Wednesday, November 28, 2012



I was reading the Ph.D tips blog today after searching the terms, "Ph.D+stress."   The author asked a pretty important question, "Why put yourself through the stress to qualify for a minimum wage job?"  As I consider whether or not to really push on with the Ph.D (after, of course, I figure out how to continue to pay for it), this is something I've considered.  I've been hired at the University level with a Master's degree, so do I REALLY need to keep going?  What are the positives to keeping going?  What the negatives?  At this point, I'm not sure keeping going is going to mean a higher income for me in the future.  What I do know is that I'll end up with some debt, some stress, and less time with my family.  On the other hand, what sort of message am I sending to my family if I quit?  I'm very clearly sending the message that when things get tough, it's okay to bail.  I also won't get to have the sense of satisfaction of walking across the stage or having the letters, Ph.D after my name.  I'm certainly not the only one who has thought about this.  My search came up with 24, 800,000 results.  Many of which share the horrors of working on one's Ph.D.  For instance, this author writes, "The cost of my Ph.D? Stress, nothing but stress," and this author writes, "If you are naturally someone who worries, then being a PhD student gives you plenty of opportunities to exercise your habit."  

So, I ask you, given the amount of stress I feel during the Ph.D process, is it worth busting my hump to figure out how to pay for the rest of my education? 

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