I have kicked around the idea of doing a Ed.D for years, pretty much since I finished my M.Ed but the timing has never been right. Now I feel like an additional masters would be a better choice and would be more beneficial in the long run. I've thought about it even more since I got my loans forgiven through PSLF but then I look at the fact that family/kid stuff has us busy 5/7 days a week and it gives me great pause again.
I will answer for my XH from a long time ago, lol. He got his PhD at Berkeley in the 90's.
I am pretty sure he is happy he got the degree. He had to pay a little tuition the first year (but not the full cost), because he was coming from out of state, but then all the years after were free. He had a salary in the low $20Ks as a teaching assistant and lab assistant, which was equivalent to my starting salary there as an entry-level administrative assistant.
Between his paid work and his studies, I'd say he spent about 50-60 hours a week working. We had plenty of free time. He did relocate to another country every summer for his research, which was 24/7 unpaid work for his advisor, with the promise of getting his name in publications. There was some jockeying for who got second and third authorships on papers his advisor published, but mostly his experience was friendly and collegial and not super high stress. He got opportunities to do cool stuff he never would have outside of academia, and helped develop ideas and procedures that were highly innovative then, but standard now. He met a ton of smart and interesting people and made lifelong professional contacts.
Because of his addiction issues, and a massive dose of imposter syndrome, he took a LONG time to graduate, which probably hurt his employment chances after college. He taught at a lesser-known campus of a large state university system in the Midwest for about ten years. I don't believe it was ever tenure track. Eventually, he dropped out of academia and now works for a private contractor. Although his job now is not as "prestigious" as it was working for a major research institution, it's still what he loves to do, and what he'd been dreaming about doing since he was a little boy. For him, coming from deep poverty and the foster care system, earning a PhD was hugely transformational, and I am still super proud of him for accomplishing it.
Im ABD and consider the PhD a personal ambition than career one...and I really think I'll never quit yet never achieve. This conversation is helpful to me
I am a huge anomaly in the science/PhD world. I went to grad school for the wrong reason: I wanted to know if I could do it. Could I think like a scientist? Could I really understand it all? Then I had murky career goals: not a professor, not run my own lab, but do good, challenging research near my house (fuck commuting). My advisors contantly said “this is not a career goal. Say you want to be a PI.”
But. See. The day I defended was literally the most proud I’d ever been. What I learned about myself doing my PhD is immeasurable. I did it; I got it. I published papers, I gave talks to big wigs, my name is in big name journals and I *know* science. The pursuit and achievement of the PhD fulfilled me in a very fundamental way.
I post-doced for so long because challenging research also fulfills me. I did switch to pharma and found research there was also cool. So many jobs are interesting to me and I have this confidence that tells me “You can do it. Go try. Your PhD taught you how to learn, think, and ask the right questions.”
For me, it was 100% personal ambition. I have no regrets.
I love this. Growing up I watched my parents get three advanced degrees between them and this was why. And I will say that their agility of thought and ability to learn is uncompromised in their 70s. I believe that a lifelong approach to education can keep you young. I am enjoying graduate school SO much more than my undergrad. As long as I stay in higher ed, I might as well keep taking classes and growing my brain. I don't think I'll get a Ph.D. but I am thinking about an additional master's after I complete the program I'm in now. I'm balancing everything (more or less) so why not?
I have a PhD in epidemiology from a private university-- brick and mortar program. I had no idea what I was doing when I decided to get my PhD. My program offered no support, so I had to work while taking classes and still needed to take out loans. I finished my masters and PhD with over $100K in student loans. I knew I didn't want to go into academia, so I got a job after I passed my comprehensive exam. I've worked for the federal government ever since and was able to get my loans discharged this year under PSLF. My biggest issue with my university was the lack of funding for doctoral students. And students in my school got less support than students in other schools-- those students got a stipend and free tuition to be a TA while I got no stipend, paid tuition, and served as a TA for $10/hour for 10 hours a week. All that said, I had some amazing and unique experiences during my doctoral program that I have benefitted from. I also had an advisor who saw the benefit of getting out of academia.
I didn't need a PhD for my job, but having one has helped me advance beyond my friends who stopped at a masters degree.
I hire people now. And I'll be honest that I have not been impressed with the applicants who have PhDs in my field from an online only school.
My husband has a PhD and would say that he is glad he has it but his goal was always to teach at a R1 University. He is a professor at the same school he obtained his PhD. As his spouse, I can tell you the tenure process is scary as hell. The first year he was eligible he was asked to pull his packet and publish more. He was successful the next year. We were lucky, most people are just denied with no opportunity to try again. We assumed we would be moving across the country when his first attempt did not go as planned.
My brother has a DPhil (Oxford PhD). He was a Rhodes so fully funded and immediately after his undergrad. He loved it and it has opened loads of doors for him. He taught in academia for a few years but then went to international think-tank places.
My mum started hers when I was at university (so around 50). She did it via distance (based in Ja but with a british red-brick university), with a month there in person every year. it took her 4.5 years (she is very determined) while working full-time. She really enjoyed the chance it gave her to think and reflect on her work (it was in education) and it did enable her to progress in her career.
Both of them are pleased they did theirs.
I can qualify for 2 years fully-paid study leave from my job so it is something I am contemplating. I would do it in person at the university here, where fees are managable. It would open some more doors for me career wise but also, I do have that push to learn more and personal development etc.
I am a psychologist so my career requires a PhD and like wildrice,'s H graduate school was a lot of clinical work. I am a clinician now. I did not have much funding but I just had my loans forgiven through PSLF. That wasn't the plan originally as it didn't exist when I started grad school, but I just thought of it as part of the deal that I'd be paying monthly for the rest of my life. I went to the same university that I did undergrad, and started grad school as soon as I got my BA so it was just like I kept going. I sort of feel like I fell ass-backwards into my career path. I like my profession and I think it's a good fit for me.
jamaicam-- the more I learn in grad school, the more I want to keep learning. But the kids are also young and I don't want to miss more than I have already by being busy doing school work. But I can see myself doing something similar to your mother- going back when the kids are grown.
I have a PhD in Anthropology. I am a non tenure track professor at a small Jesuit university. I love my job.
I did a traditional program at Brandeis University and my tuition was paid for and I got a stipend. It was really rough at times on my mental health but it was also a very special time in my life and I would do it again.
My mom worked for a small graduate school of theology in Cambridge from when I was about 7-late 30s and there were many Jesuits there of course. It was a wonderful community and I was there a lot growing up (she could bring us to work when we had off school for any reason and events there etc) and it was wonderful. It was bought/absorbed (?) by a larger college and she left but it was a great place.