Hi all,
I'm in a bit of a complicated situation and would like to share my story with all of you. I hope that by sharing this It will help me figure out what I should do in the coming months regarding application to Ph.D/Ed.D programs. I will begin by giving a bit of background about myself, then I will explain my current situation, lastly I will propose the questions that have been keeping me awake at night the last few weeks.
I am a Hispanic male in my mid 20's currently attending a Masters program at a State University. I graduated from a State University with an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and currently hold a graduate GPA of 3.95. My GRE scores fall around the range of Q142 V160 Writing: 5.5. I am the first person in my family to have attended college and would like to get some advice from others who have gone through the graduate school experience.
My area of study is among those listed as "social sciences" on this forum. I am a little over halfway done with my Master's program and have been encouraged by many of my professors to not only present my work at multiple conferences, but also to apply to some of the top Ph.D programs in my field. I know that If I wanted to go that rout I could, but I know that I do not want to be a full time scholar / researcher. In fact, I have really started to grow tired and uninterested in my current area of study. I usually avoid going to conferences and have no real interest to publish my research in abstract journals. No, my real passion falls within the realm of teaching.
Indeed, my ultimate goal is to be a full time professor at a community college (i.e., a full time educator not a researcher). Despite this, I have been encouraged several times by various people to pursue a Ph.D in my discipline. I on the other hand believe than an Ed.D with an emphasis on Higher Education would be more in line with my goals. In fact, I have identified several Ed.D programs close to me that offer such a specialization. I have spoken to people who have completed the Ed.D programs that I am interested in and have been informed that the programs are:
1. Doable in 2-3 years
2. Designed for Working professionals
3. Emphasize practical application and learning skills over researcher training.
These are essentially the three things that I would want out of a graduate program.
With this in mind, I am all but convinced that when choosing between a Ph.D and an Ed.D I should probably apply to the Ed.D. However, there is an additional issue that I am contending with. That issue is my own academic exhaustion. I am just plain tired of being in school. I have been in college for a total of 8 years non stop now and even though I am in the middle of my summer break, I still feel exhausted and don't even want to think about next semester. I don't know if it is wise to apply to an Ed.D program when my energy level for academic work is at an all time low. With that said, there is a very good reason to apply to the Ed.D program as well. That reason being the increased job opportunity and salary that comes with an Ed.D. If I were to start teaching as an adjunct upon finishing my M.A. I would essentially be making about $38,000 - $40,000/year starting. This salary is assuming I teach 6-7 classes per semester as an adjunct. If I were to do the same job as an adjunct with a Ed.D I would be looking at roughly $51,000 starting salary. Assuming that I manage to land full time employment, my salary would being in the range of $55,000-$60,000 while only teaching about 5 classes per semester. The best part is I would be in a community college, and I wouldn't have to research!
So my questions are:
1. Should I consider the Ph.D rout even though I no longer have interest in researching within my discipline?
2. Should I suck it up and begin a Ed.D program as soon as I graduate from my current M.A. program?
3. Would you recommend I work for less money with my M.A. for a few years before making any decisions?
4. What is your opinion on going into a Ph.D/Ed.D program while suffering from high levels of academic exhaustion/ burnout?
Thanks all! Hope to get some replies that will help me make up my mind. I need to know in the next 1-2 months whether or not I will be applying for the Ed.D or a Ph.D program.