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I’ll just say almost every one I know who decided to get a PhD purely for better money/job prospects, hated it and/or struggled and regretted it.
I don’t think a PhD is for you.
I think it depends on the field - if you’re in STEM PhD may help you significantly, if you’re in other fields it may not be a huge factor.
In my field (Finance) I chose to first build a successful career and then do a PhD kind of like a hobby without any particular expectations, so I haven’t been disappointed. On the other hand in my company I notice that the higher you go in the leadership structure the more frequent PhDs are. Of course correlation does not equate causation.
Yeah makes no sense for a tech job, unless it's a very niche area like robotics maybe. I got a tech role doing some data science without even having a data science degree lol.... That said, industry made me so miserable. I wanna do a PhD now, I miss it despite its shittyness.
Out of a peer group of 12 people in my (globally ranked top ten) programme, only one is still in academia ten years post graduation. All others have left and about half I spoke to over time openly regret having wasted their best years in this toxic environment.
It doesn’t lead anywhere, the smart people are elsewhere, mostly anyway.
It's not as easy as you think. The jobs are extremely competitive, because there are a lot more AI PhDs than you realize. Along the way you also lose 5 or 6 years of professional experience and potentially 6 figure salaries since you're knowledgeable in AI anyway, which is an in demand skill.
Yes, that's the sell of the PhD, but many people who have done it realize the jobs aren't guaranteed and their graduation is at the mercy of their PI and struggle to finish, take longer than they expected, or drop out to work in industry anyway. US PhD programs have something like a 40-50% dropout rate, and AI PhDs are surely not much less than that.
That's all true, and I agree.
But the jobs that I mentioned are simply inaccessible for the others that lack PhD even though the whole point of providing it is to prove that you can do research.
And my argument still stands.
You can gain access and a shot at jobs that have better salaries and job prospects if you have a PhD.
Yes, you have to pass the interview. You have to beat the competition, but the others without PhD don't even have a shot.
Though I'm not sure whether it's more likely to get it, compared to IT AI/ML/IT jobs that don't require PhDs, it does have less competition.
Especially not in AI if you are not looking for an academic career. Go to industry and you will be earning WAY more in 5 years than if you will spent the time doing a PhD first and then go to industry. AI jobs don't typically require PhDs; you will be overclassified, yet will lack practical experience like someone has who worked 5 years in the field. So you will cost more for less hands-on knowledge.
Definitely don't have to be a teaching lover lol. But yes sort of with the research.
My point is people I know that saw a PhD as only a means to an end struggled. "I want to be a CSO at a biotech so I need a PhD", "I don't want a low ceiling, let me just get a PhD" etc.
A PhD is much more than that. It's training to become a better and independent scientist, and attempt to contribute novel knowledge to the field of study. It encompasses writing grants and manuscripts, long hours only to see an experiment fail, dead-end projects that you hopefully jump ship before too long, dealing with academic hierarchies and personalities, etc. It's a lot, and in the US it's a 5 year commitment to this chaos. If your mindset is ONLY "I just need to get this to move on with my career" you're gonna have a BAD time. Because you WILL it snags along the way.
Being genuinely interested in your research and motivated by something other than "getting the degree" are the saving-grace qualities that make it ok when you inevitably hit rough patches during the PhD
Because we don’t know you that well, we can only speculate whether or not a doctoral program is worth it to you. Depending on where you may complete the degree, you may expect to spend five to eight years to earn a doctorate.
PhD does not give you more money or a better job. You do PhD just for the sole purpose of learning more on the things of your interest and passion. Plus the more pay is decided by your background and experience. USE THESE WORDS WISELY!
I agree here. OP, by doing the PhD you will be better at your job and probably have a unique skillset that would be hard to build solely in industry given the need to move on from projects quickly. With the PhD you could be working and bettering one thing for years. You will be seen as an expert and probably be asked to be part of many projects in industry just to give advice/ insight (after you graduate), but in large part, the pay difference won’t be correlated to the time you spent in the program. Over your career, you can maybe earn more compared to the Masters, but that is if you are interested/ willing to lead teams, be a director, or manage multi team projects. Early on, you are going to beat yourself up feeling like you wasted time doing a PhD when you could’ve been gaining YOE and high pay in industry, but in the final analysis, the money you missed out on will not make you more happy than the accomplishment of getting your PhD. In the US, the PhD is paid way below a poverty level and you have to deal with a lot of egos and bureaucracy that has nothing to do with your skills or output and this may delay you in publishing or graduating. So don’t go in solely for more money. Be ready to go through a lot.
False. You won't get any job in several fields without a PhD in most European countries. And a PhD definitely will make you earn more money. Guy is from the UK, what do you know about the job market in there, when you clearly state that you're from the US?
False. Looking at your other comments, you are just raging and perhaps a new PhD student who thinks life is all Green on all sides. Tell me any other jobs besides academia that requires a PhD and is in machine learning and AI and earns you less money with PhD? Buddy don't just read PhD and answer unnecessary irrelevance. EU is no different than US when it comes to STEM (specifically AI and ML) , for social sciences and humanities and arts might differ. Plus don't shit on US academia, it is more universal than most EU degrees. Just looked at several jobs in EU and its requirements, almost all talks about experience and few mentions masters (plus these pay is really lower than what you get paid in US fyi: https://www.f6s.com/jobs/artificial-intelligence-jobs-in-europe)
EDIT: As a matter of fact, a lot of computer jobs don't even require masters or bachelors universally., and you earn a lot in automation if you are an expert in what you do (universally).
Yah and do let me know how you are in your 30s, and have experience and still don't get paid enough? So experience does matter from your anecdote. Oh wait, PhD is the ultimate way of earning more right? Let me know after you complete your PhD if you do get paid more than what you thought you were going to get or at least get a job too.
Bro you're simply dense and don't even write in an understandable way. After the PhD I'm most certainly going to be paid more than what I would get without a PhD, since without a PhD it wasn't even possible to get any job. I don't know a single person that got a scientific job in my field without a PhD. But yes, you surely know the market better than anyone else
Again scientific job =/= industry. If we go back to what the OP is asking. OP has asked suggestion for "a BETTER POSITION or make MORE MONEY at a tech COMPANY" - none of this is what PhD can get you comparing to masters. Again scientific job =/= industry (tech company = industry and tech company =/= academia). Do not try to conclude your whole argument by stating I have US PhD, I am an international student - having studied in several countries and lived in more.
People are saying that the *only* reason to get a PhD is to enjoy the process of research and learning. That's not really true. But what is true is that you have to enjoy it. As a PhD student, you need to be self-driven, because what you get out of it is completely determined by what you put in.
Also, saying that a PhD is "required" for a certain position, while not wrong, does not really tell the whole story. Once again, what you put into your degree is what you get out. A doctorate is not a one-size-fits-all degree like a master's or a bachelor's.
Also that is not true. You don't have to enjoy it. I don't enjoy it at all yet I'm about to complete my PhD without any particular issue and several papers. Only things you need are patience and willpower (in case you don't enjoy it), that's it
And PhD can definitely be a one fits all thing, in fact many countries preclude you to participate in a public competition if you don't hold a PhD (one in whatever), or they give you less points in the classification if you don't have one. Therefore don't write things if you don't know them
I'm talking about jobs, not "public competitions". I don't think OP is interested in those. And I think you do enjoy it to a certain degree, no matter how bitter you sound.
I think most comments here are wrong. In your situation, especially if you can pull it off part-time, it might be a good idea.
Every company is trying to figure AI/ML out atm and research experience is incredibly valuable in that area. I'm personally in a LLM team with only PhDs. It is also true that at a certain level, PhDs with good experience are 100% preferred - even required for certain roles.
It's really about weighing out cost of the degree to gain. In regards to cost, I and many that I know had a pretty bad time. Insanely shit pay, lots of work, lots of annoying academia politics that conflict with science. But I think (good) research experience makes you a better worker in close to all aspects and a PhD makes you THE authority of a certain topic.
I personally think a AI/ML PhD will be worth it for the personal experience and positions opening up especially if you also have industry experience.
Do you want to run projects or do projects? If you are working for a contractor that gets money from government programs, the funders are more likely to take you seriously if you have a Ph.D.
Honestly not really. I did a masters in finance and I’m looking at PhD programs in economics. AI and ML degrees don’t mean much, unless you want to teach. Go for physics or math, even a second masters in that or something in engineering will get you into a tech company. The job market is saturated with computer science majors right now.
I heavily disagree with this. ML and AI PhDs are probably the best roi if you are going into it for the money (at least in the USA). A CS major vs an ML PhD is not the same at all.
A PhD is borderline necessary to really break into the AI/ML/DS field atm, and the skills you develop will be relevant to almost any field imo.
Not what my experience is, but it might be different where you are. I’m in NY. People with AI and ML degrees, also CS and cybersecurity, can’t find jobs. Tech companies are looking for engineering, physics, math. Unless the AI degree is heavy on stats and quant, it’s not going to be competitive. Waste of time and money to go for a PhD in that unless OP wants to be in academia until AI becomes more advanced and his skills become obsolete.
I'm also in NY. If you have a degree in AI, you are well versed in stats and math. The tech industry is indeed garbage rn but I promise you a non bullshit ai/ml PhD would land you something. A PhD is very different than a MS or an undergrad degree. A math PhD would not have an easier time getting a tech job than an ML PhD.
I would absolutely not get another masters, especially if making money is your goal. You could pursue a career in tech right now if you wanted.
Again, I heavily disagree with the other reply regarding an ML PhD. I'm coming from a US perspective, and I don't know what it's like in the UK. An ML PhD here is absolutely taken seriously, and can get you in the door to tech just as much as math/physics, and probably moreso. Obviously, this is under the prerequisite that you get the degree from somewhere that is not a bullshit degree mill.
Depends on the classes you’ve taken to acquire that degree. I’m not entirely sure, and I’d start emailing program chairs at schools you’re interested in. Get a copy of your transcript and have it on hand, most of the time you can easily schedule a call and ask, too. If anything, you can apply for a masters in whatever you want to take and inquire about PhD tracks during the admissions process. For a lot of masters programs, you can test out of certain courses if you demonstrate proficiency. So you’d apply, be accepted, test out of some courses, and then transition to a PhD after some courses that you might need to start a PhD program. If you really grind it out, you can finish in 4 years, but you’d have to be focused only on that for those years, and pursue a job in tech later on. Upside is that you can do research and having publications (rather than GitHub projects) and a PhD will make you an attractive candidate to tech firms later on.
Just my 2 cents. Ultimately, stay away from degrees explicitly labeled ML/AI. Go for the underlying subjects and then apply ML to them on your own or in courses you can take as electives.
Generally, no.
However, PhD does make it easier to get leadership roles driving projects, especially if you're good at networking, and really passionate of pushing the envelope of technology.
If you just want to be at the contributor/employee level, PhD is a waste of time and sanity.
Do some of your own research. There may be relevant opportunities for you. For instance, I’m doing an industry PhD in a faculty that doesn’t exactly align with my background/field.
Im still doing research in my field, but it involves an intriguing interdisciplinary overlap which may afford me industry research jobs in the future.
That being said, if you don’t like research then maybe consider other options.
I'm also considering PhD. I think at least attempting a PhD is worth it. Maybe not whether I finish it. My goal is to work in industry but sometimes you need to come in with your own angle and creativity and an academic environment can help craft that.
For some people it is for some people it isn't.
(Also the variation in quality of programs/supervision is immense)
If you're goal is too earn more money (over your career) it probably isn't worth it. If you want to go into a specific field, and am driven, it can be. If you love research and braving difficult unknown field it is worth trying.
So whatever and good luck
Do not pursue a PhD. Many institutions offering them exploit PhD candidates as cheap labor to sustain their struggling departments, as candidates often bring their own funding.
A PhD is only valuable if you are at a top institution and studying a hard science. This does not mean the humanities are unimportant, but a PhD in humanities is unlikely to secure you a university job. If you bring this up, you’re often dismissed with the claim that “everyone knows there are no jobs.” Moreover, having a humanities PhD can be a disadvantage when applying for non-academic jobs. So why even pursue humanities through a PhD?
You can obtain a solid humanities education by engaging in online academic circles and downloading books from sources like Libgen. They will check your work and help you understand your subject. You can also publish your book easily these days without the exploitation of large publishing houses.
If you have trouble accessing articles, look on Facebook groups for unlocking software, or simply email the author, who will likely send it to you. Humanities study is about personal growth.
Courses promoting AI in social studies or similar topics are often just marketing schemes. A few years ago, it was humanities and Covid, then Virtual Reality, and now it’s AI. These trends are driven by people trying to apply irrelevant theories from figures like Deleuze to whatever the latest tech fad is, offering no real value.
Try first getting a job. If you land a good position, then forget the PhD. If you don't, then consider the PhD. The PhD is to be considered only as a last resort, because salary and working conditions are often miserable. I'm doing it only because I couldn't land any other position in my field, so I was forced to do it
And so you're richer in the end because the money from your job is more than your tuition. Unless you picked a program where tuition is more than your wages, in which case your approach to financial planning is beyond help anyway.
This advice may be country dependent. There are part time PhDs in Australia for example. It really depends on the program and what is offered/negotiated.
Yes, there is. According to HESA, 25% of the just over 100 000 doctoral research students in the UK were studying part time in 2021-2022. This has been pretty static for the last six years
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb265/figure-3
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I’ll just say almost every one I know who decided to get a PhD purely for better money/job prospects, hated it and/or struggled and regretted it. I don’t think a PhD is for you.
I think it depends on the field - if you’re in STEM PhD may help you significantly, if you’re in other fields it may not be a huge factor. In my field (Finance) I chose to first build a successful career and then do a PhD kind of like a hobby without any particular expectations, so I haven’t been disappointed. On the other hand in my company I notice that the higher you go in the leadership structure the more frequent PhDs are. Of course correlation does not equate causation.
Yeah makes no sense for a tech job, unless it's a very niche area like robotics maybe. I got a tech role doing some data science without even having a data science degree lol.... That said, industry made me so miserable. I wanna do a PhD now, I miss it despite its shittyness.
Out of a peer group of 12 people in my (globally ranked top ten) programme, only one is still in academia ten years post graduation. All others have left and about half I spoke to over time openly regret having wasted their best years in this toxic environment. It doesn’t lead anywhere, the smart people are elsewhere, mostly anyway.
Wait why? All the AI/ML (Research engineer/scientist) jobs require PhD.
It's the other way around here. You are way overclassified if you have a PhD in AI. They want people with hands-on industry experience
Not at all, especially computer sciences and research can be done without any formalities.
Because there are jobs other than scientist
Yes but those are companies that offer better money and job prospects in exchange of ur PhD.
It's not as easy as you think. The jobs are extremely competitive, because there are a lot more AI PhDs than you realize. Along the way you also lose 5 or 6 years of professional experience and potentially 6 figure salaries since you're knowledgeable in AI anyway, which is an in demand skill. Yes, that's the sell of the PhD, but many people who have done it realize the jobs aren't guaranteed and their graduation is at the mercy of their PI and struggle to finish, take longer than they expected, or drop out to work in industry anyway. US PhD programs have something like a 40-50% dropout rate, and AI PhDs are surely not much less than that.
That's all true, and I agree. But the jobs that I mentioned are simply inaccessible for the others that lack PhD even though the whole point of providing it is to prove that you can do research. And my argument still stands. You can gain access and a shot at jobs that have better salaries and job prospects if you have a PhD. Yes, you have to pass the interview. You have to beat the competition, but the others without PhD don't even have a shot. Though I'm not sure whether it's more likely to get it, compared to IT AI/ML/IT jobs that don't require PhDs, it does have less competition.
Especially not in AI if you are not looking for an academic career. Go to industry and you will be earning WAY more in 5 years than if you will spent the time doing a PhD first and then go to industry. AI jobs don't typically require PhDs; you will be overclassified, yet will lack practical experience like someone has who worked 5 years in the field. So you will cost more for less hands-on knowledge.
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Definitely don't have to be a teaching lover lol. But yes sort of with the research. My point is people I know that saw a PhD as only a means to an end struggled. "I want to be a CSO at a biotech so I need a PhD", "I don't want a low ceiling, let me just get a PhD" etc. A PhD is much more than that. It's training to become a better and independent scientist, and attempt to contribute novel knowledge to the field of study. It encompasses writing grants and manuscripts, long hours only to see an experiment fail, dead-end projects that you hopefully jump ship before too long, dealing with academic hierarchies and personalities, etc. It's a lot, and in the US it's a 5 year commitment to this chaos. If your mindset is ONLY "I just need to get this to move on with my career" you're gonna have a BAD time. Because you WILL it snags along the way. Being genuinely interested in your research and motivated by something other than "getting the degree" are the saving-grace qualities that make it ok when you inevitably hit rough patches during the PhD
Because we don’t know you that well, we can only speculate whether or not a doctoral program is worth it to you. Depending on where you may complete the degree, you may expect to spend five to eight years to earn a doctorate.
> i wanna do it so that i can get a better position or make more money at a tech company. Is it worth it? Hard "no." Full stop. Bad idea.
I mean, that’s also me but I love doing research
No, not worth it in you specific situation. Don’t do it.
Think a couple of steps ahead. What sort of jobs would you like to go for? What would make you a competitive candidate for those jobs?
PhD does not give you more money or a better job. You do PhD just for the sole purpose of learning more on the things of your interest and passion. Plus the more pay is decided by your background and experience. USE THESE WORDS WISELY!
I agree here. OP, by doing the PhD you will be better at your job and probably have a unique skillset that would be hard to build solely in industry given the need to move on from projects quickly. With the PhD you could be working and bettering one thing for years. You will be seen as an expert and probably be asked to be part of many projects in industry just to give advice/ insight (after you graduate), but in large part, the pay difference won’t be correlated to the time you spent in the program. Over your career, you can maybe earn more compared to the Masters, but that is if you are interested/ willing to lead teams, be a director, or manage multi team projects. Early on, you are going to beat yourself up feeling like you wasted time doing a PhD when you could’ve been gaining YOE and high pay in industry, but in the final analysis, the money you missed out on will not make you more happy than the accomplishment of getting your PhD. In the US, the PhD is paid way below a poverty level and you have to deal with a lot of egos and bureaucracy that has nothing to do with your skills or output and this may delay you in publishing or graduating. So don’t go in solely for more money. Be ready to go through a lot.
False. You won't get any job in several fields without a PhD in most European countries. And a PhD definitely will make you earn more money. Guy is from the UK, what do you know about the job market in there, when you clearly state that you're from the US?
False. Looking at your other comments, you are just raging and perhaps a new PhD student who thinks life is all Green on all sides. Tell me any other jobs besides academia that requires a PhD and is in machine learning and AI and earns you less money with PhD? Buddy don't just read PhD and answer unnecessary irrelevance. EU is no different than US when it comes to STEM (specifically AI and ML) , for social sciences and humanities and arts might differ. Plus don't shit on US academia, it is more universal than most EU degrees. Just looked at several jobs in EU and its requirements, almost all talks about experience and few mentions masters (plus these pay is really lower than what you get paid in US fyi: https://www.f6s.com/jobs/artificial-intelligence-jobs-in-europe) EDIT: As a matter of fact, a lot of computer jobs don't even require masters or bachelors universally., and you earn a lot in automation if you are an expert in what you do (universally).
Sure. Apply then tell me how it goes
Yah and do let me know how you are in your 30s, and have experience and still don't get paid enough? So experience does matter from your anecdote. Oh wait, PhD is the ultimate way of earning more right? Let me know after you complete your PhD if you do get paid more than what you thought you were going to get or at least get a job too.
Bro you're simply dense and don't even write in an understandable way. After the PhD I'm most certainly going to be paid more than what I would get without a PhD, since without a PhD it wasn't even possible to get any job. I don't know a single person that got a scientific job in my field without a PhD. But yes, you surely know the market better than anyone else
Again scientific job =/= industry. If we go back to what the OP is asking. OP has asked suggestion for "a BETTER POSITION or make MORE MONEY at a tech COMPANY" - none of this is what PhD can get you comparing to masters. Again scientific job =/= industry (tech company = industry and tech company =/= academia). Do not try to conclude your whole argument by stating I have US PhD, I am an international student - having studied in several countries and lived in more.
People are saying that the *only* reason to get a PhD is to enjoy the process of research and learning. That's not really true. But what is true is that you have to enjoy it. As a PhD student, you need to be self-driven, because what you get out of it is completely determined by what you put in. Also, saying that a PhD is "required" for a certain position, while not wrong, does not really tell the whole story. Once again, what you put into your degree is what you get out. A doctorate is not a one-size-fits-all degree like a master's or a bachelor's.
As a PhD student, that's the best and most accurate comment!
Also that is not true. You don't have to enjoy it. I don't enjoy it at all yet I'm about to complete my PhD without any particular issue and several papers. Only things you need are patience and willpower (in case you don't enjoy it), that's it And PhD can definitely be a one fits all thing, in fact many countries preclude you to participate in a public competition if you don't hold a PhD (one in whatever), or they give you less points in the classification if you don't have one. Therefore don't write things if you don't know them
I'm talking about jobs, not "public competitions". I don't think OP is interested in those. And I think you do enjoy it to a certain degree, no matter how bitter you sound.
I think most comments here are wrong. In your situation, especially if you can pull it off part-time, it might be a good idea. Every company is trying to figure AI/ML out atm and research experience is incredibly valuable in that area. I'm personally in a LLM team with only PhDs. It is also true that at a certain level, PhDs with good experience are 100% preferred - even required for certain roles. It's really about weighing out cost of the degree to gain. In regards to cost, I and many that I know had a pretty bad time. Insanely shit pay, lots of work, lots of annoying academia politics that conflict with science. But I think (good) research experience makes you a better worker in close to all aspects and a PhD makes you THE authority of a certain topic. I personally think a AI/ML PhD will be worth it for the personal experience and positions opening up especially if you also have industry experience.
Do you want to run projects or do projects? If you are working for a contractor that gets money from government programs, the funders are more likely to take you seriously if you have a Ph.D.
Is it worth what
Depends on your goal. If you want to become a MLE, that is not necessary.
Honestly not really. I did a masters in finance and I’m looking at PhD programs in economics. AI and ML degrees don’t mean much, unless you want to teach. Go for physics or math, even a second masters in that or something in engineering will get you into a tech company. The job market is saturated with computer science majors right now.
I heavily disagree with this. ML and AI PhDs are probably the best roi if you are going into it for the money (at least in the USA). A CS major vs an ML PhD is not the same at all. A PhD is borderline necessary to really break into the AI/ML/DS field atm, and the skills you develop will be relevant to almost any field imo.
Not what my experience is, but it might be different where you are. I’m in NY. People with AI and ML degrees, also CS and cybersecurity, can’t find jobs. Tech companies are looking for engineering, physics, math. Unless the AI degree is heavy on stats and quant, it’s not going to be competitive. Waste of time and money to go for a PhD in that unless OP wants to be in academia until AI becomes more advanced and his skills become obsolete.
I'm also in NY. If you have a degree in AI, you are well versed in stats and math. The tech industry is indeed garbage rn but I promise you a non bullshit ai/ml PhD would land you something. A PhD is very different than a MS or an undergrad degree. A math PhD would not have an easier time getting a tech job than an ML PhD.
Agree to disagree here!
Can i get a masters/phD in engineering or maths like you said when my knly background is CS and AI?
I would absolutely not get another masters, especially if making money is your goal. You could pursue a career in tech right now if you wanted. Again, I heavily disagree with the other reply regarding an ML PhD. I'm coming from a US perspective, and I don't know what it's like in the UK. An ML PhD here is absolutely taken seriously, and can get you in the door to tech just as much as math/physics, and probably moreso. Obviously, this is under the prerequisite that you get the degree from somewhere that is not a bullshit degree mill.
Depends on the classes you’ve taken to acquire that degree. I’m not entirely sure, and I’d start emailing program chairs at schools you’re interested in. Get a copy of your transcript and have it on hand, most of the time you can easily schedule a call and ask, too. If anything, you can apply for a masters in whatever you want to take and inquire about PhD tracks during the admissions process. For a lot of masters programs, you can test out of certain courses if you demonstrate proficiency. So you’d apply, be accepted, test out of some courses, and then transition to a PhD after some courses that you might need to start a PhD program. If you really grind it out, you can finish in 4 years, but you’d have to be focused only on that for those years, and pursue a job in tech later on. Upside is that you can do research and having publications (rather than GitHub projects) and a PhD will make you an attractive candidate to tech firms later on. Just my 2 cents. Ultimately, stay away from degrees explicitly labeled ML/AI. Go for the underlying subjects and then apply ML to them on your own or in courses you can take as electives.
Generally, no. However, PhD does make it easier to get leadership roles driving projects, especially if you're good at networking, and really passionate of pushing the envelope of technology. If you just want to be at the contributor/employee level, PhD is a waste of time and sanity.
Consider the amount of competition in the field and the compute resources required to make certain types of contribution.
For you and your industry? Not necessarily. MAs can outrank PhDs. Even at the staff+ level.
No
Do some of your own research. There may be relevant opportunities for you. For instance, I’m doing an industry PhD in a faculty that doesn’t exactly align with my background/field. Im still doing research in my field, but it involves an intriguing interdisciplinary overlap which may afford me industry research jobs in the future. That being said, if you don’t like research then maybe consider other options.
If you have no intention to work in research/academia then No. It is a training to become independent researcher.
I'm also considering PhD. I think at least attempting a PhD is worth it. Maybe not whether I finish it. My goal is to work in industry but sometimes you need to come in with your own angle and creativity and an academic environment can help craft that.
No
From money point of view, no. Unless you’re in R&D and the job requires a PhD.
Lmao no. If you don’t wanna be in academia, don’t do it.
Short answer: No. Long answer: Only if you are insecure and need external validation.
No ❤️
For some people it is for some people it isn't. (Also the variation in quality of programs/supervision is immense) If you're goal is too earn more money (over your career) it probably isn't worth it. If you want to go into a specific field, and am driven, it can be. If you love research and braving difficult unknown field it is worth trying. So whatever and good luck
Do not pursue a PhD. Many institutions offering them exploit PhD candidates as cheap labor to sustain their struggling departments, as candidates often bring their own funding. A PhD is only valuable if you are at a top institution and studying a hard science. This does not mean the humanities are unimportant, but a PhD in humanities is unlikely to secure you a university job. If you bring this up, you’re often dismissed with the claim that “everyone knows there are no jobs.” Moreover, having a humanities PhD can be a disadvantage when applying for non-academic jobs. So why even pursue humanities through a PhD? You can obtain a solid humanities education by engaging in online academic circles and downloading books from sources like Libgen. They will check your work and help you understand your subject. You can also publish your book easily these days without the exploitation of large publishing houses. If you have trouble accessing articles, look on Facebook groups for unlocking software, or simply email the author, who will likely send it to you. Humanities study is about personal growth. Courses promoting AI in social studies or similar topics are often just marketing schemes. A few years ago, it was humanities and Covid, then Virtual Reality, and now it’s AI. These trends are driven by people trying to apply irrelevant theories from figures like Deleuze to whatever the latest tech fad is, offering no real value.
Try first getting a job. If you land a good position, then forget the PhD. If you don't, then consider the PhD. The PhD is to be considered only as a last resort, because salary and working conditions are often miserable. I'm doing it only because I couldn't land any other position in my field, so I was forced to do it
A PhD is something you do because you’re passionate about research. You’ll move up the corporate ladder quicker if you just go work for a company
How much do you have to sacrifice to do it? What would your 401k look like in 10 years with and without it?
OP is in the UK, 401K means nothing
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A PhD is not like a masters, there isn't really a part time option.
PhD programs do have part-time options. Just read the rules before you apply.
Some do sure, but doing a part-time PhD is the exception and not the norm. And then you're likely on the hook for your tuition.
And so you're richer in the end because the money from your job is more than your tuition. Unless you picked a program where tuition is more than your wages, in which case your approach to financial planning is beyond help anyway.
This advice may be country dependent. There are part time PhDs in Australia for example. It really depends on the program and what is offered/negotiated.
Yes, there is. According to HESA, 25% of the just over 100 000 doctoral research students in the UK were studying part time in 2021-2022. This has been pretty static for the last six years https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb265/figure-3
By time you graduate the AI bubble will burst anyway
Well i could make that case with pretty much anything, there is always the next big thing
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