| I was in a PhD program, and left because I realized that I didn't really want to be there for another 4 years to finish after my Masters degree. I think the problem with academia is that you are always around very intelligent people with PhDs, who have survived the very ruthless culling to make it into academia. From their perspective, a PhD is a great deal. In reality, a PhD is more of a mixed bag. These are my observations from viewing the outcomes of my cohort: The pros of a PhD: 1 - you're more likely to be working on research, 2 - you're more likely to lead an R&D team (and in some places it will be a requirement past a certain point if you want to climb the science management ladder), 3 - there's a small salary bump, 4 - people will tend to give your scientific arguments more weight than someone without a PhD, 5 - a PhD is a requirement for some positions at (a very limited) number of employers. Cons: 1 - Those three letters next to your name will make you overqualified for a lot of very interesting jobs; 2 - there is a huge opportunity cost associated with getting a PhD; 3 - employers value practical experience far more than someone with more education; 4 - a PhD does not necessarily guarantee that you will find more interesting work, there are tons of people with PhDs who are essentially underemployed (by choice or by necessity); 5 - depending on your field, you may find that jobs at the PhD level are geographically limited; 6 - job search typically takes much longer. Overall, there are only two reasons I would recommend someone get a PhD: 1 - they want to be an academic/researcher; or 2 - they want to spend 4-6 years studying a specific subject out of curiosity or intense interest. Also, you can always go back. There are people who complete PhDs in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. The only thing that alternative students give up, is potentially the ability to enter academia, but even that is not always true. |