who has one
You will be over-qualified for jobs and nobody will hire you
PhDs are just to increase the status of the university. It does nothing to help you.
Better to get a skill or trade like glass cutter, fork lift operator, air conditioner repair etc
Also coding and development of mobile applications is a hot field right now
+1
TallerTights wrote:
Tell me everything I should know about doing my PhD part time, while working
You've told us nothing we would have to know to respond intelligently. It's entirely dependent on what field you're in and what your goals are. In some cases it's a smart move and very doable, in other cases a dumb move, and in other cases impossible.
Don't do it. You'll never finish and you'll hate yourself if you do. It'll be awful. Don't do it.
I know a ton of PhDs. I did mine full time in about 3.5 years. One of my close running buddies did his part time, at a university in another town, in 3 years, while teaching full time at local college. He did it in a new field (his undergrad and masters were in math and physics, and his doctorate was in engineering), and he managed a number of high quality publications from his research. He's obviously smarter than me. And faster too.
I have colleagues at work doing part time doctorates. One of them has been slogging away (involving river dynamics) for close to 10 years and may never finish. He's a great guy, very bright and super creative, but also easily distracted and a severe procrastinator. One of his office mates has recently started hers (involving glaciers in South America); she is organized, motivated and focused, and I expect she will get it done in 4-5 years, maybe faster. I have one other buddy who started his about a year ago; also really smart, well motivated and organized, and I think he will do very good work and finish in about five years.
Regardless of how quickly you get it done, it is hard work, all consuming and will take you away from friends and family most of the time.
As to the people who think a PhD is worthless... it can be, but doesn't have to be. I love being in school, so just the process of doing it was reward enough, but afterward it opened many new doors and led me down a different, more interesting and enjoyable path, and the money got better than it would have otherwise.
Good luck!
Open a YouTube channel and work hard to develop and promote it.
Far, far, far more lucrative than a PhD.
Don't believe me?
Look at the earnings of the top YouTubers:
I have a part -time PhD. This post makes sense to me. I am a procrastinator & unfocussed, so it was really hard. I did it mostly for self-esteem after hearing "oh, you don't have a PhD" too often. I'm glad that I did it now, but it consumed many weekends where the family would have preferred I be doing something else. In many traditional hi-tech jobs (e.g. big Pharma), there is a ceiling for non-PhD's, so if you want to move through the ranks, it's pretty well obligatory. In many other places it is a waste of time. So make a careful judgment for your case.
the idiot wrote:
I know a ton of PhDs. I did mine full time in about 3.5 years. One of my close running buddies did his part time, at a university in another town, in 3 years, while teaching full time at local college. He did it in a new field (his undergrad and masters were in math and physics, and his doctorate was in engineering), and he managed a number of high quality publications from his research. He's obviously smarter than me. And faster too.
I have colleagues at work doing part time doctorates. One of them has been slogging away (involving river dynamics) for close to 10 years and may never finish. He's a great guy, very bright and super creative, but also easily distracted and a severe procrastinator. One of his office mates has recently started hers (involving glaciers in South America); she is organized, motivated and focused, and I expect she will get it done in 4-5 years, maybe faster. I have one other buddy who started his about a year ago; also really smart, well motivated and organized, and I think he will do very good work and finish in about five years.
Regardless of how quickly you get it done, it is hard work, all consuming and will take you away from friends and family most of the time.
As to the people who think a PhD is worthless... it can be, but doesn't have to be. I love being in school, so just the process of doing it was reward enough, but afterward it opened many new doors and led me down a different, more interesting and enjoyable path, and the money got better than it would have otherwise.
Good luck!
Unless you plan on teaching or doing research at a university you are wasting your time. You'll have to fight to find a tenure track position and then successfully interview to get the position. Then it's "publish or perish" for the next seven years until you achieve tenure. Better off having a useful degree in subject where you can do meaningful work. Most MS/MA degrees suffice for this.
Universities are laying off big time. Likely the tip of the iceberg.