Would you do a PHD in your mid or late 30s?

[therealdope]

I bailed out of mine and I should probably finish it or do another. I'll be in my 50s. It' one of the things that I'm thinking about in a few years.

 

[Brazilian007]

You say it like the 30-40s is late in life to get a phd. I live in a city know for it's high volume of scientists and I know a lot of people with PhDs, including several family members. They all did their PhD is their late 40's and 50s. My aunt is currently working on hers, she's 48.

I'm 40 and I'm planning on starting mine within the next 5 years.

I thought it was late. Most doctors get it in late 20s to early 30s

But non medical doctorates people seem to do it late 20s to mid 30s. However tons of people in government or academia do it later in life like 40s. One of the Federal reserve chairman for example.

 

[Brazilian007]

You say it like the 30-40s is late in life to get a phd. I live in a city know for it's high volume of scientists and I know a lot of people with PhDs, including several family members. They all did their PhD is their late 40's and 50s. My aunt is currently working on hers, she's 48.

I'm 40 and I'm planning on starting mine within the next 5 years.

I will do a masters at 29 and finish at 31. Is that late for a dual masters? I am 28 now but had some ither stuff I was doing. Also I dont live in US thank God I wont be raped by costs of school.

 

[Sirwastealot]

I did pretty well at school, i was academically inclined and my family valued it highly. So all throughout high school i was about getting good grades.

Somewhere around undergrad when i started actually thinking about my career and looking at the world, i started smelling the bullshit. Plus the institutions themselves feed you mostly nonsense and bullshit. So i slowly started checking out of it, had a bit of an identitiy crisis too around that time ngl. I finished the degree barely, but i switched to learning something outside my field, something that i'd actually enjoy doing and find to be rewarding. Best decision of my life walking away from the academic path.

So you couldn't pay me enough to spend 5+ years on a PHD. That shit will rot your brain worse than a cubicle job. I am heavily against most PHD programmes.

Its not all bad, some are actually working on things advancing the human race. Respect to them. That's only a small minority though. Most of it is bullshit and pencil pushing.

 

[evansusmc2]

why? Just to tack on more student debt before you die?

 

[Alphaboy]

Whenever the f you want.

You're gonna turn XX anyway. You can turn XX with or without the PhD.

 

[submerged88]

An org I worked with a few years back hired and fired 3 phd directors in 2 years. They were in their 30s and didn't know how to work with other people and generally sucked at doing consistent tasks. But they could talk your ear off. They also had huge loan debts so I figure they only took the jobs for the money even if they didn't know what they were doing.

 

[avenue94]

Only if it will boost your salary and/or forward your career. Btw, I refuse to call anyone a doctor unless they have a medical degree.

Rather ironic given which profession got called doctor first lol.

 

[avenue94]

I thought it was late. Most doctors get it in late 20s to early 30s

But non medical doctorates people seem to do it late 20s to mid 30s. However tons of people in government or academia do it later in life like 40s. One of the Federal reserve chairman for example.

Part of that is because most humanities feels strongly encourage a masters before your phd, whereas a lot of STEM fields it's completely normal to go straight into a phd.

 

[rj144]

Tbh, I think with the right degree (STEM - more specifically, IT or computer science, engineering, possibly mathematics, etc), it's unnecessary. Another buddy got a chemical engineering degree. He's a bit older than you. He's laughing into the money. Another finished computer science. It's all upward trajectory and remote work 99% of the time.

The unfortunate thing is that there's an abundance of degrees and more than 90% is absolutely rubbish hence the talking point of student loan forgiveness/parasites.

0 ROI in social justice degree or anything ending in studies, liberal arts. More education isn't always the answer if you do it right the 1st time.

Depends what you want to do... if you want to do pure mathematics, for instance, you need a Ph D.

 

[rj144]

If you do a STEM Ph. D, you usually get an RA or TA and a huge tuition waiver. I made money in grad. school.

 

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

I'm actually in my 30s and yes, I plan on getting a PhD someday cause why the fuck not.

Same here. I want fuckers to call me doctor.

 

[rj144]

Same here. I want fuckers to call me doctor.

It either 1) gets annoying or 2) nobody does.

 

[therealdope]

If you do a STEM Ph. D, you usually get an RA or TA and a huge tuition waiver. I made money in grad. school.

The RA thing in US schools is ridiculous (to me). Our lab had a policy to support every student with a stipend equivalent to a scholarship that cold pay for living expenses and tuition. We worked on our own thesis and papers, not some researcher for a few a months.

 

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

It either 1) gets annoying or 2) nobody does.

Makes sense.

 

[rj144]

The RA thing in US schools is ridiculous (to me). Our lab had a policy to support every student with a stipend equivalent to a scholarship that cold pay for living expenses and tuition. We worked on our own thesis and papers, not some researcher for a few a months.

What are you trying to say though? What's ridiculous?

 

[chimpoehurricane]

Depends what you want to do... if you want to do pure mathematics, for instance, you need a Ph D.

There's better ways to make money is all.

 

[rj144]

There's better ways to make money is all.

Yeah, but some people were talking about its cost or having extra debt. That's not always the case.

 

[chimpoehurricane]

Yeah, but some people were talking about its cost or having extra debt. That's not always the case.

Theres a opportunity cost.

Doing a PhD vs starting a business or hell, just working and getting work experience.

 

[rj144]

Theres a opportunity cost.

Doing a PhD vs starting a business or hell, just working and getting work experience.

Yeah, but most aren't talking about that kind of cost.