Help in deciding....

[Summer531]

I am currently working on my BSM and would like to work toward my PhD. I am getting all kinds of advice on what to do and where to apply. But I don't think I am really understanding what I need to do. I have my own business taking care of senior citizens and would love to continue doing that. Should I or can I even go for a PhD? Should I go for a social worker degree or continue with my business degree and start writing articles on in home care for the elderly? Please help I am willing to listen to anything that will send me in the right direction.

[nesw4314]

It sounds as if you don't need a Ph.D. based on your entrepreneurial savvy. A Ph.D. is a research-based degree and based on the brief description of your business it doesn't sound as if a Ph.D. degree is necessary. Why do you think you'd like to work on your Ph.D.?

 

I would continue with the business degree because if at the end of the day your caregiver business doesn't work out you at least will have gained skills necessary to run another business that may or may not be completely unrelated to this one. You may decide to go work in banking, marketing, etc. However, if you get the social worker degree then you're pretty limited to just social work. I suppose the real question is do you want to be a business owner of the caregiver business or the actual person communicating with the senior citizens on a day to day basis as a social worker? That will help you answer your question as to which degree you should get between business and social work. 

 

If you decide you would like to pursue a Ph.D., though based on the information provided I'm not sure why you would, then you will have to identify and apply to schools that offer a Ph.D. in the discipline you're interested in studying at an in depth level for four to six years. You will have to acquire recommendations from people who can write well of you to admissions committees. Ultimately, admissions committees for Ph.D. programs accept people who they think have the potential to do good research and become scholars. I will say upfront that unless you want to go into academia (i.e., become a professor) or do consulting for a company in industry, I'm not sure what a Ph.D. in social work would do for you, especially as it pertains to your business. 

 

You also need to ask yourself if you'd even be able to handle pursuing the Ph.D. while running a business. Can the Ph.D. be completed online? How would you pay for the Ph.D.? Does the program offer money to admitted students or would you have to take out loans or use personal money?

 

Based off what I've read I don't think you need a Ph.D. I think you should continue with the business degree or social work degree, depending on your career goals, and potentially pursue an MBA after the initial degree.