Oh cowgirl, although I'm two years younger than you are, I've been fully aware of the age concerns, and from what people have warned me, yes, a secure career and a family come as the top priority, and probably do it later part-time, as kind of extra-career pursuit?

O.Stoll ...

Just out of curiousty ... have you completed your PhD? If so, did it 'pay off' in the end (i.e. did you manage to get a career you enjoyed)?

Pretty much my question...are you speaking from experience in other words.

Im in a similar position. Im just finishing my masters and have been toying with the idea of doing a phd. Theres no jobs available for me even with my masters, but with a Phd I think it would make a big difference and possibly lead to massive wages down the line. I just dont think I could stomach 3 more years right now and im making lots of money on ebay anyway but dont know how long its going to last, its such a hard decision to make- to sentence yourself to 3 years of hell especially when the rewards are not guarenteed. Suppose weve just got make sure we know what were letting ourselves in for

Massive wages? I've got to ask...what field are you in? You obviously don't intend to be an academic.

I'm doing a PhD because working in my subject area (biochemistry) is the only thing I could imagine doing. Yeah I could have become an accountant with my BSc and be on my way to earning mega bucks by now, but I couldn't live with myself. My advice is be true to yourself. If you love your subject, do a PhD and screw what happens 3 years down the line. That's another day's worry. I know so many people who chose a financially lucrative career after uni. Okay so they have a nice car etc but they HATE going into work every day and spend most of their income on cheering themselves up. It's just not worth it. On the other hand, if you're not sure about a PhD based purely on whether you'd enjoy it (not money) then definitely DON'T do it!

The last post was spot on! I was in the same position. I'd been on a 12month industrial placement as part of my undergrad and the company had offered me a position on graduating. The guys doing the same job at this company were on 30-60k, so I had a real dilemma. However, I remember when I was there and I used to actually CRY (and I'm no pansy) before I went to work some mornings because I knew that the day ahead would just be unbarably boring and unchallenging. I couldn't even see myself getting through the next 8 hours. You can't live your life like that- not for any amount of money. The PhD has been a breath of fresh air in comparison.

Don't be fooled by the 'image' of people in 'proper' jobs- they are not always as they seem!!!

You don't read this Forum much do you Robber?

GolfPro,
no im not talking about academic wages, im not sure i would even consider a phd if that was the case. My field is quantitative finance and the jobs advertised seem extremely well paid. There's a big shortage of quant developers with phd's so wages have gone through the roof. Even so, Id only be doing the phd for the money at the end, I dont find the field all that interesting. Im sure it would be worth it in the end but 3 years of misery is a big price to pay

If I won the lottery then yes I would choose to do the PhD, so I guess that in part answer the money side of the question. However, after I finished my batchelors deg and now again after a masters I always end up in this dilema of what to do next, and I hate it. Doing a PhD would again be putting off this problem again. And, if I remained in academia, would become a 3yr cycle of job insecurity not knowing where to go or what to do next. Whilst those earning "big" money (or at least more than most in academia) may not always want to get out of bed in the morning, they do at least have job security or a range of jobs available to them as not so much of a niche market/industry. I can't expect my family to upsticks and move around the country/world every 3 yrs or so in pursuit of my next job. even without others involved, I wouldn't fancy this.

Hmmm I see your predicament. What field your potential phd is in? Is it really that 'niche'? If so, maybe you could look at doing another PhD that leaves more doors open. As others have said on this forum, even if you don't want to stay in research after your PhD all of the graduate training schemes will still be open to you. My way of looking at it is this - live for today. If you want to do a PhD then do it! You've got your whole life to earn mega bucks (if you want to) and endure the daily drudge that is office work.

contd.
Consider this: surely 40 hours a week of pure misery is a high price to pay for job security? I've experienced a 'sought after' graduate training scheme in finance and it was so soul destroying I had to leave. I used to spend the whole weekend depressed about going back to work on Monday. I'd choose research any day even if it doesn't provide stability because happiness and believing in what you do is priceless. I'm now going to enjoy some biscuits with the amount of cheese I've rolled out in this post...!

golfpro: if you're such a cynic and are so bitter about the wages in academia, why don't you leave and stop posting snide comments about other peoples opinions.

Danny..thought it might be that field.

Robber...its not the wages [we all know they're very average] it was the 'HATE going into work every day'. That could have been written about a LOT of PhD students on here. You follow? If you don't read back a month or two and you will.

golfpro: "it was the 'HATE going into work every day'. That could have been written about a LOT of PhD students on here. "

I wonder how many of them have actually done any industrial experience though. The chances are that the 'HATE going into work every day' PhD brigade would hate going into ANY work everyday. Work isn't fun but by many industrial standards, academia IS as fun as work gets- at least you have some say over what you do and when you do it.