Considering a PhD program

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't take going into a PhD program lightly. As a 20something without children, it was emotionally draining, hard on my marriage, and exhausting. At times it got so so dark, even though it was a subject I loved and I was being paid to do it. You will be with people who don't have children and family obligations, and you have to compete against them. And unless you can receive funding, it's not worth it at all. It also may or may not improve your job prospects in the area that you want to teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't take going into a PhD program lightly. As a 20something without children, it was emotionally draining, hard on my marriage, and exhausting. At times it got so so dark, even though it was a subject I loved and I was being paid to do it. You will be with people who don't have children and family obligations, and you have to compete against them. And unless you can receive funding, it's not worth it at all. It also may or may not improve your job prospects in the area that you want to teach.

Depends on the program. I am in one geared towards individuals with a masters and some work experience already. Some of my peers are married with at least one kid. Although i did start the program without a kid and am really glad that I got my classes completed before she came along- long hours at the school wouldn't have been easy with a kid.

[Anonymous]

There is a world of difference between a part time PhD program and a full tim one. Full time programs are much more risky, much harder, much more competitive. Almost all students are very young and hell bent toward academic careers. I think OP wants this kind of a program, but that is a terrible mistake. if anything, OP, you should try a part time program and keep your current job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't take going into a PhD program lightly. As a 20something without children, it was emotionally draining, hard on my marriage, and exhausting. At times it got so so dark, even though it was a subject I loved and I was being paid to do it. You will be with people who don't have children and family obligations, and you have to compete against them. And unless you can receive funding, it's not worth it at all. It also may or may not improve your job prospects in the area that you want to teach.

Depends on the program. I am in one geared towards individuals with a masters and some work experience already. Some of my peers are married with at least one kid. Although i did start the program without a kid and am really glad that I got my classes completed before she came along- long hours at the school wouldn't have been easy with a kid.

Were you in a full tim PHD program in sociology? I cant think of a good program (ie one leading to TT even as a very remote possibility) that is geared toward older students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did it. Like you, my program was offered locally and at Columbia. My options were to enslave myself for 7 years and go back to student living in NY. Or keep my full time job and let my company pay for it while I went Part time. I was 30 at the time and really had no desire to go back to eating mac & cheese and ramen on a regular basis.

It took me 5 years to finish. 2 for the extra course work above my masters and 3 for the dissertation. I loved doing the research. I loved the courses. And now I teach as an adjunct.

Until I retire, I don't think I would consider full time teaching. As it is, I teach 2 courses a semester. I get to interact with the students. I continue to research and publish and attend conferences. For me, I practice what I teach during the day and teach to others in the evening. It's the best of all worlds IMO.

BTW--I don't think I would have gotten the teaching position without the Phd

So you still have your f/t gig, right? You are teaching in addition to a day job?

Yes I have a regular full time position with benefits. The adjunct money just goes into savings.

[Anonymous]

The short answer is, don't do it.......Unless your Ph.D. field is in high demand.
Otherwise, you're not only going to take a huge paycut, you'll be lucky to land a faculty job . Most importantly, it's highly likely that your new teaching job (if at all) will be at a location that is far away from DC area, which your where your family is.

[Anonymous]

My DH has a PhD and works in a corporate setting. He went back at 28 the year before we got married, worked full time and went to school full time. It took about five years to finish everything incl dissertation and it was a very long five years for both of us. He was in class at night during the week, studying/researching/writing all weekend. I guess it was worth it in the end (he makes about $150k now) but I wonder if he could've gotten the same job with just a masters.

I was in a PhD program for a year but quit - this was right after college. The primary reason I quit was because in my field there were approx 70 applicants for every professor position that opened. I know the ratio doesn't sound that bad compared to job hunting in this economy but consider there were maybe three to five full time professor positions to open throughout the country each year. Not great odds, and then consider that those jobs could be anywhere - no guarantee they'd be in a place I wanted to live. And then there's the salary...ultimately, it just wasn't worth the five to seven years of work to me to then graduate with minimal possibilities of a job in my field. Ultimately, I got my Masters and taught middle school and high school. When I was in the PhD program I was a snob about teaching high school - how could they possibly comprehend the subject matter at an analytical level that would be meaningful to me...we would only be scraping the surface...Boy was I wrong. Teaching is about so much more than loving the subject matter...if you really want to teach, I would strongly consider whether you need a PhD to do it.

[Anonymous]

I Know GS15s with PhDs who work at NSF. I can see how it might be necessary if you wanted to be a scientist or practice psychology or something. Otherwise I'd say not worth it for all the reasons PPs have stated above

[Anonymous]

Agree with all the pps urging extreme caution. My heart was broken when I didn't get tenure, but Soc PhD is also good for non-academic jobs in DC, which is where I am now. (Be sure you get a good grounding in research methods!) Don't go into this expecting you will get a good tenure track job in an interesting place to live.

Check out Sociologists for Women in Society at socwomen.org. Unfortunately SWS is very academic oriented so it's not such a good resource for those of us not at universities but still is a good group of folks.

[Anonymous]

DH went back for a PhD at 40. Not because he wanted to further his career, but because he adores going to school/learning and it was on his bucket list. We both work FT and have 2 kids. It took 7y years doing it part time while he worked FT. There were times it was a nightmare - he was exhausted from work/school and I was exhausted from work/doing 99% of the work for the kids/house.

But it is done and neither of us regret it. While it didn't change his career landscape, who knows what doors it will open in the future and he is so happy that he finished his dream. And I would have never stood in the path of his dreams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I highly recommend you take those classes part-time, or just keep up to date with publications and books in the field.

A PhD nowadays is almost guaranteed to be a ticket for low-paying teaching jobs. It's a gamble for a 21 year old... but even more for a 35 year old.

Sorry, but I agree. I have a J.D. and toyed with getting a Ph.D. in divinity studies but friends quickly put a kabosh on that. Just the dissertation alone would take years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH went back for a PhD at 40. Not because he wanted to further his career, but because he adores going to school/learning and it was on his bucket list. We both work FT and have 2 kids. It took 7y years doing it part time while he worked FT. There were times it was a nightmare - he was exhausted from work/school and I was exhausted from work/doing 99% of the work for the kids/house.

But it is done and neither of us regret it. While it didn't change his career landscape, who knows what doors it will open in the future and he is so happy that he finished his dream. And I would have never stood in the path of his dreams.

OP here. This sounds like the reason I would want to go back. It sounds like it worked, but it was really tough on your family. This is really helpful; I completed my MA part time while my DH was working on a political campaign in Chicago, so it didn't impact him daily, but it's true, even if I did a part time program it would impact the family balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all the pps urging extreme caution. My heart was broken when I didn't get tenure, but Soc PhD is also good for non-academic jobs in DC, which is where I am now. (Be sure you get a good grounding in research methods!) Don't go into this expecting you will get a good tenure track job in an interesting place to live.

Check out Sociologists for Women in Society at socwomen.org. Unfortunately SWS is very academic oriented so it's not such a good resource for those of us not at universities but still is a good group of folks.

OP here - thanks! I will check this out! This sounds really interesting!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH went back for a PhD at 40. Not because he wanted to further his career, but because he adores going to school/learning and it was on his bucket list. We both work FT and have 2 kids. It took 7y years doing it part time while he worked FT. There were times it was a nightmare - he was exhausted from work/school and I was exhausted from work/doing 99% of the work for the kids/house.

But it is done and neither of us regret it. While it didn't change his career landscape, who knows what doors it will open in the future and he is so happy that he finished his dream. And I would have never stood in the path of his dreams.

OP here. This sounds like the reason I would want to go back. It sounds like it worked, but it was really tough on your family. This is really helpful; I completed my MA part time while my DH was working on a political campaign in Chicago, so it didn't impact him daily, but it's true, even if I did a part time program it would impact the family balance.

I am the PP quoted above. Your DH has to be 110% on board for you to do this if you have kids. He will be the one running kids to all the activities on the weekends, making sure that the kids have clean clothes for school,picking up after school and doing homework/cooking dinner, attending playdates/soccer games/etc alone (and explaining for the 1009734 time where you are and why you can't be there to your kids and the other parents on the sidelines), grocery shopping with kids in tow while you are home writing/studying, cheering you on when you want to quit (and he'd love for you to quit so you'd be home more!), etc. It really sucked being the one responsible for all of this, but I knew it would end. And it has. Good luck with your decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And what job would you hope to get with that?

Because you wouldn't get a tenure train professor position. Adjunct gigs are hard to come by and pay about three to six thousand per class.

Take a MOOC or something.

This. Friend's wife has a PhD in exactly what you are looking into with a focus on women's studies. She's now a professor of women's studies at a great school in New York. She makes 5 grand a class, which amounts to be about $25 - $30K a year.