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PhD embarrassment
I remember being in the US and someone commented on the Dr. on some of my personal information. I was truthful (though made it sound a little more ordinary) and the response was "wow!!!". I would not get that in the UK.
Yeah I've noticed this too. I think people in the US are more appreciative of higher degrees. Of course, I've only met a small subset of people, most of whom have higher degrees, so that may be slightly biased!
The above happened in a hotel in Las Vegas a few years ago, from a shop assistant in a hotel I believe was an undergraduate student at one of the local Universities.
In the UK, you see people stand back as if a prenominal title of any description (even if awarded for hard work) is some sort of contagious disease. I would never push it in people's faces (I'm always plain old "Ian"), but it does seem like society overreacts to it. I wonder if this links back to hereditary titles and distrust of titled people in centuries gone by (i.e. the "them and us" attitude), which is silly considering some of us have very ordinary backgrounds. I wonder how many PhDs have working class origins?
Ian
Fully Funded PHD: The Worst Career Decision I've EVER Made
Hi Fled,
Thank you for your astute comments! You certainly pull no punches. I totally understand and respect where you are coming from. If I'm 100% honest with myself and the people who have read and/or contributed to this post (after all, it is an online social environment!), all I am is a good essay writer. I write well. In fact, I write really well. But that, along with my forward-thinking ideas and concepts, is about as far as I go concerning my ability to be a model academic. So, yes, I don't think I would make a very good/convincing PhD scholar, nor academic for that matter. Plus, its something I can honestly say I don't want to do.
Thank you for the heads up on some opportunities for a social science graduate like myself.
MoC
Sorry, but I sense an element of imposter syndrome here. You also say you're a good essay writer and forward thinker with ideas and concepts. To me, those elements are plus points for someone doing a PhD. But I digress and clearly you've made up your mind as from my second post-doc, I know what it's like to be in a situation you hate.
I've just gone over your post history. You fear the overqualified label, yet some of the options you discuss would enhance that label and perhaps end up with you being perceived as a professional student. A second undergraduate degree would certainly leave you with this label.
Does the NHS employer you were with before not have any suitable vacancies? Have you tried a speculative application to see if going back might be possible? If it came off, it would be a start.
HazyJane offers some fair advice and I assume this would be a professional qualification rather than another academic qualification. If so, take a look.
The mid-point may be final decision time for you. If you reach this point, my advice would change to seeing the PhD through.
Ian
Online study about alcohol consumption - £7 Amazon voucher if you complete the study
I don't find drink a problem.
I drink, I get drunk, I fall over.
What's the problem? Hic!!!
Ian
Trilemma: Professional career, PhD or family
Hello everyone!
I'm a 32-year-old with 5 years of professional experience, holding two master degrees. My fiancé and I plan to relocate to Germany, so I need to start all over again, and I'm left in a trilemma. Namely, should I continue nurturing my professional career, get pregnant or start a PhD? Or maybe get pregnant+PhD. The thing is that I'm afraid that my career will suffer irrepairably if I choose family over my professional development. On the other hand, I'd like to have a baby soon and I'm afraid that pregnancies in general tend to get more severe when you're older. Additionaly I would love to get a PhD, but Im afraid Im too old for it and the odds that I will make a career in academia are slim (or not?).
Any wise advice? Anyone been there?
Some people start PhDs quite late in life, so don't worry about PhD and age. If you want to prioritise having a baby, do so.
There's also a few on here that have done a PhD alongside having a family, so I'm sure there's plenty on here who will be able to give you quality advice in this respect.
All the best whatever you decide.
Ian
Early quit from PhD program
If you really can't stand the work you are doing, go now and let someone else have a go who is more enthusiastic about the subject. Explain to a potential supervisor for a new PhD that you realised the project you were doing was not for you and discuss why you believe the new project is the right one, allaying their fears you're not going to feel the same a month into the new project.
That said, bear in mind you're only a month in. At that stage, most of us are digging into literature review and deciding under supervisor guidance exactly what direction our projects are going to take. This stage can be mind numbingly boring for anyone and to base your view of your PhD on the little work you have done so far may be very premature. Once you start doing work for yourself, you feelings towards the project may change. I mixed literature review with little bits of preliminary practical work, making the early stages quite a bit less boring.
It is not possible to sit reading literature review material solidly as you're head will just about blow up doing this.
Ian
P.S. I got lucky in that this early data was new to my field and thus was useable in and became a major part the final thesis (i.e. I somehow got off to flier).
2.2 to a 2.1 topup
You have 4 options from least to most work.
1. Contact the offer institutions and convince them to accept you.
2. Appeal your award with your University - from my understanding, if you are 2% or less from the boundary you can appeal the decision to see if they award the higher banding. Check you University guidelines on this.
3. Credit transfer to a new degree. Only a certain amount of credits from tour existing degree will count. Of course your credits have to fit in with that degree and you have to make sure the remaining credits you can study don't actually cover the same material you already have in the transferred credits.
4. Do an MA and try and get a Merit grade but preferably a Distinction.
Good luck.
The appeal might be worth a shot, though I'd chat with your tutors beforehand. They'll have a breakdown of your marks and suggest grounds for an appeal.
Ian
PhD embarrassment
I assume all the above are from UK candidates and graduates - the attitude discussed seems to be prevalent in some Anglophone countries including the UK (possibly Austrailia, Canada and New Zealand). Put simply, if you do something that puts across the perception that you stand out or are trying to stand out from the crowd then you are there to be shot at or brought down a peg or two. People don't feel comfortable with achievement and with having other people's achievements (or problems) pushed in their faces.
A PhD is perceived as a elitist degree and it is inevitable there are going to me misconceptions. I find it is best not to mention the PhD specifically, saying I was a researcher or post-grad. Those in the know will probe further and will put two and two together, however, the fact they have had to work to extract the information out of you at least makes you seem more humble let's say.
Those not in the know will probably ask what you are researching and you an give a vague answer. They will go away happy.
I remember being in the US and someone commented on the Dr. on some of my personal information. I was truthful (though made it sound a little more ordinary) and the response was "wow!!!". I would not get that in the UK.
I think with the title issue, we have to be indirect so as not to make ourselves a target. I'll point out also that fresh ordinary degree graduates full of ideas also have a breaking in period in the workplace, where the ordinary blokes (shop floor?) will bring them down to size or the older hands will tell then in a round about sort of way to be more circumspect. That's life folks!!!
Ian
2.2 to a 2.1 topup
Don't be silly. You know that there is no such a thing of topping up your degree classification.
Not so sure (and no guarantee). If you're in the UK, you might want to contact the Open University to see if this is possible.
Your best bet is probably Masters to bump you up a notch.
Ian
Article Request
Hi Ian, catch it, got your email address from before.
Many thanks Rina!!!
Ian
Article Request
I've another one now for an ex-colleague who's found himself coming full circle so to speak. Can anyone help?
.
Many thanks in advance,
Ian
:( Revise and resubmit PhD thesis in 12 months!!! Success stories?
Hi Marasp, hope your R&R went well! How is your second attempt?
I resubmitted over a month ago. I was told that I won't hear back before the end of October.
I saw your other post, in that your external examiner is overloaded with work. That's fair enough then as it was exam time.
However, papers are marked and degree results are now being announced. I honestly can't see how it's going to take him until the end of October, even if he does the normal academic thing of vanishing for a month over summer unless he literally intends to go through it line-by-line.
Ian
Fully Funded PHD: The Worst Career Decision I've EVER Made
Nick1,
Surely you're entitled to some sort of benefits if you have no resources of you're own?
Post up in a new thread whatever information you can (without compromising you're privacy, obviously) and someone on here may be able to help you. I know roughly of someone in your situation who did eventually find call centre work and was able at least to pay the bills.
As regards your PhD hindering your job hunting, I've been there too so know only too well who you're going through and I had a science PhD.
I don't know what camp you're in as regards hiding your PhD for non-academic jobs. Some opt to hide in order not to put people off employing them whilst others regard this as gross dishonesty (though this latter view seems to be a cultural thing, especially in N. America). I guess if someone was desperate enough to find employment they might resort to this and I personally wouldn't hold it against them.
Ian
Getting married!
I just have to announce this here: I'm getting married! I took my girlfriend hiking up into the Australian Alps and proposed to her on the (romantically-named) Mount Feathertop! Huzzah!
In other news, I've settled into a good routine on my long commute to work every morning and my thesis writing-up is coming along nicely. I guess the thing to do now is to try and get as much writing done as possible before we have kids ...
So... did anyone here invite their supervisor to their wedding? I think I'd like mine to come along, but I don't know what the other guests would make of him! (He's a tad eccentric and a world apart from my non-academic friends and family).
Well some girl might probably go for him, as there's a few go for geeky, eccentric sorts. You'll probably get him laid for the first time in years. :-)
Congratulations!!!
Ian
Truthful to my research or degree
Hey Ian,
Thank you very much for your reply and explanation. I thought on the same line to present the debate from both point of views. But the 'trap' you explained sounds true. I too fall for it. Ha ha.
In the discussion chapter it sounds right but what about conclusion and further research? Should I still give my recommendations? To what extent it might affect their decision? I understand that you can not travel in the minds of examiners but have you ever witnessed anyone with contradictory views from their examiners and still got away? I am emphasising on the topic because I am interested in doing further research on the same line or at least encourage other researchers to throw light there.
Cheers
Perhaps part of the further work needs to examine the merits, strengths and weaknesses of the two viewpoints with a view to examining in depth which has the most merit?
The debate could well be worth a new project in it's own right and possibly worht a PhD for a successor student to yourself? :-)
Ian
Truthful to my research or degree
Cover the merits and weaknesses of both viewpoints, why one might support that viewpoint and why one might oppose it.
Herein lies a trap that many quite intelligent people fall into. Rather than look at the evidence as a whole, they'll pick up on the data that supports their viewpoint or theory and try to dismiss or ignore that which may counter it.
All relevant viewpoints need to be considered.
Ian
