If I have the funding, is it worth it to go abroad for research for two years?

[maelia8]

So this funding cycle turned out really well and it looks like I've been offered two prestigious 10-month overseas research grants. They cannot be used at the same time, but I might be able to defer one a bit and use them back to back. If so, should I do it? I know that in my department this does not mean that I get to add a year to normative time, and I'd be leaving my home department for relative isolation for quite some time and be expected to have a great deal of writing done before I come back. That being said, it's a whole lot of funding and freedom that I'm looking at here. Anybody who's done this want to weigh in on their experience, or whether it was worth it? This would be for archival research, not time in a lab. 

[TakeruK]

Will the research you do on these grants be part of your dissertation? If so, then I don't think you need to worry about not getting an extra year, right? Since you'll be progressing towards your degree whether or not you are here or abroad.

If this research is not going to count towards your dissertation, then does this mean you will have less time to complete your dissertation? In this case, it's up to you to decide whether this side project is worth the time you spend on it. Basically, by doing a side project as a grad student, you are extending the time you're being underpaid**. So if I had the similar choice, I would ask myself: Does this project help me get a good postdoc (or whatever my next career goal is)? If so, then it might be worth it. If not, then I wouldn't do it---you can try to do it later while paid as an actual researcher.

(**By "underpaid", I know that some might argue that while our salaries are low, the value we get from our degree is still worth it. Even if you accept that reasoning, if this side project is not helping you towards your degree, but you are still being paid as a grad student, then the work is still underpaid work!)

[maelia8]

@TakeruK this would be part of the dissertation - the pay would be exactly the same whether I was in the US or abroad, since my department tops up any outside fellowship to the amount that they deem necessary for maintenance. So basically, if I go for one year I'd research the whole time and then start writing when I get back, while if I went for a second year I'd be expected to start writing while I was still abroad (but still have access to the archives right there in case I needed more info or if the direction of the dissertation changed). Normative time to degree would also not change. In short, it would help my research/dissertation prospects, but probably hurt my departmental connections, teaching experience, and personal life (I have a long-term partner who can't accompany me).                       

[rising_star]

I had to make a similar decision and opted to spend an extra six months in the field. I did some writing, ended up adding an entire component to my dissertation that has been especially helpful for post-dissertation research, and also took a little downtime to relax before gearing up for the sprint that is the job market combined with finishing a dissertation. For me, it was 100% worth it and I don't regret it at all, though there are definitely aspects of my situation that differ from yours (for example, I was single at the time). FWIW, more teaching isn't necessarily better. I'm not sure how much teaching experience you have but you may not actually need more to be competitive on the job market depending on what your goals are. Happy to discuss more via PM if you want.

[kaufdichglücklich]

Maybe this varies by field, but I am in Art History and everyone in my department who is not an americanist or a parent does this. It is actually somewhat looked down upon if you don't. We have maybe 15% of our grad students staying on campus after the 3rd year. I didn't realize this was uncommon. I don't see how it would be an issue at all unless you were running up against the completion clock and had some kind of final year residency requirement. How far along are you in the program? Did you just become ABD or are you already at work on the dissertation? 

[TakeruK]

2 hours ago, maelia8 said:

@TakeruK this would be part of the dissertation - the pay would be exactly the same whether I was in the US or abroad, since my department tops up any outside fellowship to the amount that they deem necessary for maintenance. So basically, if I go for one year I'd research the whole time and then start writing when I get back, while if I went for a second year I'd be expected to start writing while I was still abroad (but still have access to the archives right there in case I needed more info or if the direction of the dissertation changed). Normative time to degree would also not change. In short, it would help my research/dissertation prospects, but probably hurt my departmental connections, teaching experience, and personal life (I have a long-term partner who can't accompany me).                       

Oh okay, I misunderstood what you meant by "normative time to degree". I had thought you meant this is the typical time towards your degree that your dept will allow without requiring special permission (or with full funding), i.e. a "degree milestone clock". So I thought that if your dept's normative time to degree was 6 years, when you said you won't "get to add a year to the normative time", I thought you meant taking the 2nd year away means you might fall a year behind in progress but still be expected to defend and graduate after 6 years! 

As for the pay statement, I meant that if the 2nd year abroad doesn't help your job prospects (i.e. a tangential side project) and if it would take longer to finish degree with the 2nd year abroad, then you basically have two options (example numbers):

1. Finish degree in 6 years without doing the side project.

2. Take 7 years to finish degree because of the side project.

Option 1 means you could do the side project (or something else) later, when you're paid as a postdoc or other research position. Option 2 means you spend another year at grad student level pay without long term career benefits.

Anyways, with the new information: If I were to make this choice for myself, I would have to choose whether I value the marginal increase in career benefit of doing the 2nd year abroad vs. the personal costs. Being away from your department for a 2nd year isn't likely to really hurt much academically (or it seems like the extra benefit from the year abroad would outweigh that). So, my advice (I'm in a different field so take it with a grain of salt!) would be to make the decision that you think is personally best for you, based on what your life priorities/values are.

[abcmnolmn]

I'm in a similar position-- between the fellowships I received, I could go abroad for about a year and a half. I'm leaning towards just taking one fellowship (10 months) though, because I don't really want to do that to my S.O. (who can't come) and because I'd like to make sure I get get enough teaching experience before I go on the job market (my program doesn't really let students lead classes or sections during coursework, just TA). I'm just worried that if I'm rushing to finish up research I'll regret it. I also really like both of the fellowships, and would feel a bit sad turning one down, particularly because its from an organization that I hope to get more funding from in the future. Its a tough decision (but a good problem to have, I guess!) and I'm glad to see how other people are dealing with it.

[maelia8]

13 hours ago, TakeruK said:

Oh okay, I misunderstood what you meant by "normative time to degree". I had thought you meant this is the typical time towards your degree that your dept will allow without requiring special permission (or with full funding), i.e. a "degree milestone clock". So I thought that if your dept's normative time to degree was 6 years, when you said you won't "get to add a year to the normative time", I thought you meant taking the 2nd year away means you might fall a year behind in progress but still be expected to defend and graduate after 6 years! 

As for the pay statement, I meant that if the 2nd year abroad doesn't help your job prospects (i.e. a tangential side project) and if it would take longer to finish degree with the 2nd year abroad, then you basically have two options (example numbers):

1. Finish degree in 6 years without doing the side project.

2. Take 7 years to finish degree because of the side project.

 

Actually TakeruK you understood perfectly - option two is not allowed (or at least, not allowed unless I receive conditional funding during sixth year for a seventh year, which can't be determined any earlier). Year two abroad would not be a side project, merely a continuation to deepen and strengthen my dissertation with more evidence and also to take advantage of having the archive right next door to check/expand as necessary. In year two abroad I'd be expected to write just as much as if I were home (about 2-3 chapters).