Should I do a PhD?

[amelie_la fleur]

hello!

I need some help deciding what to do, or at least hearing from other people, so that I can better inform my own decision

I just received an offer to Brown Sociology PhD program.  The offer includes full scholarship for tuition, health care, and $2,700 per month stipend.

I currently work for the government in Hawaii.  I earn 90k, and work in budgeting/financial analysis.  It's not ideally what I thought I'd be doing, but it is living on a tropical island and earning good money.  But when it is all said and done, I do not like or enjoy my job much.  It is just not that fun.  I am often sad or miserable doing it.  I have interests in social sciences, and the best time of my life was when I was doing my masters degree in Development studies in London.  I love reading articles, writing papers, researching, thinking, etc.

I would LOVE to be a professor - but I am about to turn 29, and I don't know if I should just find other work that appeals to me more, or go into the PhD program.  I look for jobs often, but it is hard to find ones that sound appealing to me and still earn a decent wage.

My background is in Economics, and although I like Sociology and it sounds the most "fun" and critical, I don't know how the job prospects are.

With that said, I am sure a PhD from Brown will go far.  And I'm a hard worker and have very global interests in Sociology, which I feel like is the future of the field.  Also, I would take a lot of quantitative courses, and maybe get a MA in Economics while I'm there. 

If I do the PhD, I would love to get a professorship in Europe and relocate there permanently.  Don't know how possible that is?

Overall, I'd say I'm very confused.  And could definitely use any input anyone has!!

[ZeChocMoose]

Given that the academic job market isn't very good, I don't think it is a great idea to attend a PhD program soley to become a professor.  It often leads to disappointment.  The questions I would want to know is what are the non-academic job opportunities for a PhD in Sociology?  If they are not good - that would give me major pause as I wouldn't want to bank on getting an academic job given the state of the market.  How many years does the program guarantee funding?  If it is not enough to complete the program -- what happens once you run out of funding?  What is the median time of degree?    I am also in a social science PhD program and they can take a fair amount of time-- 5, 6, 7+ years.  I think you would want to be very sure that this makes sense for you in the future or at least reasonably sure before you attend.

 

Alternatively - can you transfer to another department in the government that might make your happier at your job? 

Edited February 16, 2016 by ZeChocMoose

[Shamon]

@amelie_la fleur, congratulations on your acceptance at Brown - that's a fine program!

I'm in a very similar spot as you, though I do not currently have a 90k salary  In spite of my current meager financial situation, the job prospect is something I also have thought about deeply throughout the application and decision-making process. Many have said that the sociology job market is bleak, although ASA argues otherwise. You have better job prospects if your research is related to crime and health, perhaps because of their salience in policy-making - you mentioned quant, which is also in high demand.

A lot like yourself, I turned to a PhD because I just did not find the jobs out there in my field to be intellectually satisfying so I think it's fair to want to do a PhD in order to become a professor, because those kind of occupations generally allow for the intellectual stimulation that I believe you find lacking in your life right now. But zechocmoose is right to caution you. It is good to be mentally prepared for a non-academic career given the high competitiveness for academic jobs. I would say that even if you don't secure a professorship after getting the PhD, you will still be trained in highly rigorous methodologies that will be useful wherever you go, which may raise your job satisfaction, even in non-academic positions.

So in a nutshell, my humble opinion is that job satisfaction is very important and a PhD can help with that but you may want to be ready for a less lavish life On the other hand, if your job satisfaction at your current, well-paying job, is not so low, and you find yourself wishing to settle down (believe me, I understand that sentiment), then it is worthwhile rethinking the PhD route. But don't let age dictate your decision.