To go or not to go?

[rricenator]

So...

I have an interesting issue facing me in the coming year.

 

A) I have an internship which will likely evolve into FT permanent employment.  It is not the highest paying, but is certainly decent, the work is fascinating, relevant to my major, has room for growth, the company is good to employees, the job is stable, reliable, and not subject to market whims, as my last several have been.

 

I have a strong momentum toward graduate school.  Contact with my intended advisor is unbelievably positive, his upcoming project not  only has room, but seems tailor-made to my background and education, all my ducks are in a row and I have also been in contact with the faculty that would be chosen as my entire advisory committee.  The PhD program is exceedingly well funded (I would have a free ride and be paid - assistantships and fellowships), the program is well respected, the research is cutting edge and important. 

 

I won't find out if I am admitted for a while yet, but the outlook is pretty good (obviously this means nothing, and nothing is truly decided until it's time).  Should I sacrifice the good job for the grad degree? 

 

It would mean selling my house, uprooting my family, and moving to a new community, buying a new home, whole lot of stress and hassle.  The stable long term employment seems better for my family, but would the PhD be better in the long run?

 

In the end, I don't anticipate relying on cyber advice to make the decision, but I always welcome opinions from other people.

 

 

[Swagato]

All of those positive signs mean nothing either way as far as your PhD admission is concerned. Only when you have that official word will you have any certainty there. And even so, what then? Of course you will be covered for tuition and will receive a stipend--isn't that the basic expectation for doing a PhD in the humanities or social sciences today? If your program is any good, they will cover tuition, provide for health insurance, and will pay a stipend. That goes without saying.

 

The real question is what happens afterward. Your family will need to settle into the new place. Many of the major universities can be located in college towns, and are thus removed from the amenities possible in a large city. All of which doesn't even account for the big gorilla in the room: post-PhD employment. If you aren't already aware of the brutal competition across the humanities and the social sciences, now is a great time to do some reading there.

 

I don't see why you can't keep the job going until you learn what happens with the PhD admission, and then evaluate circumstances as they are at that time?

Edited June 23, 2013 by Swagato

[juilletmercredi]

If you haven't yet been admitted, you probably won't be able to begin this fall anyway - it's probably for a Fall 2014 start date unless this is an exceptional PhD program.  Besides, everything right now is hypothetical - you don't know if you're in the program, and you don't know if the internship will become full-time.  Why don't you wait until you do?  Assuming that your PhD program will admit you for a Fall 2014 start date anyway, you have almost a year to work in your job and decide whether you like it and would rather stay there.

 

The question is, is the job the kind of job you would want to get regardless of whether you had the PhD?  Is your ideal job/field one that requires a PhD in your field?  Whether or not the PhD will be better in the long run depends entirely on your field and what you want to do, as well as the stability of that field and employment for PhDs within it.

[rricenator]

I suppose I should have clarified a tad.  Anthropology (social science) is my first undergrad degree.  I applied to several grad programs in anthro last year for admission fall 2013.  I was waitlisted to my preferred institution, having had excellent communication with my intended advisor, but in the end did not get in.  In the meantime, I am completing a second undergrad in my former minor, Geology (physical/environmental science).  I am beginning the process of applying to two groups of graduate programs, one in anthro, one in geology.  I know it's early, no apps are available for 2014 yet, but it's never too early to contact faculty who may end up being your advisor. 

 

This is the source of my enthusiastic communication with a potential advisor, in the geology graduate program, and at a school I would love to attend.  You are correct that all the speculation in the world is meaningless until I have an acceptance letter in hand, and that is 8-9 months away.  But I felt it was a good first step.

 

The internship/job is in field geology, it is quite fun, and there seems to be consensus amongst the old timers that I was hired to be a permanent addition upon graduation (one of them is retiring in spring).  Benefits are good, pay is okay, and there is room for growth.  It is local (no need to move).  there are other positives.  I suppose I am really jumping the gun with my speculation, but I can't help it. 

 

Thanks for your input,

[rricenator]

Let's update this situation. 

 

In discussions with the family, we made the decision that the proverbial bird in the hand was not worth looking in the mouth (I love mixing metaphors), and I should keep the internship/permanent job after graduating with my Geology degree.  Stability, reliability, and the opportunity to begin building without having to start from scratch somewhere else.  Moving sucks.  Especially with a family.

 

Immediately upon the conclusion of this discussion amongst ourselves, almost as if the fates were eavesdropping, I received a follow up email from my potential advisor, of whom I spoke earlier.  This email was even more positive than the last.  He discussed what projects "we" could focus on when I arrive in Fall 2014 (he has a geophysics project in Antarctica!), and wants to schedule a phone call to discuss them further.  He feels bad that the first project he mentioned has been shelved for now, as he thought I was a "unique fit for that project."  Oh, and he also discouraged me from addressing him as Dr. Xxx, as the university has a first-name culture.  Call me by my first name.  Really?

My current institution is that way also, but is much smaller and more intimate (25 graduates/year in this department).  By the time you graduate, you have been to your professor's house and been camping together.  It's normal to be informal here.

 

So, the fence was built, but the grass beyond grew yet greener.  I was asked what my ultimate goal would be, and I remain very open in that regard.  Long term stable employment doing science = awesome.  PhD and chance to teach and conduct research at a university = awesome also.  I like researching, writing, doing field work, and presenting.  I really do.  I also like being a team member that is counted on and responsible and not moving, or changing my whole life. 

That said, I have discovered that once degreed, one can work in industry and still conduct independent research on the side, sometimes with small grant funding, and write about/present your work at local organization meetings (like the GSA - Rocky Mountain division, for instance, or the CCPA).  Maybe this is what I will do. 

 

After all, my family's needs need to come first, right?

*sigh*