Hi Folks,

Am in the process of finishing up an MA (hopefully by the end of August!) at 53 after graduating from undergrad over 30 years ago. MA (health promotion) is not in the field that I have worked in for 32 years (IT) - so it is a totally new direction. Am feeling compelled to do a PhD after a year or so break after the MA. For PhD - not sure in what yet - public health or social work perhaps. Looking for these arenas to bring about a 2nd half of life career (love IT, am grateful for the life it has provided me, but need a change - want something where I can hopefully make a difference in someone's life in some small way).

But here is my dilemma - am a divorced parent of a special needs child, have a mortgage, and need to keep medical benefits going for myself and my son etc. Cannot see how I can do a PhD part-time (it has been a stretch doing the MA just in terms of time, home life, lack of time for fitness/weight gain, etc.). Plus some of the programs at local institutions do not offer part-time.

So my questions... Has anyone older (with commitments) stopped working to do their PhD? If so how did that work out/is that working for you? How much extra did you have to add to any funding you got in order to keep your life responsibilities (mortgage etc.) going?

Thanks

Hi GivePraise

I think you should be very, very wary of giving up your employment.  For anyone over 50, getting a new job, after several years out of the job market is extremely difficult.

This, I think would be the situation, no matter how well qualified you were. In some cases, having a PhD can even be held against you, particularly if potential employers are less well qualified.

Angelette

I think Angelette has provided really good advice. Nothing to add really but just to wish you all the best with whatever you decide.

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking along the same lines as you both. Think I need to either 1) find a PT program that I can handle or 2) get a job at the university where I plan to take the PhD. Again thanks for the reality check!

I'm just under 30 and have ht a forkroad

1. Stay in my current job, which pays fairly well. stay on till middle-management and live to work, yet remain unfulfilled.
2. Quit the job. Embark on a PhD Full-time and get in more debt (failing to get funding like most).
3. Do the PhD part-time and take the work experience I have to gain Part-time hours in a good job.

I'm opting for option 3. I hope it will bring me a job long-term as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer with good job satisfaction and alright pay. In the meso-term it allows me to manage existing commitments.

I don't think it's too late to find a good job, and in Academic circles being younger is subject to equal Ageism as being older. I would say, if it's what you really want - go for it. Otherwise look at teaching maybe? PGCE in a subject specific area?

Hi Givepraise,

I really empathise with your wish to start a new career that makes a difference-while I am not quite fifty yet, I am only a couple of years or so away and I do know the feeling where you look at your life and want different things for it or wonder whether where you are headed is truly your direction or dream.

However, I would have to go along with most of the advice here-don't give it all up for a full time phd and financial stress at this particular life stage. You could lose so much given your particular circumstances. This sounds very serious but the economic climate everywhere at present is really quite alarming and the truth is, at our particular ages, we need to hang on to job and income security unless we have a lot of wealth or retirement savings behind us.

However, I don't believe you need to sacrifice your dream completely.
It is possible to complete a Phd part-time-I know how hard it is to work full time, have a family and study but it is still possible. I don't know how hard it is to have a child with special needs in a personal sense but much of my own study concerns families, education and students with special needs so I understand that it is a really tough call for those who do it. However, I believe if you really would like to achieve this then it is possible-others have done so.

Plenty of universities allow part-time doctoral studies mainly through distance. While you might need to go for some intensive workshops once a year or so, much of your work can be done at home, using online library access, email, telephone and/or skype conferencing and just visiting your local institution when you need face to face library services (you should qualify for library privileges and at least limited access with the local institution) once you are studying at a university and have official student status.

The other option is (as mentioned by poster below) have you considered a postgraduate diploma that together with your master's gives you practical qualifications so that you can look for work in different areas, while still employed in your present job.

Best of luck to you-don't give up on your dreams please but do look at the practical side of things as well-you need to look after yourself and your child with regard to future options-education is only one aspect of that isn't it-and there are many different ways to get an education.

Hi Folks,

I really do appreciate the recent feedback - thanks Bluespace and Pjlu . I continue to mull this whole thing over in my head; I too had concluded that I could not take the risk of leaving my current employment, which is fairly secure (today anyway :)!) and carries good benefits. I am, however, going to crunch some numbers and continue to assess how things might possibly be able to play out in different configurations - I have time, no rush here... Pjlu's idea of distance learning has also been on the table in my head for a while, just need to get a better sense of the programs. Part-time employment (as was suggested by Bluespace) is not easy to get at my current employer, but it is not impossible - there are people doing it. Also still have not thrown out the idea of picking a program local institution and trying to get a job there (in whatever field) so that I can go to school there for free...

Additionally, I need to/am trying to pinpoint the exact PhD that I want (Soc work, Pub health, Psychology, not sure - SW or PH seem the likely options). Am beginning some networking, additional investigation into programs etc. In other words, still doing the research overall...

I am going to post back here when I have more questions. This dialogue and others that I have read at this site have been very helpful to me. Helps me to put things in a context so that I can build on them.

Thanks for the feedback and helping me to focus it all...

Best...

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One thing that seems really positive about your situation is that you seem to be able to go into a phd in psych from your master's course. I would love to be able to do this but really can't without some real financial and huge time sacrifices.

My undergrad and postgrad are in the humanities and then educational areas. I absolutely have a passion for psychology but would have to qualify through an undergrad sequence (that has full fees attached-set at a pretty high level) to take any postgrad study in this area (Basically, I would need to re-qualify through expensive postgrad courses before even hoping to do psych at doctoral level). Just the way it is here at the universities I've checked out in Australia. My location is regional remote so that makes psychology even more of an aspirational leap as distance psych courses at postgrad level are not as available and very very expensive.

It is nice to know that you have some real options in this area at least and lots of strategies to help you forge out a do-oable pathway to what you want.
:-)

Actually my situation with Psych is similar - no PhD pgm at current institution, plus I would have to take a bunch of undergrad and potentially MA level courses to be admitted at the PhD level at other institutions. So that is one reason why soc wk and pub health are at the top of my list.

Best to you in your process of moving forward. Don't get discouraged and don't give up your dream. You can find a way!

Best...
;-)

I didn't leave a 'job' to do my PhD as I'm self-employed, but I was too impetuous about jumping in at 61! I was self-funded and full time. All things considered, the PhD cost me £100,000, with loss of earnings taken into account. I really wouldn't recommend it. And what's happened since I got my PhD? Nothing! Someone who hasn't had their first full-time tenure in a Uni before the age of 65 can't apply for one. Some application forms say, 'Do not apply if you are within 6 months of your 65th birthday.' I can understand that as we must leave the jobs open for people with their career ahead of them. But as I don't intend to retire until after my 100th birthday, the next 30 odd years of my life won't benefit others, academically, except if I continue to write books. As I will. But I'd hoped to expand rather than contract my options!
Think about this carefully. We're in a recession. You have a regular salary, something I haven't had for very many years. Hold on to your job. Think of research as an end in itself, and do it part-time.

Beajay,

Thanks for sharing your real life experiences on this. I too have concluded that I have to stay employed. I am still going to push the numbers because perhaps I can be employed making slightly less money (in a job with slightly less stress) and then do the PhD part-time. The increasing stress of the current position is at the heart of the matter in a lot of ways for me, even if I was not going to continue to do additional schooling. I am extremely burned out... So for me the main option is to assess my finances in a big picture kind of way and determine how much of a pay cut I can afford to take in another full-time job so that I can maintain a modest (i.e. non-extravagant) standard of living and also pursue my goals. Much of what I will target in a future position will be to work at the university where I plan to attend for the PhD if possible - that way the schooling will be free...

Again, your candor about this is appreciated and I wish you the best in all your endeavours in the future...