why do you want a phd?

[bsharpe269]

The "Shound you get a phd" post got me wondering why people in various fields want to pursue a phd. I wonder if motivation is similar across the board or if it will be very different between fields. If you had to sum up in a couple sentances the main reason why you want a phd, what would it be? Also, what field are you in?

 

I will start:

 

I am working on a MS in bioinformatics and plan on getting a phd in biophysics. I want to a phd so that I can become a researcher with the hope of eventually producing research that can make a positive impact in the field of drug development, specifically related to developing protein based drugs like monoclonal antibodies. Also, I honestly just have a drive to do research. I love it and it is the only work that seems to fufil me.

 

Anyone else want to share your motivation?

 

[kaleisi]

It feels like a lot of people tend to go for a PhD because it seems like the obvious/expected path to take after a certain point - NOT because they're into intense research.

 

(In my field, it's also because they can't teach/open a clinic without a PhD.)

Edited April 1, 2014 by kaleisi

[Guest criminologist]

Not being able to get a research-related position in my field because of the amount of competition and not many jobs, and the fact that I lack a lot of work experience which places prefer. A PhD is something I'm willing to do but not my most preferred choice. 

[justinmcummings]

I want to get a PhD because the interesting research and development type jobs in my field require the higher degrees. For my field a masters will be almost standard in a couple years and a higher degree will help set me apart. I want a job that requires me to think and use what I learned in school. Also, being able to say you're a doctor is also a plus :-)

[Nautiloid]

For me it's 28% childhood dream chasing, 31% love for research, and 39% "YOU MEAN THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WILL PAY ME TO DO SCIENCE?" 

 

Beyond all that, there is a logistical 2%, but I don't often consider it. It's just kinda there, like: "Hey, you also have to eat, but whatever."  

[m-ttl]

It's a combination of things, for me: I really really love research and my field, I'm getting paid for it, and my intended career path usually requires it in the area of specialty I want to enter into. Being a scholar with practical experience is a huge boost to my career. I'm an Art Historian on a curatorial track, so it's research I love + work I love. Since a PhD is often required for curatorial jobs nowadays, and I'm getting paid for mine, I do not feel I am taking a big risk that is uncalculated. Honestly, the connections I will gain this way and the abilities I will have will make me a competitive applicant and I can always switch fields later.

[colinmatthew]

So, I may be in for some really devastating disappointment, but... it just kinda sounds like fun.

 

I'm not sure if I'll want to stay in academia or will split (how can you know this when its 5+ years out?), but to me getting paid to become really good at something you like to do sounds pretty great. Bring on the disappointment.

[Vene]

I want to do research for a living, I've mostly found temporary work doing quality control/assurance and I'm sick of it. The pay cut I'll be taking for a stipend is worth getting health insurance. I've also seen firsthand how valuable a PhD is for an industrial scientist's career. I've seen a lot of apprehension about an academic career, but not having that as my goal is actually really freeing.

[reinhard]

Creativity. No matter how much it pays, I really don't think I can do the same thing over and over again for years. I need a career that can give me something new everytime.

[juilletmercredi]

I'm in the social sciences, and specifically, I'm in public health and social psychology.

 

I started out wanting to get a PhD because I loved research, and I wanted to become a researcher at a government agency or a private or semi-private think tank.  I do social-health research, and I wanted to use the social sciences in public health to study people's health behaviors and help create interventions and programs that would try to make or keep people healthy.

 

In the middle of my program, I started to get more confused about what I wanted to do, and at that point I decided to continue to try to finish my PhD because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do; a PhD would prevent me from doing none of the non-PhD-required positions I thought sounded cool, but WOULD prevent me from getting some of the PhD-required positions I thought sounded cool.

 

Now that I'm at the end of my PhD, I realize that I really love both teaching and research.  I love working with students, mentoring them, and trying to show them how they can use social science, statistics, and public health in their every day lives and careers (even if they don't aspire to being a researcher or professor).  I also like helping younger folks figure out what they want to do with their lives, because I explored a lot of fields and felt a lot of uncertainty and I want to let them know that's okay, and it's normal.  And I still really love research, and still want to look at the connections between human behavior and psychology and physical health.  Of course, the job that suits that best is being a professor...so even though I didn't initially intend to become an academic when I started the enterprise, it turns out that's what I really want to do.

[Flandre Scarlet]

I have no research experience, so I don't even know if I'll like it.  But, I'd like to contribute something to the field.  I love algorithms, I'd love to be paid studying them.  Other than that, I suck at everything.  School's the only thing I'm half decent at.

 

I probably won't end up with a PhD though.  Economic reasons and incompetency =(.

[themmases]

I love the process of doing research, and wanted to be a historian before this. When I got into coordinating clinical research, I found I still loved it because it is research. I like planning studies and integrating our study design with the actual resources and conditions of our hospital. I like spending a moderate amount of time with patients and the rest of the time concentrating deeply on something alone.

 

I want autonomy. I understand that researchers aren't free agents and are accountable to employers, funding bodies, the public, their research subjects, etc. But I coordinate research right now, which I like, and I've also experienced being right about the study design but being talked over; having an idea that gets "maybe someday" when I say it, and fast-tracked when the department chair says it; and generally that people feel free to call me "the research assistant", ask if I'm a student, pile on administrative tasks for their pet projects that aren't research, and treat me like an intern when they disagree with me even though I'm a 26 year old professional with 6 years of experience doing my job. I know I could be a good manager of people like me, and a good collaborator to the people I work for now who are good clinicians but really do not understand research or study design.

 

I will be qualified to do this stuff as an individual contributor but not a PI after completing an MS, and I'll be using this time to decide if the PhD is what I really want.

[artichoke203]

I like research in general, but what really gave me a push to pursue a PhD is teaching. I've TA'd a few labs during my undergrad and I absolutely loved it! Looking back, I think it's really interesting because I always thought teaching must be so boring when I was younger. In addition, I did my undergrad at a small liberal arts college, where student-faculty relationships are super friendly and personal. Some of the professors I met here have become huge inspirations for me and I'd love to be able to have that kind of mentorship with my students some day.

[Macavity]

Because even if I'm not guaranteed an academic job in the end, at least I'll have a decent income for the next 4-6 years, doing something I enjoy and am good at. I plan on treating it like a 40hr/week job.

[skyentist]

My parents said they would spank me if I dont get a nobel prize and a PhD.