Think hard before starting that PhD
People do PhDs for all sorts of reasons.
For some, it’s an essential qualification for their chosen career. For others, it’s a way of quenching a thirst for knowledge. But there are plenty who embark on a Ph.D. for the wrong reasons, or because they haven’t thought through the implications of their decision.
For me, my decision to embark on a Ph.D. in English Literature was made out of a combination of boredom with the daily grind of corporate life and a genuine interest in the subject matter (the significance of ruins in British Romanticism, in case you were wondering).
I had completed my undergraduate degree, got a job in a PR firm and, after a few years, felt a hankering to push my studies a little further. So I moved overseas, did a Masters's degree, and rejoined the workforce.
That was fine for a while but again, after a few years, I started wondering whether there wasn’t something more to life than interminable meetings and office politics. At that point, a return to the familiar routines and relative freedom of academia seemed pretty tempting. So I threw in the day job and moved to the other side of the world to begin my studies.
Before I took the plunge, I remember a good friend and eminent scholar telling me I shouldn’t do a Ph.D. if there was anything else — anything at all — I could possibly see myself doing with my life.
Twelve years later — having completed my doctorate, lectured in various casual positions for a few years, and then returned to corporate life — it still seems like pretty good advice.
But if I could add anything, it would be to keep an eye out for the following warning signs.
You think academic life is easy
Academic life is hard and it’s getting harder. At least in Australasia, the humanities, in particular, are under enormous pressure with major funding cuts and entire disciplines being axed. Academics are being asked to do more with less, and there is no sign of this changing any time soon.
Leaving aside the budgetary pressures, academics are only as good as their last publication. Even if you manage to balance increasing teaching loads with your research responsibilities, producing a certain number of papers and books every few years is stressful and can be a very lonely undertaking.
Some academics love their research to the point where it doesn’t feel like work. I envy them. For the rest, it most certainly does feel like work and while this is hardly causing for complaint — that’s what they’re paid to do, after all — you definitely should not go into this world thinking it will be all comfy armchairs, cups of tea, and abstract discussions as and when you feel like it.
You’ve done all the other degrees, so you might as well complete the set
There are plenty of students who seem to have been born for university life and who have progressed rapidly — almost unthinkingly — from undergraduate study to an Honours degree, to Masters. They love everything about university — the social life, intellectual freedom, the long hours in the library or the lab, the sense of achievement that comes with good grades and graduations.
Even if you’re one of those students for whom a Ph.D. is the logical culmination of your studies, I urge you to take a break. It’s a major commitment — at least as long as most undergraduate degrees and often a lot longer — and there’s a very real risk of burnout.
You need to also bear in mind the financial burden you’re taking on. Not only are there the tuition fees but there’s also the opportunity cost that comes from not working for most of your 20s and potentially some of your 30s. Bear in mind, too, that jobs are few and far between, and there’s a risk of over-qualifying yourself for other careers if your academic dream doesn’t work out.
If you’re dead-set on pursuing a Ph.D., then you should. But a year or two spent working, traveling or doing almost anything else before you take the plunge may be time well spent.
You crave the structure and validation that a Ph.D. offers
Universities are wonderful places. As well as the friends you meet and the freedom to pursue your interests, they really can open your mind to new ways of thinking and seeing the world. And if you’re the sort of person who gets a kick out of having your assignments returned with enthusiastic comments and congratulatory remarks scrawled all over them, academic life can seem like a form of intellectual heaven.
But if you’re considering a Ph.D., there are two related questions you need to ask yourself:
- Are you genuinely interested in your topic, or are you just addicted to academic success?
- Are you pursuing a Ph.D. for its own sake, or are you doing it to avoid something else?
For some students, a Ph.D. is a way of putting off making hard choices about what to do with their life. You may be one of the lucky ones and find a solution to these problems as you’re studying. But what’s far more likely is that after graduation, you’ll find yourself facing largely the same choice but now you’re four years older and more heavily in debt.
Far better to face a hard choice in the here and now, or search for a different form of success than that which comes with getting a good grade.
So knowing what I know now, would I do my Ph.D. again?
I can’t say I would. I found parts of my research fascinating and when my writing was going well, it was exhilarating. I met some wonderful people and loved every minute of my brief lecturing career. But there were plenty of dark nights of the soul when I would lie awake for hours wondering what on earth I was doing. If I’m being honest, I probably fell into the category of people who undertake a Ph.D. because their current job is unfulfilling and academic life is familiar and comfortable.
That’s not to say I regret my studies. They offered me the chance to pursue something I love and try to turn it into my life’s work. And having scratched that intellectual itch, I returned to my former profession with new enthusiasm.
When I started the Ph.D., I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather do but my studies helped me realize I could.
