MindPal’s Post

I have had a discussion with our Director of Graduate Studies in recent time about how having a PhD impacts job prospects. He himself has one and he is a professor. What he told me is that it goes both ways. On one hand, it narrows down the job prospects because many employers who will hire an MS will not hire a PhD as a PhD is over qualified for many jobs. On the other hand, having a PhD means you are eligible for applying for academic jobs. So, what is your take from it? My take is if you are looking for academic jobs, make obtaining a PhD a priority. If you are looking for development, testing and engineering jobs that may not require a PhD, then PhD may not be important. In fact one MS can land you a good job in high tech industries. One advantage of doing PhD regardless of you finish it or not as an international student is that it helps you build a profile that can help you applying for US Permanent Residency which opens the door for many employment opportunities. You make publications on your route to finish PhD. It also stabilizes you in the US.

PhD is not just a degree similar to an undergraduate degree where students take lectures to learn various subjects. When you see on someone’s CV (PhD holder ), you should read it as a Full time Job. Yes Full time job!! Why ? PhD takes on average 3 ,4 years to complete, meaning 4 year’s of research experience that comes from working hours, collaborations, ups and downs and rejections . They go through much more than a typical 9-5 Job!! In any industry when you have an applicant with PhD you can consider it as a 4 years Experience on his/herCV. That’s my opinion.. What do You think is PhD a work experience?

Only do PhD if you have a passion for something. Any other reason will disappoint you in the long run: 1. There is no reason for employers to hire a PhD if they can make do with bare minimums. 2. University jobs especially tenured ones are harder to come by simply because there are more PhD holders now. 3. Economically, PhD is not a wise decision. The returns for PhD vs return for other certificates is simply not worth the time and money. Eg., you will definitely be hired as contract lecturer in any university (in Malaysia) if you have degree+PE/PEPC, because there is a severe shortage of lecturers with PE qualification in Malaysia to fulfill the minimum quota set by BEM. On the other hand, a PhD title is indeed a status enhancer. It is something nice to have. PhD tells people you are: 1. Good in research & data gathering, data integrity 2. Good in individual work 3. Good in consistency and perseverance 4. Can work with minimal if not zero supervision. 5. Good in defending your opinions

Watch our PhD webinar today! If you’re starting a PhD this year, the jobs.ac.uk webinar covers topics such as what to expect in the first year and questions about your supervisor. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eibvFsJ2 #phdlife #phdstudent #phdstudent

Are jobs easier to get with a #PhD? NO! There are jobs that are impossible to get without a PhD as stated below. These include a #postdoc (obviously). This is not a real #job. This is still a “#training #opportunity” and a short term thing. You will mostly get paid the same as a #BS in your field. Except if you work for the armed forces. Tenure track #faculty #position at a #research #university. These positions are extremely competitive. There are only that many positions. We’re not exactly opening a new research university at every corner. And because the US has no mandatory retirement age, you basically have to wait for someone to die for a spot to open up. This is only a very slight exaggeration. You can actually get a #lecturer position with a masters at smaller schools and community colleges. Even at R 1 universities in some field. You’ll not be paid much more than a postdoc. For the rest of your career. There are no #advancement opportunities for lecturers Adjunct faculty. Again, you can get this gig with a masters. However, to steal a phrase, this is the fast food job of #academia. Considering that this is a semester to semester contract and there are no benefits, your pay is slightly less than a graduate student stipend. *Some* research positions at companies. You will not believe the number of posts in my field (chemistry) that says something like BS +10 years, Masters + 5 years Phd + 0–2 years. In other words. You DON’T NEED a PhD for these posts. These are actually the majority of the job postings I’ve seen. I’ve been thinking really hard the last few months trying to think if anyone I know has graduated from a PhD in Chemistry directly into an industrial job. I can think of one. The rest all got postdocs or are/ were unemployed. Some were underemployed for a few months before landing a faculty spot. Frankly, I would say a PhD shuts more doors than it opens. ALL the bachelors and masters levels jobs are closed to you now. There are people who are actively biased against PhD holders. But the problem is deeper than that. A PhD is a research degree. In order to have enough money to support a research division in chemistry, the company has to be quite large. Chemical research is really expensive. You also need access to the literature. This costs a ton of money. And while R&D might be very important to the long term prospects of your company, it is not required for the day to day operation. So, if there are budget cuts or business is slow, what’s the first thing most people will think to cut? That’s right, the research budget. Because most people have trouble with long term planning and delayed gratification. This includes management of companies. EDIT: this question keeps getting merged into other questions. The Question originally answered is: Are jobs easier to get with a PhD. I answered this from the perspective of undergrads that seem to think more degrees will just automatically garuentee success and wealth. It won't!

Reasons not to do a PhD and why I'd still do one if I went back to 2017. → A PhD is not required for the majority of jobs. → You will spend more years with less money before you start a full salaried job. → Your skillset development is specific rather than broad. Despite this, I always say: Do a PhD if you like the topic and want to. While the above points may be true, if it's a well informed decision and you want to pursue a research qualification, why not? #academia #phd #job #career #academicsuccess #skills

Is the Doctrate of Philosophy (Ph. D.) a degree only? No, it's not like a master or bachelor degree where students study, give exams, and get scores at the end of the session. Recruiters from high to medium or even other category Institutions demand work experience along with Ph. D. as they consider it an academic degree only. They should understand some facts about Ph. D. and a person pursuing it....!!! * Ph. D. research scholar has an experience of research publication, research modelling, administration management, teaching, research guidance, event organization, mentorship and so on. *Ph. D. is not a study course where people study and give exams. Moreover, it is not a job of 9-5. It's a 24*7 life where a researcher engages and gets experience every moment. Try and think with a logic. Don't undervalue the fresher Ph. D. researchers who are willing to work with academic or research organizations!!!!!! #phd #hrcommunity #universities #research

🤯 < 2% of the world's population has a doctorate. 🤝 Ph.D. can be challenging due to its rigorous research requirements, long duration, dedication. It requires a in-depth study, critical analysis, and the creation of new knowledge, demanding a high level of dedication, persistence, and intellectual capability. ✅ Deciding whether to pursue a Ph.D. is a personal choice. ❌ Some reasons someone might choose not to pursue a Ph.D. include: 1⃣ Time Commitment:  Ph.D. programs can be lengthy, often taking several years to complete. Some individuals may prioritize quicker entry into the workforce. 2⃣ Financial Considerations Pursuing a Ph.D. can be expensive, and many programs may not provide substantial financial support. Some individuals may prefer to start earning a salary sooner. 3⃣ Career Goals Depending on the field, a Ph.D. may not be a requirement for certain careers. Professional experience and skills may be more crucial in some industries. 4⃣ Research Intensity :   Ph.D. programs involve extensive research. If someone prefers a more practical or hands-on approach to learning, they might find other career paths more suitable. 5⃣ Job Market :   In some fields, the job market for Ph.D. graduates can be competitive, and securing a faculty position may be challenging. If you are facing any difficulty with your PhD, or you want to start you PhD and don't know where to start. Don't worry 😊 ✅ Get 1:1 consultation  ✅ Trained 100+ aspirants  ✅ 16+ yrs of experience

It has been three years since I started working in the corporate world. Prior to that, I worked as a scientist for six years, in two different postdoc positions. Before that, I spent five years as a PhD candidate abroad, in addition to the two years I spent pursuing my master's degree immediately after graduating from engineering school. However, this experience in the Academy of Scientific Research was seldom considered an experience, especially when applying for jobs. It took me a while to understand what were my transferable skills. Crystal-like view for an Academic: If EXPERIENCE == KNOWLEDGE and DIPLOM == KNOWLEDGE, so EXPERIENCE == DIPLOM. But in the “real world,” I realize what misleads the idea that experience and academics are incompatible: If DIPLOMA == EMPTY, EXPERIENCE > DIPLOMA. On the other hand, it is not determinant that any KNOWLEDGE helps without the powder of DEDICATION. Furthermore, a large knowledge built with high education, means that this person certainly learned about dedication and will find a way out of any problem. X * EXPERIENCE + Y * DIPLOMAS == (X + Y) * KNOWLEDGE, DEDICATION * KNOWLEDGE == SUCCESS. However, without dedication, no Diplom or Experience matters because no success will happen. Cheers!

Lesson 6: From the above, it's clear that diligent studying from student days, continued hard work in university and graduate school, and a lifelong commitment to learning and research are essential, especially for researchers. Therefore, if students have no clear plans for the future or are undecided between pursuing a corporate career after obtaining a master's degree or advancing to a doctoral program, I strongly recommend pursuing a doctoral program and becoming a researcher for life without hesitation. Pursuing a research career is the most conducive to implementing the above lessons and has the potential to work out a significant impact on the world. I think it would be quite difficult to achieve such things as a salaried man.