As a doctoral graduate student in psychology, I can tell you that the following article is downright scary. To anybody that ever assumed that getting a PhD equaled a great job and benefits, think again. The market for obscure studies at a doctoral level is frighteningly small. Makes me think, sometimes more education isn’t always a good thing.
One attendee recalled scraping by on $9,000 a year. “I was exhausted by years of living in poverty,” she said. Her neighbor chimed in: “Amen, sister.”
An eavesdropper might have been surprised to learn what the group had in common: formidable academic credentials. Sitting at the table were a historian, a sociologist, a linguist and a dozen other scholars. Most held doctorates; a few were either close to completion or had left before finishing. All had toiled for years in graduate school but, by choice or circumstance, almost none had arrived at the promised destination of tenure-track professorships (the one who had was thinking of leaving). Now they found themselves at a gathering of a group called Versatile Ph.D. to support their pursuit of nontraditional careers.
That young Ph.D., Adam Capitanio, who completed his degree in 2012, had looked for an academic position for three years, focusing his search on the Northeast and applying for at least 60 jobs. He hadn’t received a single interview. Now he was working as an editorial associate at an academic publisher, trying to devise a long-term plan.
Read all about it in The New York Times.
Ever thought about getting a Ph.D.? What would you study and why?
I considered getting a PhD in psych as well after finishing my undergrad program, but my acting career took off and now I’m even more poor 🙂 But at least I don’t have any debt.
That latter part is the important point – got out of debt and do what you love. 🙂
Thanks for the comment!
Sam
People are so down about the PhD job market, but nearly all the time they are talking about tenure-track academic positions. Like, 98% of PhDs graduating now don’t go into academia so I’m not sure why that kind of job is still assumed to be the desire of every PhD. My husband and I are both pursuing PhDs but neither of us wants to be in academia – frankly, it seems like a terrible job!
I like to write on my blog about PhD students succeeding financially even while they are living on their grad school stipends, so all the doom and gloom from these types of articles is just not for me. I’m honestly not too concerned about my post-PhD employment because I’m keeping my mind open to a lot of options.
Emily,
That’s not a bad point. Frankly, I am not considering a job in academia, either. I think the NYT article generally just focused on the assumption of PhDs being an advantage in the workplace.
Thanks for the comment and good luck with your program!
Sam
The article actually focused on getting PhD bound grads out of academia. There is not room for them there.
My fantasy PhD would have been in Linguistics. Noam Chomsky, Deborah Tannen – I could have been a contender! 🙂
You can always apply! 😉 MIT is always calling.
I’ve always viewed a PhD as something you only get if you’ve been in the private sector forever or you plan to work for a university. Only companies that have had someone a long time are willing to shell out a salary that a PhD grad should be making. I think that’s why it can be so hard for new grads with little work experience to find a job. A company is on the line for a lot of money for someone with an unproven track record and only academic experience.
Suddenly, I feel so much better about having completed my formal education with only a BS!
This is a depressing article, but I think it’s pretty common knowledge to anyone who has gone on for any graduate degree. I’d like to get my PhD in Performance Studies someday – mostly because I love studying it and think it would be a fascinating subject to spend 3-6 years submerged in, but also because I would actually like to be a college professor someday – but I can tell you right now that I’m well aware that it would be a difficult path to succeed in. I think if you’re going for a PhD in an arts or humanities subject, you just have to love it and hope that whatever you’re learning will wind up applying itself in your life somehow. There are other careers that benefit from getting a PhD besides just going into academia as well.
Probably you are right that having a PhD doesn’t gurantee a job – particualrly if people try to get in academia. Having two PhDs and having been in academia for close to thirty years (I did get to the top as well :)) I can’t understand anyone who would want to do that – universities have become, and continue on this road, one of the worst employers around.
I believe though that doing a PhD is not about the specific knowledge (not about the topic of your PhD); it is only a proof that you can stick to something for a long time, don’t expect immediate rewards, can cope with fear and uncertainty, have become a skilled researcher, can write and make yourself understood…
Well look at this! This seems to be the list most people would say consists of skills and traits that are perfect for success in todays economy and society.
I wouldn’t be that much suprised by the PhD scenario…are there any guarantees for anyone in this economy even non-PhD’s? At the end of the day I thinks its far much better to keep one’s options open and certainly think way out of the traditional box and tracks.
This is a big reason why I decided to just stick with my undergrad degree (I have a B.A. in history). I didn’t think graduate school – for a Master’s OR PhD – would make me that much more likely to get a job, and certainly not any more likely to get a job that would allow me to pay back the loans I’d have to take out!
Sam!
This is interesting! I’m gonna talk about this in my social class seminar later.
Yun!
Thanks for your comment. 🙂 Let me know how that goes!
Sam
Sam, My husband is an internationally known child psychologist and PhD faculty member. I am training his students on the “business and branding” side of the profession. The degree definitely doesn’t guarantee a job, one has to know the business side and how to market oneself to become employed.
I just found this blog and and reading oldest to newest and found this post interesting. This doesn’t surprise me at all. Just like undergrad degrees in the liberal arts fields I would assume it would be difficult to find work in those same fields with a PhD. Actually, probably more difficult because you demand more pay in fields where the skills are deemed less marketable. I haven’t read the NYT article yet, but I assume if people had PhDs in engineering and Computer Science and Accounting they wouldn’t have as difficult a time finding work since those seem to be the highest in demand fields.
Hey Bill,
Thanks for commenting and deciding to read through the archives! Really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy the rest of your tour. 😉
You’re absolutely right that it becomes increasingly more difficult with a PhD, at times. With that level of qualification, most people throw you in the overqualified category if you cannot find work in your specified discipline. It’s a scary limbo!
Sam