aargh
I really want to do a PhD, or at least an MSc, but can I really put myself through all that extra debt?

So far my tuiton has been paid for by my grandad, and I've got £330 a month from my dad, and worked 2 days a week 9-5 last year while at uni, but is it worth it?

While I be able to ride out the crisis by studying and get a job when it all gets better again?

Is all my studying worth it? Will a future job pay me that much more?

HELP!!!
(deadly_sinners, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 14:32, 12 replies)

The truth of being a grad student.
If you are doing a proper degree, such as engineering or physics, you won't have to pay for tuition and you will have a salary (albeit a low one) as well.

Of course, if it's humanities, you are SOL (with or without the credit crunch).
(junkbot85, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 14:46, closed)

Those aren't the first questions you should ask about a PhD.
The first question you should be asking is "how and where can I study this topic that I'm really fired up about?"

If you haven't done Masters-level studying and you are unsure about doing a PhD, don't do a PhD.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 14:47, closed)

I concur!
"Is all my studying worth it?" and "Will a future job pay me that much more?" are two different questions when you're talking about PhDs. A PhD is probably not going to lead to a massively highly paid job, particularly if you stay in academia. But if you enjoy your subject then it'll have completely been worth it, if only because you get to spend 3-4 years of your life really, really* loving what you do for a living.



*Well, mostly
(Concrete Cow, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 15:24, closed)

well
I hear that some other jobs have employees who might also admit: "I'm lovin' it".
(haberman is singing in the changes, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 15:44, closed)

also,
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7213781.stm

Live the dream!
(TheColonel, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 16:14, closed)

If its a funded phd you should be ok
Especially if its a CASE one (one with an industry partner). If its funded by one of the research councils they'll pay fees and put some towards consumables (this is in the UK and for science tho so i don't know how different it is for other subjects)
Standard phd money is 12000 a year tax free (and more in London), with a CASE its 14500. I managed as a single parent doing it and paying nursery fees, rent etc so you should be ok. Plus there's no council tax to pay which is always a bonus.
(The Ginger Penguin la la la la la la, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 14:57, closed)

Thanks for your help
I'm currently studying Geography (Human and Physical), although it is a BSc and therefore sciencey to some extent. My love is renweable energy, and also the arguments surrounding nuclear energy - my grandad is ultra-rich and had the money to pay for my tuition fee through working in the nuclear energy industry although he went the physics route.
(deadly_sinners, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 15:07, closed)

findaphd.com
This is a good site for finding funded phds, or jobs.ac.uk.
I would say find one you really like the sound of tho because they're hard work!
(The Ginger Penguin la la la la la la, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 15:12, closed)

also
if you are interested in a certain topic, find out who are the research leaders in that area, and contact them directly - now is a good time to do so as most positions start being advertised around now (from my experience). That's how I found my supervisor, and he did say that having someone proactively seek him out was nice!
( ascorbate, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 15:29, closed)

Not quite the right question
Do the extra degree!

Right now, jobs are a bit hard to come by, employers are very picky. In two to four years time, the economy should pick up again (if not, we are all truly fucked, so it doesn't matter anyway).

If you have just graduated, then you've missed the big graduate recruitment programmes for this academic year anyway.

So, instead of scratching on for the rest of the year, or sending your cv to various incompetent recruitment agencies who, at best, might offer you office jobs at the soul destroying end of the spectrum, do your MSc. Much more interesting.

It won't tie you into a future academic career like a PhD might, it will give you a little (probably trivial) extra edge over all the other milkrounders next year, and certainly over anyone trying to join graduate schemes after a year of making tea and photocopying.
(Rastus P Watermelon, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 17:46, closed)

hmmm
did an MSc at a very well thought of university. cost a lot £3K fees, £10K loan for living cocts, travel etc.

It did get me my first job at a time when they were difficult to get (just after 11 september 2001). BUT, I'm still paying it off (7 years later) as the industry i went into isnt well paid to begin with and i had to subsidise my first year of working with more borrowing.

Irritatingly, I only ever used about 5% of what we covered on the course. Dont think it was worth it overall.
(imallamallama looking forward to llamageddon on, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 20:07, closed)

Do it if you are genuinely interested in the subject
And it sounds like you are.

I know a few people with PhDs who graduated around the same time as me (lots of years ago).

About half are not working in the same field that they studied and it hasn't made any difference to them financially but they wouldn't change anything. It might sound a bit patronising but putting off the evil day you leave the Ivory Towers for the big bad world is not a bad thing. Don't get me wrong: they all describe it as financially very tough but they still preferred it to the "real lives" they have now and it's a hell of an achievement to complete.

Of the others some went into teaching where arguably it is a good status thing and helps with promotion. One continued in academia and is now a happy full time lecturer.

It sounds like the subject you're looking at is ripe for future jobs and having a PhD can't do any harm and you'll be insulated from the recession.
(Big Fish Been around since the internet was just fields., Mon 26 Jan 2009, 0:31, closed)