Want to go for PhD - Never found job on PostgraduateForum.com

mmoul
10 years ago

Hello everyone!

I graduated at the height of the recession and unfortunately never found a job in the sciences, slipped into depression and took any crappy retail job that was thrown at me. I have a bachelors in biology and I just need a lot of advice. Science is my passion but I feel now it's too late to go back to school and that I have zero chance of being taken.

I don't want to be as miserable as I am right now for the rest of my life. I loved college, and that's the first time I was ever happy in school, and it was all because I was learning what I wanted to.

Is 29 years old with zilch for experience a death sentence or should I at least try?

Please help!

T

TreeofLife
10 years ago

It's never too late. I had a 5 year gap between my degree and PhD working in a non-related job. I do have a MSc though and I'd been studying for other non-science qualifications in between.

I'd recommend that you really think carefully that this is the correct path for you. Are you in the US? If you are, I think it's even more difficult for you to get back into science, since most PhD students in the US have a lot of lab experience.

Maybe you should consider an MSc first? You will probably have to finance this yourself though, or take a graduate loan.

If you're really serious about it, it can be done.

Good luck!

H

HazyJane
10 years ago

Age is not a barrier. Lack of experience may be, but can be rectified. TreeofLife's suggestion of doing an MSc is a good one. For one thing it would help you make connections and get your foot back in the door. For another it would help you get up to speed. Even 5 years is a long time in biosciences in terms of what changes, and bear in mind you will be competing with fresh graduates for PhD places.

You should, however, do some homework as to the likelihood of getting a job at the other end of a PhD. There is a shortage of postdoc jobs compared to the number of PhD graduates, and even fewer opportunities further on from that. It might be advisable to do an MSc in something where there is likely to be growing demand in the future such as bioinformatics etc. So although a PhD may pass the time, there is no guarantee it would improve your employment prospects. In some cases, an MSc alone may actually be a better bet.

Mackem_Beefy
10 years ago

Quote From HazyJane:
Age is not a barrier. Lack of experience may be, but can be rectified. TreeofLife's suggestion of doing an MSc is a good one. For one thing it would help you make connections and get your foot back in the door. For another it would help you get up to speed. Even 5 years is a long time in biosciences in terms of what changes, and bear in mind you will be competing with fresh graduates for PhD places.

You should, however, do some homework as to the likelihood of getting a job at the other end of a PhD. There is a shortage of postdoc jobs compared to the number of PhD graduates, and even fewer opportunities further on from that. It might be advisable to do an MSc in something where there is likely to be growing demand in the future such as bioinformatics etc. So although a PhD may pass the time, there is no guarantee it would improve your employment prospects. In some cases, an MSc alone may actually be a better bet.

To add, I was told a good technical MSc was probably better for a real world job than a PhD. A PhD is another three years in Uni. and as I have found out, having "Uni., Uni. Uni." screaming at a potential employer from your CV can be off putting. I was seen as either too academic or likely to be off as soon as something better came along, resulting in me being unemployed for nearly a year after completing a PhD and two post-docs.

If you are considering an academic path then a PhD may be of more value. If you are considering a real world path, then be very sure how you may be perceived in your chosen field after graduation after completing either an MSc or PhD. If applying for a non-academic job, you may need to say move education to the second page with works experience on the first page if possible.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

M

Memo
10 years ago

Go on man, i was in similar situation of yours gap of 4 years between my MSc and PhD (now im doing my PhD) self funded tho.

dont give up