Is a Ph.D. even worth it?

[auspiciouslinds]

I'm a senior biochemistry major who has always wanted to pursue a Ph.D. because I've always had a thirst for learning more and doing cancer research (for personal reasons).

 

I've been reading A LOT lately about graduate school life and post graduate school life. It seems that MOST people hate graduate school and some even end up hating research! After obtaining a Ph.D., the job market is TERRIBLE going into industry (due to lack of experience for people who jump right into graduate school after undergraduate) and EXTREMELY competitive going into academia.

 

I can go into industry after I get my BSci, but the pay would may be the equivalent of a non-degree job. 

I don't have money to fund a masters.

I may want to go into academia.

 

What's everyones opinion?

What I've read on the internet about how dumb getting a Ph.D. is and the aftermath seems sort of biased.

What about the good stories? 

[Lisa44201]

Keep in mind that the folks who like it probably aren't going to take to the interwebz to shout their joy from the highest electronic hill; complaints, on the other hand, are apparently fun to share with everyone. Yes, the job market sucks; income potential is better for graduate degree holders than it is folks with a BA/BS. Unfortunately, a Bachelor's degree doesn't carry a lot of weight anymore in the job market.

 

You especially are in a research-intensive area. If you don't like research, grad school is probably not a good idea for you. OTOH, if you want to go into academia, I'm guessing that's not an issue for you.

 

A PhD is not a guarantee, so you might want to apply to Master's programs with the understanding that you may have to take out loans to get through the program. Obviously a funded PhD would be better, but that doesn't always happen.

 

Personally, I like research, and I feel fortunate beyond measure to have been accepted into this PhD program (especially since I was not accepted the first time I applied, and got a Master's degree, instead). But I'm not going to blog about my happiness, either - for starters, I'm too busy with schoolwork, and besides, it seems like gloating. 

[MsDarjeeling]

I agree that the people who love grad school probably aren't sharing it with the internet world.  There are plenty of people enjoying themselves, I know I am and I'm only in a Master's program.  I also agree that liking research is important to survive most grad programs.  And yes the job market is rough for people at all education levels, but it isn't impossible to land a good paying job.  All the predictions about how people with Bachelor's degrees will end up starving and back home with their parents?  Ok that may be true for some, but I know some who walked into jobs paying 40k+ a year with full benefits.  No that isn't a ton of money, but for someone just starting out with little to no experience that's amazing.  There are people on both sides of the spectrum.

 

I think it is great that you're putting so much thought into this now because that will save you a lot of time and headache later.  It also sounds like you're not sure what you want to do and that is ok.  My suggestion would be to go into industry after you've finished your BSci.  So what if the pay is that of someone without a degree, in this challenged economy that is far better than unemployment.  What you'll gain other than your paycheck is exposure to career paths that exist in your field.  From there you can start to determine what you like and don't like.  Then you can look into Master's or PhD programs that will direct you along that path.  If a Master's is where you go I think its best to try to work your way through.  That way you can just take out loans for tuition/books to keep that balance low.  There are more programs designed for working adults so this could be a viable option for you.  You might get lucky and end up at a company that will help you pay for a Master's.  Or you might learn about scholarship/grant opportunities to help you fund that degree.  Or you might be accepted straight into a fully funded PhD program.  Either way grad school isn't the place where you figure out what you want to do, its way to expensive for that.  If you aren't sure (and thats ok many people aren't) go work for awhile until you figure it out.

[AnthroBetty]

Grad school is rough. However.. it is also rewarding. There is something to be said for getting to spend the majority of your time on your passion. If you're going into it with the sole purpose of  PhD = high paying job, then grad school isn't for you. School is not an automatic in to anything - its the opportunities it provides - good research, networking/conferences, solidifying your goals, etc.

 

I would definitely echo the recommendations that you go into the industry first.  Real world experience can't be beat, and it helps you figure out if what you thought you wanted to do is actually what you want to do.

[Eigen]

Your reasons for going for a PhD seem a bit weak, which would likely make a PhD alot harder. 

 

Generally, if you want one of the jobs that you can only do with a PhD (Professor, senior researcher, etc.) then you'll need to go for a PhD. If you're happy doing tech-level BS or MS work, then those are fine career paths. 

 

Similarly, a lot of your happiness in a PhD program will correspond to what program you pick, and what you look for when you pick that program. The friends of mine that are the most miserable picked programs on ranking and prestige, and some of them are so burned out that they won't be making use of that ranking and prestige in continuing on past a PhD. 

 

Personally, I have quite enjoyed graduate school- there are times that are difficult and stressful, but overall I've gotten paid a decent salary to learn and do what I enjoy doing. 

 

BioTech jobs are in a pretty good position, if your PhD is applicable to those openings. Pharma can be iffy as a whole, you'll definitely want to make connections. R1 academic jobs (heavy research faculty) are insanely competitive. But there are a lot of other faculty positions out there that are less so. 

 

Overall, you need to have a really good idea of where you're heading, what you want out of your PhD, and what you want to do after you get your PhD to decide if it's the right path for you. 

[wildviolet]

I have a good story. I love my program, my advisor, and (most) of my colleagues. I enjoy some aspects of research more than others (but that seems to be true of most professions). I can tolerate living in this small college town for the next four years (one year down, four more to go!).

 

But, I did my research. I researched rankings, I called recent graduates, I visited the program and met with my potential advisor, and I knew what I needed and wanted in a PhD program. So I'm very happy where I am right now. I have enough life experience to know where I want to end up (R1), and I have the support system here (including my advisor's reputation and connections) to make it happen. Is a PhD worth it? For me, heck yes!

[Guest |||]

We can go into all sorts of different debates on this, but I think something many of us would agree on

 

Academia is a fruit of passion, not of labor or safety

 

so when you pursue what youre passionate about, you often sacrifice many other things

 

 

Whether or not this is worth it for you, is up to you

[Tao.of.Graduate.School]

Agreed. I recall some advice I received from a professor immediately before I applied for graduate school: 

 

"In this game, we sacrifice money for freedom." 

 

I've never forgotten that, and similar professors across the disciplines and across universities have told me the same. 

 

Tons of horror stories out there, and as Lisa44201 pointed out, the "reviews" of graduate school are biased by those unfortunate souls who have been burned. 

 

In this end, what works for you?

[MikKar]

The most vocal folks posting things on the Internet are never the ones who are at peace with what they are doing. Unfortunately.

[Shamrock_Frog]

This is a question I've been struggling with. I don't think I will go for a Ph.D. Right now I'm looking into bioinformatics programs (MS). My undergraduate degree is in biology and while I was there the plan was vet school. I didn't apply right away (actually I still had 2-3 pre-reqs to take) and worked in the field for five years. I decided that's not what I want to do anymore. (I actually went through a half-@$$ed application cycle because I knew I would regret it if I didn't).

 

I've always loved two things: biology and computers. Bioinformatics is what I'm looking into now for that reason. I found an online program that I could do part time and still work full time, because my situation right now does not allow for any other options.

[beatrice12]

Yes it definitely worth a lot.

[Guest |||]

Yes it definitely worth a lot.

 

As a side, the value of a ph.d. is also of coruse field specific.  No one is going to benefit if we pretend all degrees are equally in demand.

[happykitten62]

I think that depends on how you define "worth it". Some people think "worth it" means they can get money from it or they can get a highly paid job from it, while some people think "worth it" means it is their dream/what they are passionate about so it makes them happy.

 

To me, before I started grad school, I knew I had always wanted to go to grad school, do research and eventually find a job in academia, because I like that a lot - that is what my passion is on and doing that makes me happy. I know I can probably also get a decent paid job even with my BS in chemistry, but "decent paid job" does not necessarily equal to a happy life (to me, anyway), so I got into grad school and so far I'm pretty happy about my life.

 

So I would say before you get started, ask yourself what you want, be very honest with yourself, and make sure you know what YOU want, not what other people want from you or what others will think of you, etc.. If you think a PhD worth it, go for it!! (And good luck!!)

[MikKar]

If you know exactly what you want out of a graduate program, then I would say that yes, a Ph.D is definitely worth it.

[Pauli]

Depends on the field.

[mpheels]

It sounds like you know you want to do research, but don't have a really strong career plan beyond that. I recommend working for a few years before starting grad school. Look at industry jobs, and also research assistant positions at universities. Once you spend sometime working full time in research, you'll know if you are happy being a worker bee, of if you want to pursue your own questions. That is one of the essential differences between having a PhD or not. If you are content working on someone else's questions, then you'll be fine with a masters (or even a BS). If you find yourself thinking of new research questions all the time, then you'll probably want a PhD.

 

The bottom line is that you don't have to know/decide right now. It's OK, even preferable, to work for a year or two. A few years of work experience will give you more direction, make you applications stronger, and put you in a better place if/when you do get a graduate degree.