i cant decide whether to do a phd in psychology or not

[emily3333]

Hi I have applied for a phd in social psychology and neuroscience and so far have two interviews and will be hearing final decison on tuesday.

uptill sometime last week i was fully sure this was a dream come true, but now im having second thoughts

heres where i am at, I'm 35 and i worry about spending 4 years being a very stressed broke student and then entering a very competive job market at age 40. the prospect of hanging around my parents house looking for work in my early 40s puts the fear of god in me to be honest.

I love studying and love psychology and would feel some regret about giving it all up, but im thinking i might have a better quality of life, and while im not materialistic, i want a house and car and good quality of life.

i've been accepted inot a masters in health promotion at a very good university, the job seems interesting, rewarding and alies well with ideology.

i would very interested in working with voluntary or governemt agencies promoting health for disadvantaged groups such as those with mental illnesses, or even working to change stigma and attitudes for those groups, which i believe affects thier quality of life and ability to participatte in thier communities.

so sorry this is so long,

my choice is one years masters and finally get a decent job, or do a phd --- i like the idea of the challenge of a phd and i love doing literature reviews , find some of the research process can be stressful, tedious and thankless at times

ive come up with a really interesting topic and have found supervisor who likes my ideas, i sometimes feel thats too special of an oppotunity to turn down?

anyway i have bored you enough--- advice and opinions lease,

thanks,

emily

[jmbrown88]

40 is the new 28, pursue the a Phd, work your ass off and you'll be rewarded. so long as you shine in graduate school (conducting research, attending conferences, etc.) you can stand out from the crowd. i say go for it!

[PsychGirl1]

^^ second jmbrown88. if you don't do it now, you never will. your age means you will probably have much more life experience and professionalism than the other students, which can work to your advantage. then again, you probably won't find a job that pays incredibly well in what you want to do, so if you care more about the money, maybe look at some average salaries for people in that field and decide if you can handle it. in my mind, 4 years of sacrifice- even if it means living home with your parents- is nothing compared to the next 30-40 years that you'll be working and doing something you love :-)

[psychdork]

As it sounds like you will know about the PhD program very soon, I would wait until then (assuming you don't need to let the masters program know before then) and see what happens. If you don't get in, then go for the masters program and if you do get in, well you will have a decision to make. It's no use trying to make a decision that you might not have to make (though with that being said I am hopeful that you will get accepted). It sounds like to me this is just cold feet (I've been there) and really it is only 4 years. Don't focus on the 4 years of misery (and from my experience, grad school isn't all misery) but focus on what's after grad school.

Here's a different way of thinking about this...let's say you do get accepted to the PhD program and you turn it down, do you see your future self regretting this decision? No matter how frustrated I get, and how many times I want to quit my masters program and just forget about a PhD program, I know that if I give up on this I will regret it.

[DarwinAG]

Here's a different way of thinking about this...let's say you do get accepted to the PhD program and you turn it down, do you see your future self regretting this decision? No matter how frustrated I get, and how many times I want to quit my masters program and just forget about a PhD program, I know that if I give up on this I will regret it.

Well put. Seconded.

[heatherb]

I agree with the above - go with what feels right, don't feel that you have to put pressure on yourself/time limits on yourself in terms of achieving X by Y date. If you think you'll enjoy it, what's to lose? If in doubt make a list of pro's and con's, that always helps me

[ILuvPsych2013]

I agree with all of the above. I am 30, with a husband and two toddlers at home and JUST getting ready to complete my bachelors; I definitely have some of the same insecurities and fears when I look ahead to a PhD program, but if you are researching subjects that you are passionate about then the time will be well spent. Research can be frustrating and tedious for everyone! Focus on the positives and warm up those cold feet! :-)

[emily3333]

thanks for all the advice, still confused though, i think at this stage I will just have to do some soul searching and hopefully i will come to some sort of peace regarding a decision, i just dont trust myself at all to make the right decision and worried that i will probably have to make it really soon

thanks for all your advice though, it has given me alot of food for thought

emily