Quit my job and go for Phd?

[Kdar]

At the moment I have job where I am getting about ~55k per year.
I am also working on my master's at the moment (have only two semesters to go before I finish).

Yesterday, my professor asked me if I can quit my job and become full-time student. He got award and wants me to work on this project for next 3 years. This way, this award wiill cover my tuition and I will able to finish phd in 3 years. I will also get payed, but its only 12k a year, not a lot.

Should I keep my job? or go for full-time student with this award?

[Petro Dawg]

The real question is, do you want to start making money soon, or would you rather be able to introduce yourself as Dr. "Kdar"? If your ego demands you have that title, then go for it.

Also depends on what you want to do for a career. If you want to become a professor, you'll probably need to get the doctorate; however, in the private industry (at least in the USA) experience almost always trumps level of higher education. So working in the private industry, you may be setting your self back many years by getting the PHD.

Also depends on if you currently have debt related to your education up to this point. In the long run, paying off whatever debt you have now as quickly as possible results in significantly more money later. Putting off paying down on your debts for several years may very well be more costly than the increase in income you might get from a PHD.

What is the PHD in anyway? That too could be an important factor.

[sffvba[e0rt]

You know your situation better than anybody else.


404

[Cbjaxx]

That as stated before is a question only you can answer. I would start by weighing your current cost of living and financial situation. Would you have to take out loans for the three years and if so would you have a guarantee to pay them off sooner rather than later upon completion? Sounds like you have some serious internal debating coming up, but once you make your decision I would say stick to your guns and own the decision you made.

[ivanvodisek]

1k per month? Would the knowledge U would get that way be that much better and faster than with a job aside?

[drawkcab]

As others have said, it depends on what you want to do when you get out.

Teaching college doesn't pay a lot but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm required to be on campus maybe 15-20 hrs/wk while the rest of my prep and research is up to me to schedule. I get to teach what I want how I want and research things that interest me anyway.

[Paqman]

Do you have any dependents? You could probably get by on £12K if it's just you, but it would be a frugal three years. You might find on that low an income you'd be eligible to all sorts of tax credits, housing benefit, etc so your outgoings would drop.

[Frogs Hair]

Keeping the job may depend on the time commitment and work involved. In my brothers case being a geologist much of his research was done in Norway during the summer.Being from the U.S. This of course made it impossible to be employed full time.

[wanderingmind]

Only do a PhD if you are sure you want to do it. Ie. if you are sure you want to spend most of your life doing research, whether it pays or not.

[buzzingrobot]

At the moment I have job where I am getting about ~55k per year.
I am also working on my master's at the moment (have only two semesters to go before I finish).

Yesterday, my professor asked me if I can quit my job and become full-time student. He got award and wants me to work on this project for next 3 years. This way, this award wiill cover my tuition and I will able to finish phd in 3 years. I will also get payed, but its only 12k a year, not a lot.

Should I keep my job? or go for full-time student with this award?

Where wil you be in 3 years if you don't go for the PhD? Do you want to live the kind of life the PhD would enable you to live?

The PhD program is a transition to a new lifestyle. If that's what you want, do it. Don't let the 12K stipend stand in your way. You will be a poor student for 3 years. So What? What is that compared to a lifetime of unhappiness.

On the other hand, if your current job leads somewhere, and you are happy, maybe you should stay there.

[user1397]

My first reaction is: "NO, DON'T get the PhD!!!"

But of course, several questions arise, such as

a) do you plan on being in academia for the rest of your life?

b) do you know for a fact that a PhD in your field/career would give you a SUBSTANTIAL boost in salary?

c) Do you value a prestigious title more than anything else?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then maybe you should get a PhD.

My father got a PhD, and he half-jokingly says it was the worst investment of his life...

[eNiNjA]

At the moment I have job where I am getting about ~55k per year.
I am also working on my master's at the moment (have only two semesters to go before I finish).

Yesterday, my professor asked me if I can quit my job and become full-time student. He got award and wants me to work on this project for next 3 years. This way, this award wiill cover my tuition and I will able to finish phd in 3 years. I will also get payed, but its only 12k a year, not a lot.

Should I keep my job? or go for full-time student with this award?

I'm going to be honest. I did not read any other replies.

This one is mine.

Your making around 55k. Per Year. Sweet.

Your "Professor", is all like "Hey, want to go to Havana with me?"

You say "But I'm not Cuban, sir."

"But you will do most of the work, and I will come out smelling like a sweet ************!", says the Professor

and he adds "Unfortunately, you will not be living like you do now. There is a pay cut. But think of the Progression!"

[ivanvodisek]

Only do a PhD if you are sure you want to do it. Ie. if you are sure you want to spend most of your life doing research, whether it pays or not.

man, U destroyed us here

:popcorn:

[Smilax]

do it!

no really, do it.

you allready know your prof so you have a really good idea how things will be.

it's not all dollars n cents, but those you get for PhD are tax free, so the 12k is in effect more.


i guess it's like being a writer, if you have to write, u do, if you don't

you work at another job and say, i could have been a writer, but 55k is so nice.



discalimer: i'm starting a PhD in 2 weeks, yippe!!:popcorn:

[Sunships]

The above responses are good, but a question which has been missed is: can you go back to your current career after your PhD?

Will the time spent doing the PhD count against you if you come back? Or will the PhD give you either progression in the same field or enough new opportunities that it doesn't matter?

Is there a chance you can work part-time/seasonally while you do your PhD?

[JDShu]

How hard would it be to find a another job after quitting?

What I would recommend is to quit your job and do research for your professor for a year. This should give you a pretty good idea about whether you want to do it for a living. If after the year is up, you find that you still want to do a PhD, then by all means. If not, then get your master's degree and find another job.

[fontis]

I think the relevant question here is the workload.
Your current workload + gain vs proposed workload + gain.

e.g. if you have a job that involves surfing the Internet for the lulz for 55k a year - I'd not go for it. I mean you will get your PhD eventually, and this way it wont be at the expense of your current job. You have no stress in acquiring the title because you're already employed (so the next step is trivial for now) and unless you plan on going full time university career... what's the point?

BUT, if your current job means working in a sweatshop sowing shirts for 18 hours a day or working in a coal mine 2km underground for 12h a day.. go for the PhD.

You see my point? What should be the decisive factor is how your current job is. Because the way I understand it, you will get the PhD either way, this is just all a matter of "do I get it in 1 year or in 5".

[t0p]

BUT, if your current job means working in a sweatshop sowing shirts for 18 hours a day or working in a coal mine 2km underground for 12h a day.. go for the PhD.


And what the heck's wrong with working down a coal mine? Both my pre-school age sons work down a mine and I never hear them complain. And I better not hear them complain, there are a lot more of them where they came from.

Gahd, this interwebz is so elitist!!!

[fontis]

And what the heck's wrong with working down a coal mine? Both my pre-school age sons work down a mine and I never hear them complain. And I better not hear them complain, there are a lot more of them where they came from.

Gahd, this interwebz is so elitist!!!

I never said it's wrong mate. My argument was about the work effort vs gain mate. Read the post again :)

[user1397]

Both my pre-school age sons work down a mine and I never hear them complain.
So your sons aged < 6 or so work in coal mines? Is this the 1850s?

[t0p]

So your sons aged < 6 or so work in coal mines? Is this the 1850s?

They used toclean chimneys; but one of them got stuck up there one day and I to waste my valuable time prodding him with a pointy stick. So now it's 18-hour shifts down the pit. While I sit in the pub with my whippet, reading the Racing Post.

[mips]

They used toclean chimneys; but one of them got stuck up there one day and I to waste my valuable time prodding him with a pointy stick. So now it's 18-hour shifts down the pit. While I sit in the pub with my whippet, reading the Racing Post.

Aah, sarcasm :biggrin: