GETTING A PH.D. IS IT WORTH IT? (Posted 2011-02-07 23:00:09 by Ray Lopez) There are a lot of discussions going on right now at the _Chronicle of Higher Education_ website and other blogs regarding the value of the Ph.D. Specifically, the discussion centers on the fact that there aren't enough jobs to support the number of Ph.D.s that are produced annually in the US. Most of the problem stems from expectations that are simply not aligned with reality. A lot of Ph.D. students think that they will be able to land a tenure-track job in academia, but that's not likely to happen. This has been true for decades, at least since the 1980s. The fact is this: Unless you are white, graduating from an Ivy-league or other top school, and have several publications, you're not going to get one of the few tenure-track jobs that become available every year. That's just the way it is, and it isn't likely to change anytime soon. So if you're a graduate student, and you're within sight of getting that coveted Ph.D., you may be asking yourself if it is worth the effort. If you are expecting to get a tenure-track job somewhere, you may be in for a big disappointment. But in my opinion, getting a doctorate degree (particularly in the sciences) is very definitely worth the effort, if you have the right experiences and right attitude. I earned my doctorate in neuroscience in 1993, from a good, but not top-tier, public university. My graduate program encouraged students to adopt a very broad view of science, one that allowed many of us to integrate other areas of knowledge into our studies. I think that such graduate programs are extremely beneficial, because you get to learn about other areas and expand your knowledge. This becomes critically important after you get your doctorate, because in all likelihood you will be entering the non-academic job market, and the more marketable skills you can demonstrate, the better off you'll be. In my case, I had the opportunity to learn philosophy and computer programming. The philosophy helped me to be a MUCH better writer, public speaker, and thinker, and the computer programming turned out to be a lifesaving job skill for me. In neuroscience, it is traditional for new Ph.D.s to work as post-docs at research schools, gaining experience and publications which will ultimately help them land that coveted tenure-track job. In my case I landed a great post-doc job with a very well-known pharmacology researcher. While I was on this post-doc, the pharmacology department I was working in was growing, adding lots of bright new faculty members. Many of these new faculty were persons in their late 30s and early 40s, who had done 2, 3, and sometimes 4 post-doc rotations before they finally landed the tenure-track jobs at the school I worked. That didn't look like a very promising future for me. I'm a smart guy, but there's no way, on paper, I could compete with the Harvards, Berkeleys, Yales, Caltechs, and others who were swarming into the academic job market. At some point, I saw the writing on the wall and fell back on my knowledge of computer science, and entered the world of IT consulting in 1996. I've had a great career in information technology, and having a doctorate has definitely helped me more than hurt me. My best job was at IBM, a truly wonderful place to work. They have a strong merit-based culture of collaboration and innovation, and the doctorate definitely helped me over there by saying that, yes, this guy can write and think somewhat. There are other places, however, where the doctorate can set you back. I worked for a couple of years at a large financial institution, where the horrific culture was just the opposite of IBM. Over there, anyone with a doctorate was an outsider, and they didn't treat outsiders very well. If you do find yourself in the non-academic job market, be cautious about how strongly you emphasize the fact that you do have a doctorate. Unfortunately, there really isn't a fool-proof method you can use to guide you along with this. Once suggestion I have is that if you are applying for a job that is even remotely connected with education or your field of study, then by all means highlight the fact that you do have a Ph.D. Otherwise, just bury it in the "Education" section of the resume, and don't mention it unless someone asks you about it. So, the bottom line is that you should definitely get your doctorate! While you're getting it, be sure to expand your horizons and do not end up as simply a specialist in one, small area. Yes, creating a dissertation means you get to specialize in something that only 10 other people in the world will care about. But the rest of your experience, outside of your dissertation, should support your work and give you some skills that you can use anywhere. Also, you need to have a positive attitude about yourself. If you don't see yourself getting a tenure-track job, then go for something else. Getting a Ph.D. is very, very hard. If you can do that, you can do anything. -------- There are no comments on this post. To submit a comment on this post, email rl@well.com or visit us on the web [ http://ratthing.com ]. .