In my opinion: usually not
People waste a lot of their lives on scholarship. To be honest, my financial situation was pretty good in graduate school. I won a big national scholarship, got a lot of extra money in the form of travel grants, and my Canadian province gave me scholarships for students with dependents. But even with a decent income, I was still in a financial vacuum – I wasn’t building a fortune.
You know how to get answers.
The top three skills needed for any industry job are critical thinking, complex problem solving, and sound decision making. In other words, you need to be able to identify problems, find the right problem, and then find the right answer to that problem. Guess what? – PhD students excel in all three areas.
Don’t forget that you are an explorer. They are highly skilled at finding problems and finding solutions to those problems. Think of the hours, days, weeks, months and years (even years!) you’ve spent finding answers to the world’s most difficult and unexplored questions.
What is a doctorate?
In the UK, a PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy, sometimes called a Doctorate. It is the highest degree a student can achieve. In some institutions, including the University of Oxford, a Doctor of Philosophy is known as a DPhil. It is different from professional doctorates such as Doctor of Engineering (EngD).
A bachelor’s degree is a basic requirement and many also require a master’s degree (such as a master’s, master’s or master’s degree). Some scholarships are awarded on a 1+3 basis, which is equivalent to a Master’s year and three years of doctoral funding.
Why did I decide to do a PhD?
Why did I choose a doctoral program? That’s a very good question! And let me answer very quickly before I get into the good reasons for a PhD.
What did I want to do professionally? At first, I didn’t think about doing a doctorate. It was not on my agenda. As an engineer, I just wanted to change our society for the better. I wanted to help solve global challenges. I wanted to help find a solution to climate change.
Graduate student life
- You are working on something very interesting. Few people outside of academia can engage so deeply with the subjects they love. You will also contribute to knowledge in a field by conducting cutting-edge research.
- It can be fun! For example: solving challenges, building things, forming co-ops and attending conferences.
- Being a PhD student can be a great opportunity for personal growth: from making presentations and critical thinking to getting the most out of being a student, as for example trying a new sport.
- You get paid to be a student: I mean come on, that’s pretty good! Benefits can include flexible working hours, socializing and pay to learn. Consciously make the most of it!
- Most important: A doctorate can open doors. In the case of certain fields, such as B. science itself, a doctorate may be required. And for others, a PhD can help you demonstrate expertise or skill, open doors, or help you advance to higher positions. Your mileage may vary!
- You survived a doctorate: this achievement can be a great confidence booster.
- You have a doctorate and you can use the title Dr. use lead. Certainly not a good enough reason to do a doctorate, but some help!