Is a Ph.D. Worth the time and effort?

[BamaPokerplayer]

To those of you with a Ph.D. was it worth the time and effort you had to put in, or do you think you could have achieved more by not going for the Ph.D. I'm really interested in the input from anyone who went to a top ten school in their field?

 

[Bama4Ever831]

I am about 2 years away from my Ph.D., and it is worth exactly what you put into it. Once you get a Ph.D., you will be compared essentially only on your measurables that you obtained while pursuing your Ph.D. (i. e. patents, presentatons, and publications). I would argue that the institution is not as important as you may think. Pick an institution based on the reasearch/area that you are interested in the most. Most departments are highly specialized for particular portions of a discipline. (At least they are in the physical and life science fields).

Also, the field is extremely important. There are still high employment numbers for PhDs but this varies highly on the area. For example, Russian Literature Ph.D.s are busy marching on Wall Street while many other areas have unemployment numbers far below the national average. For science it is almost required to even be in the field.

 

[92tide]

i decided against it, but my primary consideration was age (i finished my masters and started working in a research center at age 36 and could've segued into a PhD program at Ga Tech fairly easily). if i was in my late 20s making the same decision i would have done it.

 

[dayhiker]

For science it is almost required to even be in the field.

Just ask Howard Wolowitz.

 

[jthomas666]

What field?

 

[RVTIDER]

Just ask Howard Wolowitz.

You made a joke so I will too. I have a PHD. And damn proud of it.

 

[dayhiker]

You made a joke so I will too. I have a PHD. And damn proud of it.

Just one?

---Dr. Sheldon Cooper

 

[RVTIDER]

Just one?

---Dr. Sheldon Cooper

I watch this show mainly for Penny's breasts.

 

[rizolltizide]

i decided against it, but my primary consideration was age (i finished my masters and started working in a research center at age 36 and could've segued into a PhD program at Ga Tech fairly easily). if i was in my late 20s making the same decision i would have done it.

 

[CajunCrimson]

You made a joke so I will too. I have a PHD. And damn proud of it.

Pretty Huge.....?

 

[RVTIDER]

Pretty Huge.....?

People call me Pringles.

 

[dayhiker]

White and Nerdy?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I would think it depends on the field you're going into. I know there are many cases in our society where people have spent the time to get a Phd in their field of work only to get completely out of that field in a few short years. It seems that would be a waste of time and money. Especially if they never return to said field of work. I've heard of people going all the way through a college program, getting their masters then on with their Phd only to go open a restaurant. LOL! So if it were me I'd do a lot of soul searching and evaluation of my commitment level before I went and dun did sumtin like dat.

 

[Bama4Ever831]

I would think it depends on the field you're going into. I know there are many cases in our society where people have spent the time to get a Phd in their field of work only to get completely out of that field in a few short years. It seems that would be a waste of time and money. Especially if they never return to said field of work. I've heard of people going all the way through a college program, getting their masters then on with their Phd only to go open a restaurant. LOL! So if it were me I'd do a lot of soul searching and evaluation of my commitment level before I went and dun did sumtin like dat.

Also I wouldn't recommend any Ph.D. where you'd have to pay significantly out of pocket to attend. That typically means the field is already over saturated with said Ph.D. graduates.

 

[BamaPokerplayer]

Also I wouldn't recommend any Ph.D. where you'd have to pay significantly out of pocket to attend. That typically means the field is already over saturated with said Ph.D. graduates.

All the programs I have talked to told me I have to pay nothing out of pocket. My field is business and the concentration will depend on the school ranking and overall package. Finance or Econ would be my first choices. I just wish Alabama's business school was rated a little higher because that is where my heart is. My advisor is a Michigan man and has really sold me on Ross. Plus he said I need to get out of the southeast to have a wider range of "cultural" experience, even though I was a military brat. The only down side seems to be four more years if school the money and time off are so sweet.

 

[dayhiker]

All the programs I have talked to told me I have to pay nothing out of pocket. My field is business and the concentration will depend on the school ranking and overall package. Finance or Econ would be my first choices. I just wish Alabama's business school was rated a little higher because that is where my heart is. My advisor is a Michigan man and has really sold me on Ross. Plus he said I need to get out of the southeast to have a wider range of "cultural" experience, even though I was a military brat. The only down side seems to be four more years if school the money and time off are so sweet.

I imagine that the cultural experience thing pertains mainly to academia. If you want to be a college prof, the different location is probably essential. If you're going after a high end consulting or analyst gig, then I doubt it matters.

 

[buzzincuzzin]

Yes. Worth every penny and then some.
It's a different world with a piece of paper in your hand.

 

[RTR91]

All the programs I have talked to told me I have to pay nothing out of pocket. My field is business and the concentration will depend on the school ranking and overall package. Finance or Econ would be my first choices. I just wish Alabama's business school was rated a little higher because that is where my heart is. My advisor is a Michigan man and has really sold me on Ross. Plus he said I need to get out of the southeast to have a wider range of "cultural" experience, even though I was a military brat. The only down side seems to be four more years if school the money and time off are so sweet.

I know a guy who was told by his adviser(s) that he would be better suited to have a different school for each degree - undergrad, masters and PHD.

My dad would be making about $10k more a year if he had his PHD. Like others have said, probably depends on the field.

 

[RogueElephant]

Depends on the field some fields yes and some fields no.

 

[MDBSnare]

In Finance - yes. And (for BPP), Alabama's finance Ph.D is not discounted that much at all by the market/university community. It is widely respected and if you work with the right people, in terms of publishing in specialized areas (such as quantitative finance for example), you will get a large return on your investment. Finance is one of the best (number one at this time) fields right now wherein becoming a specialist (risk management, financial engineering...), and a Ph.D carries a lot of weight. However - expect at least a 5-6 yr. commitment...Not sure about other fields, but accounting is similar. Business schools across the country are running into real problems finding Ph.D's in these areas because of the time commitment, rigor and opportunity costs...and the salaries continue to rise.