Personal Experiences with PhD

BumblebeeGirl

Hi all,

Ive applied to IRCSET for funding and await the results this summer. The application was so detailed it got me thinking, do I really want to go through with this if I get funded?

Can anyone tell me about their day-to-day experience doing a PhD? Is it long hours? Can you take holidays? Are your weekends taken up?

I completed an Msc by research last year and know first hand how difficult it can be when you hit a wall with experimental work. So how does one cope when and if this happens?

One last question: if you were given the option to do your PhD all over again, would you do it?

B

holding

Day to day I found to be my own routine, so this means you can take time off when you need to, or do all-nighters when you need to. Your weekends aren't taken up, but you tend to take them up anyway, and if you aren't reading the relevant article etc, you feel really guilty. Same with reading novels or non subject material in general! My area was in humanities so can't speak re experimental work.

The last question - if I could travel back in time I would not do a PhD. Unless you want to be employed in academia as a lecturer or post doc, then it doesn't hugely help your career. I've been working outside of academia since graduating two years ago (by choice - by the time my PhD was finished, I never wanted to set foot in a uni again!), and the job I have, even though it's in my field and relevant to the PhD (and the PhD title does impress some people, so there's that), I would have been qualified for with a masters. Depending on what career you want, hands-on experience is worth twenty times a PhD.

I guess it comes down to whether you want to pursue the topic on its own (is this something you are so enamoured with that you would do it in your free time anyway?), or whether you are doing it to enhance your career.

BumblebeeGirl

Thanks for your reply!

The topic is a follow on from the research I completed for my Msc, I wouldnt say I'm passionate about the subject but I am interested and enjoy going to conferences etc.

I aim to end up working in industry, which I know for a fact my salary will double if I complete this PhD. I'm just not sure I'm in the right frame of mind for it..

BumblebeeGirl

Can you explain why you regret starting?

robp

BumblebeeGirl wrote: »

Hi all,

Ive applied to IRCSET for funding and await the results this summer. The application was so detailed it got me thinking, do I really want to go through with this if I get funded?

Can anyone tell me about their day-to-day experience doing a PhD? Is it long hours? Can you take holidays? Are your weekends taken up?

I completed an Msc by research last year and know first hand how difficult it can be when you hit a wall with experimental work. So how does one cope when and if this happens?

One last question: if you were given the option to do your PhD all over again, would you do it?

B

Depends on the line of work, your routine and your efficiency, and many uncontrollably factors but generally speaking there are long long hours involved and often weekends are sucked in. I take some time off. On the other hand it has allowed me to visit places I never dreamed of. For me that included many European counties and further-afield even Hawaii. That probably isn't the norm though.

I enjoy it. I'm only half way through.