Doga, this is insightful! I am at such a crossroad in my life. For me too, a PhD seems like the only option given my background (bachelor's, master's in history). I also love the subject so its difficult to give up on that dream. I am however aware of the challenges. Academia is so competitive and kind of depressing. Also, politics! But for now, I don't see an alternative for me. But i am increasingly considering other options as well.
I actually don’t know what to tell you. I was very angry when I wrote this, and frankly, I still am. Primarily angry at myself, my life, etc… and that anger is probably not going away soon. So I stand by everything I wrote and wouldn’t change a word of it. But at the end of the day, it’s my own experience, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it is valid for everyone.
I’m certainly not in a position to give you advice. My only suggestion is, even if you do a Phd, keep your options open. Don’t just focus on an academic career because the odds are not exactly in your favor. Try to see what else you can do with your degree and the skills you earned while doing a PhD. That will open up different, and frankly, more lucrative paths for your future.
I concur with your advice. I write about my own career fantasy in my new book and how to beautifully explicates the dark side of individualism in the U.S. Universities and companies exist to monetize individual fantasies without displaying any communal responsibility for the consequences. PhD programs are perfect laboratories in the abdication of adult responsibility.
I was initially disappointed to not secure funding for my PhD, which I would be doing now if I had, but upon further reflection and a brief desire to come up with a new proposal, I don’t feel as bad, mainly due to a lot of the reasons you’ve highlighted. The situation in the UK isn’t as bad as the US in terms of needing to be rich to do a PhD, but it’s not exactly far, and the need to get a permanent job is very real and not fulfilled by a humanities PhD. Thanks for your lucidity, there’s some comfort in knowing we’re not alone in our struggles.
Thank you for your comment and your kind words. I'm glad you liked what I wrote and found it useful. It makes me happy when I see that my experience resonates with other people.
I pursued academics, got a degree in history, did a year of graduate school, quit, and became a locksmith. The building trades is the way to go. I still love reading, but at 71, I still do side jobs as a locksmith.
I have a PhD in computer science. I don’t regret getting it, but it certainly wasn’t financially worth it for me. At the time, I wanted to stay in academia, teaching and doing research. I left because I realized I like building things more than I like thinking about things. When I left, I was basically starting a career from scratch, missing out on 6 years of career growth. I did get some less tangible skills from academia. I’m a better write and presenter now. I’m better at thinking about problems deeply.
So, in the end, it was helpful, but not incredibly so for myself..
Thank you very much for your comment, I appreciate it.
I'm also currently trying to build a career from scratch which is more difficult than I thought it would be. It is very frustrating, which was partially why I wrote this piece.
I also ended up acquiring some key skills from my PhD but translating them for the job market has not always been easy.
In the end, I can't change the past, so I will need to focus on what I can do with what I have.
I ish you well. There are many intangible skills you learned during your studies, I’m sure. Sadly, though as you are learning, having a PhD closes many doors to regular jobs. However, it also opens other doors that you may not know about.
I’m certainly not getting paid more because I have a PhD, but I do have a more interesting and fulfilling job.
I do tend to agree that no one should do a PhD unless they’re being paid at the highest possible level for it (I was, and still had a hard time getting by. I definitely took financial hits that I haven’t fully recovered from. But I don’t think my PhD was a waste in the end…it’s all individual though! Totally understand your POV).
Thank you very much for your comment Liya. As I have written in one of the comments, I was pretty angry when I wrote this article. I still stand by it, but I could have been more nuanced. I don’t see it as a total waste of my time, but it did set me back financially (especially since I decided not to follow the academic career path), and when I weigh its pros and cons, the balance is more on the negative side for me.
Oh, I completely understand! It’s brutal and it forces you to take a time out often during your prime earning years, at the very least. So many of our systems need to be updated for the contemporary era!
Thank you for being so transparent about your experience. I hope you'll find a way to reconcile your love for the subject with the state of academia. After I quit my PhD, I just realised that I could keep everything I loved about it less the crippling debt and the academic circle-jerking. It was a liberation honestly. And yet, in the back on my brain, sometimes I still crave for that "Dr" in front of my name... I'm learning to be mindful about it. :) good luck! 🍀
Thank you for your comment Ira! I guess my Substack is becoming more and more of a space where I get to continue to work on what I love (i.e., Ottoman and Middle Eastern history) and share it with people. I wish it was my full-time job, but it isn’t, at least not for now. The only thing I regret about leaving academia once I finished my PhD is the fact that it makes it very, very difficult to turn my manuscript into a book and publish it, which was what I always dreamed of.
I understand the conflicting feelings and the anger. It’s really important to explain our individual experiences to others so that they can make informed choices. Although, as they say, all advice is autobiographical :) In that spirit, I will definitely outline (as soon as life things, ahem, permit) on how and why I pursued the PhD path BUT not as a career step.
Thank you for your comment and apologies for the delayed response.
Congratulations on your baby! Yes, in my own personal experience, too, I reached a point where it didn't make sense to quit anymore. I just had to push through and finish it. I hope you can find a solution that works for you and makes your life easier. Best of luck!
Doga, this is insightful! I am at such a crossroad in my life. For me too, a PhD seems like the only option given my background (bachelor's, master's in history). I also love the subject so its difficult to give up on that dream. I am however aware of the challenges. Academia is so competitive and kind of depressing. Also, politics! But for now, I don't see an alternative for me. But i am increasingly considering other options as well.
Hello Moloya!
First of all, thank you.
I actually don’t know what to tell you. I was very angry when I wrote this, and frankly, I still am. Primarily angry at myself, my life, etc… and that anger is probably not going away soon. So I stand by everything I wrote and wouldn’t change a word of it. But at the end of the day, it’s my own experience, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it is valid for everyone.
I’m certainly not in a position to give you advice. My only suggestion is, even if you do a Phd, keep your options open. Don’t just focus on an academic career because the odds are not exactly in your favor. Try to see what else you can do with your degree and the skills you earned while doing a PhD. That will open up different, and frankly, more lucrative paths for your future.
I hope this helps!
I concur with your advice. I write about my own career fantasy in my new book and how to beautifully explicates the dark side of individualism in the U.S. Universities and companies exist to monetize individual fantasies without displaying any communal responsibility for the consequences. PhD programs are perfect laboratories in the abdication of adult responsibility.
I agree. I would definitely like to read your arguments in the book. Do you have a timeline when it is going to come out?
it's out right now! https://www.amazon.com/Our-Worst-Strength-Individualism-Discontents-ebook/dp/B0CDSXX581 It's written for a general audience, not academics...lots of humor...
Thanks for letting me know, I'll check it out!
I also continued with the same theme for this week's post:
https://afewthoughtson.substack.com/p/a-cynics-guide-to-doing-a-phd-in
I was initially disappointed to not secure funding for my PhD, which I would be doing now if I had, but upon further reflection and a brief desire to come up with a new proposal, I don’t feel as bad, mainly due to a lot of the reasons you’ve highlighted. The situation in the UK isn’t as bad as the US in terms of needing to be rich to do a PhD, but it’s not exactly far, and the need to get a permanent job is very real and not fulfilled by a humanities PhD. Thanks for your lucidity, there’s some comfort in knowing we’re not alone in our struggles.
Thank you for your comment and your kind words. I'm glad you liked what I wrote and found it useful. It makes me happy when I see that my experience resonates with other people.
I pursued academics, got a degree in history, did a year of graduate school, quit, and became a locksmith. The building trades is the way to go. I still love reading, but at 71, I still do side jobs as a locksmith.
I was never good with my hands, so I don’t think that would have worked for me.
I have a PhD in computer science. I don’t regret getting it, but it certainly wasn’t financially worth it for me. At the time, I wanted to stay in academia, teaching and doing research. I left because I realized I like building things more than I like thinking about things. When I left, I was basically starting a career from scratch, missing out on 6 years of career growth. I did get some less tangible skills from academia. I’m a better write and presenter now. I’m better at thinking about problems deeply.
So, in the end, it was helpful, but not incredibly so for myself..
Thank you very much for your comment, I appreciate it.
I'm also currently trying to build a career from scratch which is more difficult than I thought it would be. It is very frustrating, which was partially why I wrote this piece.
I also ended up acquiring some key skills from my PhD but translating them for the job market has not always been easy.
In the end, I can't change the past, so I will need to focus on what I can do with what I have.
I ish you well. There are many intangible skills you learned during your studies, I’m sure. Sadly, though as you are learning, having a PhD closes many doors to regular jobs. However, it also opens other doors that you may not know about.
I’m certainly not getting paid more because I have a PhD, but I do have a more interesting and fulfilling job.
Thank you, I appreciate it! I’m very glad you could put your life in order after your PhD. I hope I can do the same myself.
Thank you again for your insights!
It may take a little while, but if I could do it, I’m sure you can.
I hope so, too! Thank you for the support!
I do tend to agree that no one should do a PhD unless they’re being paid at the highest possible level for it (I was, and still had a hard time getting by. I definitely took financial hits that I haven’t fully recovered from. But I don’t think my PhD was a waste in the end…it’s all individual though! Totally understand your POV).
Thank you very much for your comment Liya. As I have written in one of the comments, I was pretty angry when I wrote this article. I still stand by it, but I could have been more nuanced. I don’t see it as a total waste of my time, but it did set me back financially (especially since I decided not to follow the academic career path), and when I weigh its pros and cons, the balance is more on the negative side for me.
Oh, I completely understand! It’s brutal and it forces you to take a time out often during your prime earning years, at the very least. So many of our systems need to be updated for the contemporary era!
Yes, it is a systemic issue to which we try to find individual solutions. That’s the frustrating part.
Thank you for being so transparent about your experience. I hope you'll find a way to reconcile your love for the subject with the state of academia. After I quit my PhD, I just realised that I could keep everything I loved about it less the crippling debt and the academic circle-jerking. It was a liberation honestly. And yet, in the back on my brain, sometimes I still crave for that "Dr" in front of my name... I'm learning to be mindful about it. :) good luck! 🍀
Thank you for your comment Ira! I guess my Substack is becoming more and more of a space where I get to continue to work on what I love (i.e., Ottoman and Middle Eastern history) and share it with people. I wish it was my full-time job, but it isn’t, at least not for now. The only thing I regret about leaving academia once I finished my PhD is the fact that it makes it very, very difficult to turn my manuscript into a book and publish it, which was what I always dreamed of.
I understand the conflicting feelings and the anger. It’s really important to explain our individual experiences to others so that they can make informed choices. Although, as they say, all advice is autobiographical :) In that spirit, I will definitely outline (as soon as life things, ahem, permit) on how and why I pursued the PhD path BUT not as a career step.
Thank you for your comment and apologies for the delayed response.
Congratulations on your baby! Yes, in my own personal experience, too, I reached a point where it didn't make sense to quit anymore. I just had to push through and finish it. I hope you can find a solution that works for you and makes your life easier. Best of luck!