With an MBA/Masters in your Ph.D., you can cover your expenses and get a good return on investment. However, you have to give up your salary for a very long time with a Ph.D. I would strongly recommend a master’s in the thirties, but a PhD requires commitment to the program. You really have to ask for it.
If you are seriously thinking about doing a PhD, check out this great guide on what you will learn by doing a PhD!
Career matters
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- It’s a long road.
- If you already have a masters, you might get a 2-3 year PhD at some universities (eg in the UK), but never in the US. Allow at least 5 years, more likely 6-8 years depending on area of expertise.
- Ideally, your program will cover your tuition and living expenses, and you won’t graduate in debt. You can calculate the monetary value of your winnings and it is likely to be significant. Many people are comfortable with this decision (I am), but they make a conscious choice.
- Know yourself and know your options.
- Remember that your PhD counterpart is to invest 5-6 years in something else: your current job, a new career, skills outside of the PhD, etc. Some of these opportunities could actually be paid for. They will give you experience, respect and great opportunities. The opportunity cost of a PhD is high in terms of salary and other work. Of course, this applies to all ages. However, your opportunity cost as a more experienced person is likely to be higher.
- Make sure you understand your career opportunities after your PhD. In some disciplines, such as economics, PhDs are in high demand, and almost all get a well-paying professional or academic job. Political science too, I think. Academic and even professional positions in your field are becoming increasingly rare in the social sciences and some humanities. I once heard that less than a third of the graduates of the best history programs in the world get a university job.
- If you are not thinking about becoming a professor, think twice about a PhD. Yes, it could promote you in your field. But most jobs I know would require six years worth of intensive experience in many fields, not just a PhD. I don’t know if the promotion is more rewarding. You have to ask it for yourself.
- Many people complain about the terrible opportunities for many graduate students and the poor treatment of associate professors. This tells me that many people are doing PhDs with the wrong expectations.
- Older people will bring many good things to the table.
- PhD students are not known to be good with people, projects or money. You’ve probably learned a few things about being a professional no matter what you do. It will serve you well and offset some of the inconveniences of old age. Maybe even more than in return. My experience as a management consultant has certainly helped me manage large research projects better and earlier.
- Once you graduate, faculty hiring committees will probably focus more on what you can do compared to your cohort than how old you are under 35 or 40. You can’t even look at your age or past experience. If you are over 40, then yes, I think you will see discrimination in the job market because of any major career change, regardless of career.
- But there are some disadvantages.
- You may or may not like being around a lot of 25-year-old classmates and your teachers will do the same.
- If you have no savings or are in debt, you may end up living a much worse lifestyle than you are used to.
- You’re more likely to have family or financial obligations in retirement, so after you graduate you’ll have less freedom to make high-yield investments that are distant or outstanding. Some jobs, postdocs or fellowships are not suitable for a more complex personal situation. You may be unable or unwilling to work 12 days for the same reasons.
- Of course, this applies to all career changes later in life, especially in the non-profit or public sector.
- Once you are in, remember that promotion is not easy for anyone. It’s a constant source of existential anxiety when you’re in the middle of it. Know that everyone thinks the same way and it’s not a special product of your age or what you brought with you.
- As one commenter said, “I am tempted to fight, when you are too young?” Good point. Here is another person expressing the same view. A topic for another day.
What is the minimum age for a doctorate?
To be able to do a doctorate, you must have completed the basic studies. From there, some can go directly into a doctoral program. If you graduated at the traditional age of 22, you will receive your doctorate around the age of 25 at least.
There are stories of people who graduated from high school at 12 and high school at 16. You could theoretically do your doctorate at 19 or 20. But such people are quite rare. .
More studies needed
Age does not affect medical approval. However, MD/PhD is slightly different since it is focused on biomedical research, laboratory research, and wet research and is seen as a more conservative and disciplined group of people, requiring more training.
Focused on basic research (laboratory, in-depth scientific research) and the applicants who apply have done a significant amount of in-depth research (many of them have original work or works that are not in progress), so they are separate places. because they are taken care of (fully funded by the medical training program and the monthly allowance)
“Significant age is often a trigger”, says Grunfeld.
“At the Open University, which favors many part-time learners, there has been a steady increase in the number of postgraduate students aged over 45 over the past three years, with the strongest increase (32% ) among There were students over 45 years of age 65.”
Others get a doctorate to crown a significant achievement or simply to prove that they can do it. , who disparaged their economic status. After all, education is one of the best levels in the world.