PhD student. Should I drop out?

[touchedbythelight]

@gordonie Management as a whole is pretty degree agnostic. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and work the same job as English majors. If you can actually manage people or projects you can get to director level almost anywhere in less than 10 years.

 

[martha_deane]

@ashlynlp Think tanks. Anywhere that needs great writers, marketing, advertising, social media…

 

[biskadee]

@ashlynlp AI governance as a Consultant with a Big 3 Strategy Firm.

Federal employee at the new AI governance org, or a contractor.

 

[ashlynlp]

@ucdresearch As a compromise, is there a point at which you could quit, and be awarded a consolation Masters?

And would it be good to have a Masters? (Self satisfaction, prestige, and maybe prospects in other industries, vs - doesn't a Masters make it harder to get first hired as a teacher, due to the mandatory pay bump? Is it much harder though?)

 

[psimon]

@ucdresearch No way is living out of airbnbs cheaper than finding somewhere to rent, esp with roommates

 

[deliverusfromevil]

@ucdresearch A PhD is almost never worth it financially.

 

[vmikelash]

@deliverusfromevil It absolutely is. It definitely gets you a bit more respect in industry and gives a lot of room for salary negotiation. If phd is in stem especially engineering, then it's automatic +$20~+$30k compared to applicants without phd.

 

[benjaminedens]

@vmikelash Eh, this is super context dependent. The PhD will always be a plus all else being equal, but the correct comparison is to someone with 3-6 years industry experience, which will often be the same or better. Plus that candidate would have been paid market rate that whole time.

I did physics PhD to SWE at a FAANG. The PhD let me start at the second level, but if you go straight in at a BS, you'll already be at the same or higher level at that point.

I don't regret doing mine at all, but I'm not ahead of someone who started right out of undergrad. I would never encourage someone to do a PhD purely for industry qualifications.

 

[crystalsherie]

@vmikelash I would assume a STEM graduate would better understand opportunity cost. Five years of not earning a STEM salary is costing yourself upwards of a million dollars. That’s not a good trade off.

 

[sweetmeggie]

@ucdresearch I say this as someone with one of those coveted TT jobs in academia, with my PhD. Get out now. See if they will let you finish the masters within 1 year. If you cannot do the masters, and you get funding from your program, make sure you get funded through next spring and make your priority applying for jobs. I do not make enough money. My rent in a small town has gone up 35% in the last two years. Two years ago I was ok, now I am struggling. I know my colleagues 10 years longer in this than me are still making the same base salary as me, no union, no annual raises, it's depressing. I am seriously looking for the right industry job (I'm STEM), and will leave my school with little notice when it comes along (at the end of the academic year/semester. Even if it leaves them in a bind). I have gotten offers, but you dont want to go into another bad situation so take your time.

You are just as exploited as a University Professor if not more so than grad school. The pressures are worse in some respects. Yes I finished because I was close. Way closer than you. And in some reapects i love teaching. I love the students. But i cannot afford to do this for the next 30 years. I could make more teaching k12, but that is my idea of hell on earth. At least college students are adults...and no parents to deal with usually.

 

[tylekeobong247]

@sweetmeggie I am a full professor in humanities and I agree with this. I got very lucky in getting a job at all, and in finding an affordable place to live, but things could easily have gone a different way. I have no ability to move unless I leave academia. When undergrads ask me about going to graduate school, I say to think about it only with Plans B, C, D, E, and F already in mind.

 

[samuelg29]

@ucdresearch Reading the responses here and your responses to those, I think your heart isn’t in it and you should pivot to teaching or some other career. A few years ago we hired someone with a PhD and it’s been sort of a disaster. We are not likely to hire a PhD again because this person is so academic focused that they have a hard time completing projects within the timeline and budget. They think every project is an academic research project. Likely they will be fired soon.

 

[ucdresearch]

@samuelg29 My heart is in it but I am also looking at the realities of life. I am the only one supporting myself and before I can love something I have to make sure im alive and able to do that.

 

[fallenwalker]

@ucdresearch I think you are 100%. Sure your heart may be in it, but if you can't eat and pay rent then it really makes no sense.

I have a doctorate (MD), and I love my job but no way I would be doing this for a non 6 figure salary. There has to be a tangible payoff for the work that I put into my training and education.

 

[johnford]

@samuelg29 Such a interesting take on a sample side of 1, especially when it seems like you didn’t change your hitting practice to target quality phds

 

[lsmr]

@ucdresearch My understanding is that, in the humanities, you do not get a PhD for the career prospects unless your heart is set on becoming a professor. If that isn't your life's dream and if you're not independently wealthy, you have your answer.

 

[leos]

@ucdresearch Your job prospects as a humanities PhD are super low. You will probably be an adjunct prof making 40-60k, and having to take jobs wherever they're offered.

The market is absolutely flooded wirh humanities PhD. Di it if you love it, not as a career.

 

[clam1]

@ucdresearch I'd recommend finding a job before dropping out. I had a job offer within a month or two of making my decision to drop out of my PhD, about a year into the program, which made me feel more secure in my decision to leave. But this was back in 2019 and I had a bit of coding experience, which helped with finding a well-paying job. The financials were absolutely a factor and worked out significantly better than I anticipated by leaving. If I hadn't dropped out, I'd probably be graduating around now.

Does your school have a system to Masters out, or take a leave of absence for a year while you try out industry? That might be a good option.