Do I regret my PhD? Truth Bombs!
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- In this video, I go through whether or not my PhD was worth it by looking back on the past 10 years since my PhD thesis submission.
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▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - introduction
1:01 - career
7:46 - it becomes part of your identity
9:47 - expert learner
11:24 - travel
13:33 - the final word
The problem with a doctorate is that it makes a person feel that it is a shame to work in a job that a person with a bachelor’s degree can do, and this I think is a fatal thought because the person feels frustrated.
Andy every fibre of the being you communicate to us makes doing your PhD worthwhile! Your insight, your readiness to share, your organisation of thought, your patience and most of all your enthusiasm - probably all there already, but your PhD was definitely worthwhile for the help you give us.
For me it's all about identity. I first set my heart on doing a PhD, on BEING a PhD when I was 11. I passed my 11+ and immediately pledged myself to the whole journey.
But life got in the way. Did the career thing between the ages of 18 and 60. Always pursued academia through evening study, but there was never time for the 'biggie'. Did the round the world thing aged 61. Would do it again, in a heartbeat, but sadly it's expensive. Now at 73, Covid isolation had finally given me the chance to go for a PhD!
The goal? Oh the joy of the goal! Finally kicking misogyny into touch by smugly answering the perennial question 'Is it Miss or Mrs?'.....'Well, actually, it's.....'
Hold on to that Dr title and be proud I say. It took me ages to bring my PhD parchment out of the cupboard and place it in my office where I can actually see it. It represents hard work and perseverance (a solid amount of resilience too).
A PhD is always worth it philosophically but not necessarily monetarily
00:07:17 So true. Since graduating with an American Lit MA, my career has been a winding road. I've worked in different industries, done different things. The uncertainty can be hard and my CV looks a bit mad, but I don't regret it. I've learnt a tonne about myself and the world that I wouldn't have had if I stuck to a linear path. Now, ten years later, I'm considering a part time PhD to complete my American Lit studies. Life isn't the straight line that we were told it would be when we were young. And we should embrace that.
It’s good to be in industry for a while before you go for the PhD if that is what you want to do. It’s up to you how you want your life and how it turns up.
I like your self reflection capability, being so self aware. Thank you for your work.
I appreciate that - Thank you Isha
It is always so interesting to listen to someone already out of academia after a PhD. I would be so curious to know more about how it is in Australia in comparison to UK
Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thank you so much for your honesty. It was a joy to watch this video because I identified with it so much
People do PhD because of their passions. But following your passion is not always the best decision
It depends on your definition of what a "best decision" is.
you can follow your passion a bit better in industry thst acadamia
This was a great video and informative, I really appreciated your insights. I have an MSc in Psychology and I love learning and studying so I feel lost now that I have finished my studies for now; a PhD interests me because it gives me a purpose, to contribute to the field I love. The one thing I didn't like about high level study is the amount of stress it creates; deadlines were the bane of my existence and made me feel exhausted.
Another part I related to so much was the not letting go of the title you achieve after study, it is my proudest accomplishment finishing my MSc so you feel the need to cling on to what you have achieved; in the real world though, it's more about the character of yourself rather than your title, are you a kind and thoughtful person who considers others? This is the most important factor for me.
Once again, thank you for your video.
Going through the same.. my phd yet to be finished is no where near to why i started.
But I do feel once i complete it, few doorways shall open up. 😊
Hope is such a good motivator.
Not considering a Phd currently, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do after college, worked retail, while I “thought” about it because I believed that I wanted an MBA for more job opportunities…one year after graduating I quit the MBA and I feel like this past gap year has gone to waste professionally. Still don’t know what job I’d like lol
listening you is so much wisdom! always crisp , clear and to the point. I watch all your videos with no fast forward. everytime notification pops up, I am like this is what I was praying for, super relatable.
Very clear opinion!
Thank you! I am a first year PhD student
Now that was some self-reassurance!
I should have included "ability to self-reassure" to the list!
Phd is an investment in oneself. Anything we learn never goes in vain. There are chances what we planned as per expectation may not end up in reality. I am using it in art😅 phd seems actually a skill rather than just a degree
Its in vain man when you born again 👍
@@5dbattalion720 u mean it takes forever to complete or what ! unlearning is also a part of learning.
I'm enjoying what I'm learning about myself while working on my PhD. I love learning!
I'm doing a PhD in the field of clinical psychology. Theres no chance that a non-academic job is going to have a PhD in the job requirements, but theres no reason that the amount of skills, knowledge and experience that I'll have gained through the process wont give me massive benefits in my applications for high-level positions. Just because a joh doesnt say "requires PhD", doesnt mean it's not relevant or helpful
The thing is, from a monetary standpoint, one has to do some ROI/cost-benefit analysis. Take engineering for example, if you check on SEEK (assuming you are in oz), 99.8% of jobs pay under 200k. To be more realistic, a good software engineer can reasonably make between 100k and 150k a year , with a BSc/BEng. Having a PhD won't pay you a lot more than that, there is always a cap in particular industries. One might argue that a PhD will give you more chances of promotion, but that's probably not the case in many industries in private sector. The only engineering/IT jobs that seem to favour graduate are Data science/machine learning/AI jobs, but a) they are few and far between, b) a less onerous MSc would suffice for most part, with tech skills and c) they still do not pay any better than the average developer. I know this cause I am interested in these things (ML/AI?DS) but majority of jobs 'prefer' graduate diploma BUT seem to pay as much as other dev jobs. So I have conclude that all things being considered, it wasn't worth the time, money and opportunity cost. [ would be different i guess if I was just a 20-something graduate with no work experience, plenty of time and no much to lose]
Adelaide wow, I’m international phd student in Adelaide , amazing city
Intellactually, rationally, academically fulfilling, sometimes monetarily and socially important. PhD is no joke. Its a serious, long term commitment. If you really love doing research, def go for a PhD.
Edit: to find the right prof., funding, institutions at the right time is such a big ISSUE. That's the only thing that is restricting me. Otherwise Id def consider it.
how to keep motivation to be productive everyday in lab?
Other than destroying your own coral reef and winning cricket matches by sledging; Australia looks like a pretty swell place!
What were your expectations from a phd and after
Congratulations on your citizenship.