Hello all,
I've thought about applying for a Ph.D. for some time, and now after gaining adjunct teaching experience and volunteering at a local university on a few research projects I'm inching closer to taking the plunge. My professional background and teaching experience are in marketing, but I've always been more drawn to topics in OB (and my research experience is here). So I'm a bit torn as to which programs to apply to. If you have any experience in either field, I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on the following questions:
1. Is the academic job market better in one field over the other?
2. Is there any down side to applying for both types of programs and seeing where I can get in?
3. Is either field more or less restricting geographically once the degree is completed? It seems like marketing departments tend to be larger, which might mean greater control over job location.
4. Do industry experience and industry contacts in a particular field offer any benefits? Would it make it easier to conduct real world experiments and gather data for research?
5. I fully intend to be extremely busy in either type of program. But I do have a family to consider as well. If anyone has experience at an east coast US program in either field that they perceive as more "family friendly", I'd love to hear about your experience.
Thanks for your input!
