Is it worth doing a PhD? and what's peoples opinion of people who have them?

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  1. SavageIdeas profile image61
    SavageIdeasposted 12 years ago

    Is it worth doing a PhD? and what's peoples opinion of people who have them?

  2. profile image0
    Old Empresarioposted 12 years ago

    Although I know plenty of people with master's degrees working entry-level jobs, I do not know any unemployed PhDs.

  3. kschimmel profile image73
    kschimmelposted 12 years ago

    A Ph.D. is very valuable if one wants to become a professor or work in a research environment.  The skills learned while creating a Master's thesis and a doctoral dissertation prepare the researcher for the work he/she will do. 

    I am married to a professor (Ph.D. in chemical engineering) and he will say that he works with some of the world's smartest people--but that doesn't mean they can't sometimes do dumb things!

    As long as a Ph.D. is not uppity, I think people admire them for their accomplishment and expertise.  I enjoy meeting many of husband's colleagues.  Their high intelligence is just one facet of their personalities; they still play sports, eat dinner, watch movies, and do many other "normal" things.

  4. Jonesy0311 profile image60
    Jonesy0311posted 12 years ago

    Well, as my wife once said to me, "What can you do without a doctorate?" Obviously this was a tongue-in-cheek statement, but it got me thinking. Why not be an expert in a particular field? My goal has always been to get paid by people just for listening to me talk. The downside, of course, is time and money. A professor of mine once told me that if she had known how hard it was going to be, she would never had enrolled in a PhD program. I'm going as far as I can, at least until my G.I. Bill runs out. I figure they owe me that much. As far as respect, I tend to tip my hat to intellectuals. I have never respected anyone simply based on wealth, age, or having a higher position than me at a job. However, when I meet a professor, doctor, or researcher, I am star-struck and try to soak up information like a sponge.

  5. Iontach profile image68
    Iontachposted 12 years ago

    Well yes i say it is definitely worth doing a PhD, just once you can afford it or can find funding. A PhD can make you an expert in a field and your speciality can be very sought after. A PhD will just take 3 to 5 years of your life, then you'll have the rest of your life to generally have higher employment success and generally a higher income and better prospects.
    I'm doing one now and I specifically chose a field that is up and coming, really want to position myself in there! lol

  6. Ash Hicks profile image60
    Ash Hicksposted 12 years ago

    PhD's are a lot of work. There are a lot of intense hours of studying and working behind the title, so (in my opinion) anyone who has a Ph.D. deserves accommodation and respect. They are incredibly smart, and most are not the typical scientist you might expect to find. A lot of people with doctorate's are not only nerdy, they are a lot of fun too. However, is the work worth the effort? This answer depends on what field the Ph.D. is in. Many times, a Master's degree meets the highest requirement levels. At this point in a career, employers are looking for hands-on experience. Depending on your thesis and work, a Ph.D could be helpful or harmful. Many who go on to receive their doctorate end up infused with bookwork and theoretical knowledge and miss out on valuable hand's on opportunities. Other times, Ph.Ds will be the tipping point. If a person wants to teach in a college setting or lead certain research teams, a Ph.D will be a must. But a lot of times, they are not necessary. I would recommend speaking to those in the specific profession you are looking at. They will best be able to tell you whether or not a Ph.D. is worth all the time and work you will put into it. But if you love to learn and like to work, then go for it. You will never regret getting the title.

  7. Tusitala Tom profile image66
    Tusitala Tomposted 12 years ago

    Probably, yes.   It's true that some of the greatest business successes have come from people who left school at fourteen or fifteen without any tertiary qualifications at all, but in the main, most people who've done this have not succeeded in a career or business sense, whilst many a Ph.D has.

    When I was a lad, about 5% of people went on to study even for a humble B.A.  If you had a university degree in Australia in the 1950s you were practically guaranteed to succeed.   I recall that as late as the mid 1970s there were only about three or four people in the whole of the NSW Police Force who actually had a degree.   It was the same in just about every big, government organisation.

    Today, you just about need a Masters to get a job interview!   Everybody goes on to uni - or just about.   The competition for that elusive good, career job gets more and more difficult as time goes by.

    I thank God, I'm a retiree.

 
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