Is a PhD in Science worth it?

[Jehanne]

Of course, I am talking about people who are just "good students", and not people who are brilliant, such as Stephen Hawking, whose destiny it is to teach at Cambridge.  Having said that, it seems to me that Universities are operating a bit of a pyramid scheme, in that they can attract a lot of very talented individuals to become graduate students, whom they pay low wages to, who then perform the work of the University, such as teaching undergraduates, grading papers, etc.  And, if they are one of the 60 or so percent, they can, after 4 to 8 years, get their PhD in a very nice commencement ceremony.

But, in doing that, they are giving up high paying jobs with great benefits all the while losing out on home equity, compound interest on their retirement, seniority and experience in their careers, etc.  And, then, to top it off, once they have their PhD, they are likely to have accumulated some more debt, but after commencement, many of them are without jobs!  And, worse off, industry, for many jobs, views them as being "over-educated and under-qualified".

And, so, short of being brilliant (which usually means being born brilliant), "Is a PhD in Science really worth it?"

[I_am_not_mafia]

If you have to ask then no. Do the PhD because you are passionate about the subject and learning and self improvement. It has to motivate you enough to get out of bed for the next three years and start working.I actually want to do a second one now, but doing a PhD has hurt me financially over my career and potential employers worry that I won't stick around. But I do benefit from having a PhD when applying for the few jobs which are suited to me.

[Jehanne]

If you have to ask then  no. Do the PhD because you are passionate about the subject and learning and self improvement. It has to motivate you enough to get out of bed for the next three years and start working.I actually want to do a second one now, but doing a PhD has hurt me financially over my career and potential employers worry that I won't stick around. But I do benefit from having a PhD when applying for the few jobs which are suited to me.

What field is your PhD in?  And, by the way, great answer to my question!

[I_am_not_mafia]

If you have to ask then  no. Do the PhD because you are passionate about the subject and learning and self improvement. It has to motivate you enough to get out of bed for the next three years and start working.I actually want to do a second one now, but doing a PhD has hurt me financially over my career and potential employers worry that I won't stick around. But I do benefit from having a PhD when applying for the few jobs which are suited to me.

What field is your PhD in?  And, by the way, great answer to my question!

Biologically inspired artificial intelligence. I found establishing an academic career harder than doing the PhD. Depending on the field, only 10% actually stay on in academia afterwards. But one thing a PhD gives you is the confidence to try your hand at anything.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

My fiancé is researching for one, she loves her field (microbiology) and wants to be in research and teaching in higher education. So for her it is. And she gets paid to work at the university, more than your average post-doc as well, so she's doing really well for herself.

If you're looking for money, or an easy life, I would say no. But I guess you have to have a passion and a desire for it. Talking from experience, to get one requires just as much willpower to keep going than anything else.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

A former mate of mine has a PhD in either geology or geophysics (been a long time, not sure). The last I heard, he was running an insurance cooperative. Why? Because it turned out that he hated doing geoscience for a living.

So, like Mama said, if you're note passionate about your field, I'd have to say no, it isn't worth it. On the other hand, I imagine there are scads of people with doctorates in real science who love what they do so much that the financial hardships and all the other headaches that accompany the process must seem a small price to pay.

Neither of those was the case with me. My doctorate cost just £9.99 from the online University of Woolamoloo (accreditation really, REALLY pending). So, if any of you need a Doctor of Philosophunculism, send me your contact info.

Boru

[Jehanne]

What field is your PhD in?  And, by the way, great answer to my question!

Biologically inspired artificial intelligence. I found establishing an academic career harder than doing the PhD. Depending on the field, only 10% actually stay on in academia afterwards. But one thing a PhD  gives you is the confidence to try your hand at anything.

I have heard that "10% figure", too.  As for me, I was one of those many "good students" but was not (and, am not) "brilliant"; in fact, I struggled early on in elementary school, but developed a love of science and math through the writings of Carl Sagan, and especially, Cosmos.  The book appealed to me much more than did the series, and I vividly remember in sixth grade or so sloshing through Sagan's proof in the first appendix on the irrationality of the square root of 2 (which, eventually, I came to understand) but became hopelessly lost on the second proof in the appendix that followed on Euclidean geometry.

Eventually, I got a BS in computer science and then a MBA, which the company whom I was working for covered the tuition.  I still study, daily, in fact, but not intensely; I still have an interest and love of math and science and do not wish to forget what I have learned.  Sometimes, such knowledge even comes up at my office, and I have gotten dirty looks from some fellow engineers, who, it seems, have forgotten nearly everything from their college days!

[Alex K]

I agree with Mathilda, if you have to ask... I did mine first and foremost because I was passiomate about the subject, and the expectation that I would probably be able to make a living afterwards was just one of the conditions that had to be met.

But the idea that you are giving up high paying jobs when doing a PhD is wrong. I've encountered plenty of industry jobs where they explicitely hire PhDs.

[Anomalocaris]

Of course, I am talking about people who are just "good students", and not people who are brilliant, such as Stephen Hawking, whose destiny it is to teach at Cambridge.  Having said that, it seems to me that Universities are operating a bit of a pyramid scheme, in that they can attract a lot of very talented individuals to become graduate students, whom they pay low wages to, who then perform the work of the University, such as teaching undergraduates, grading papers, etc.  And, if they are one of the 60 or so percent, they can, after 4 to 8 years, get their PhD in a very nice commencement ceremony.

But, in doing that, they are giving up high paying jobs with great benefits all the while losing out on home equity, compound interest on their retirement, seniority and experience in their careers, etc.  And, then, to top it off, once they have their PhD, they are likely to have accumulated some more debt, but after commencement, many of them are without jobs!  And, worse off, industry, for many jobs, views them as being "over-educated and under-qualified".

And, so, short of being brilliant (which usually means being born brilliant), "Is a PhD in Science really worth it?"

Worth what?  Commensurate increase in earning potential?  Most likely, no.   Assured career in academia?  Probably not.  Satisfaction of experience and training in independent research, maybe.

If you think of life like a business, then most likely PhD is a bad investment.   If you think life is LIFE, then what do you want from LIFE and what trade off will you accept?

---

I agree with Mathilda, if you have to ask...

But the idea that you are giving up high paying jobs when doing a PhD is wrong. I've encountered plenty of industry jobs where they explicitely hire PhDs.

Yes, but if high paying job is you sole goal, is a PhD the best way to get it?

[Alex K]

Of course, I am talking about people who are just "good students", and not people who are brilliant, such as Stephen Hawking, whose destiny it is to teach at Cambridge.  Having said that, it seems to me that Universities are operating a bit of a pyramid scheme, in that they can attract a lot of very talented individuals to become graduate students, whom they pay low wages to, who then perform the work of the University, such as teaching undergraduates, grading papers, etc.  And, if they are one of the 60 or so percent, they can, after 4 to 8 years, get their PhD in a very nice commencement ceremony.

But, in doing that, they are giving up high paying jobs with great benefits all the while losing out on home equity, compound interest on their retirement, seniority and experience in their careers, etc.  And, then, to top it off, once they have their PhD, they are likely to have accumulated some more debt, but after commencement, many of them are without jobs!  And, worse off, industry, for many jobs, views them as being "over-educated and under-qualified".

And, so, short of being brilliant (which usually means being born brilliant), "Is a PhD in Science really worth it?"

Worth what? Commensurate increase in earning power? Most likely, no. Assured career in academia? Probably not. Satisfaction of experience and training in independent research, maybe.

If you think of life like a business, then most likely PhD is a bad investment. If you think life is LIFE, then what do you want from LIFE?

---

I agree with Mathilda, if you have to ask...

But the idea that you are giving up high paying jobs when doing a PhD is wrong. I've encountered plenty of industry jobs where they explicitely hire PhDs.

Yes, but if high paying job is you sole goal, is a PhD the best way to get it?

It depends on which job you are aiming for. There are certain jobs in leadership positions where a PhD is encouraged, but for many it is not. There were a few people in my grad physics program who were clearly there to make a career and couldn't care less about the science. I despised them for that.