Um...well as my name goes, I am an PhD aspirant. Have been on this forum for a while and was not active for a few months now, because i was refused to my dream project here in the UK. I had my options open and I am doing another degree now which is a MBA from not so great university (because I could not nto afford the international student fee in one of the great unis, though i was offered a place). Now after a years attempt to get a place for PhD, I have managed to get one, but it is not in this country. I have got a PhD offer from a university in NZ.

Which uni and subject area?

My question is, should I go there. I would request you think from my point of view andlet meknow what would you have done if you were to be me. Some info to help you decide. No compulsion from anyone, no much of pressure from family n friends; however family is dependent on me (emotionally and financially). They say it is upto you which scares me more because, i dread to make a wrong decision. I am in mid twenties and have a student loan of 10K. Unfortunately, I havent got any scholarships yet for my PhD. No assurances made as well.

Subject is good, uni is good, but personally, I am not quite sure what can one do after PhD in Business other than academia. I would love to be there, but I should also think of options. Please help. I am confused and am asking whoever I meet, what would they do if they were to be me. Have to make up my mind and proceed in that direction. Can anyone help me, or my effort here is going to invain.

Hi phdaspirant. It looks like you are face to face with a very tough decision. First of all, there is the family issue. I can understand and related to that problem. What is the level of this dependency. If you go, what happens to them? Do the family depend on you because of a temporary emergency, or a permanent decision that was made by you? When I started my PhD, I had to stop sending money to my mother. This effected her life badly. But I had to stand by my decision and this caused me a great deal of guilty concious. But I still believe it is important to do things for yourself. So I recommend doing a pros and cons list on this matter.
(I'll continue on the next box)

If you're not interested in academia, I would think that an MBA would be enough to get a reasonable job? This is not my area though so maybe others on this forum can better advise.

I'm from NZ and it's a nice place to live and study but scholarships are very hard to come by. I think you would need to be sure that a PhD would be of benefit to you careerwise before embarking on this.

I think it is not a good idea to do a PhD without funding. The last thing you need is more debt. I think you should keep that offer without giving your final answer to them and continue looking for more options that offer funding. In the meantime apply for bursaries for that PhD in NZ. See which one comes first, and then decide.

Other issues are the cultural ones I guess. Have you been there before? Surely you must have thought about some of these things when you submitted your application. If the family issue didn't exist, how would you feel about going there?

Krashty, that is exactly what I am trying to weigh, the pros and cons, I have got into Massey. Can you say something more about the uni. I can see it all website, but no one would say, we have a not so good uni, right?

Also, I would like to know the prospects of having a PhD in business other than being in academics.

404: What you say is correct, I have checked the uni and it should not be a problem to adjust to the culture. My family is, well dependent on me, but they say it is your life and you take decisions well and have left completely on me. They should be all right, because I have always been telling them, I would do my PhD and would have to live away from home for a few more years. We are a close knit family and that makes decisions hard. I have been applying for bursuries, but no luck yet.....

Massey is a very good university for certain specialist areas, e.g. agriculture, some sciences and social/tourism business areas. Not sure exactly what your area is. The campus at Massey is a few miles from the city centre (Palmerston North)- so Massey is set up as kind of a psuedo city, great for undergraduates and very social. Not sure about for postgrads. Palmerston North is ok but very small and not very lively - it's also a distance from other cities. Transport around NZ isn't great unless you have a car. Friends that went there though had a nice time as undergraduates. One thing to be conscious of though - many people walk around the campus wearing gumboots (Wellington boots) and big farmers jackets! At least they did when I visited which was a few years ago.

as far as I understand, in business a PhD is of little use except for some very few, specialized career options. I wouldn't do a PhD for out-of-academia career goals. i believe a MBA will serve you better. you can also consider going back to do a PhD later on, perhaps parallel to your professional career, with support from your employer - that road won't be closed to you. but considering money seems to be an issue and your aims are not for being an academic but for good career options, right now, i'd go for MBA.
but at the end of the day, it's a tough decision, and it's all yours. hope you find a path that suits you!

"Also, I would like to know the prospects of having a PhD in business other than being in academics"

Hi,

I know that prospects outside of academia for people with business-related PhDs and MBA are amazingly good. Especially in management consultancies etc. Hope you will soon be able to make a decision. Good luck.

I've said this on here many times, but a PhD is essentially an academic qualification geared for a career in academia. If by doing it you develop specialist knowledge that has direct commercial application outside academia - great. There's a chance you'd earn good money. Otherwise, a PhD is not (as some would believe) a passport to riches. In the case of business, what would an employer value more - someone with a heck of alot of knowledge in one very narrow, very specific field (e.g. understanding where all the missing paperclips go to), or someone who has a broad range of knowledge in different aspects of business? If you want to make mega-bucks in business, do an MBA not a PhD.

Thanks for all your messages. I guess I now have to do a complete SWOT and analyse the positives and negatives, I am planning to write down all the points on a paper and then analyse.

Hi PhD aspirant
I have 2 questions that I hope will help you to decide once you have prioritized the answer.
How important the PhD education is for you?
Why do you want to do a PhD?
Good luck in your choice !

Which university in NZ, cause i am studying in NZL, an excellent place. I on the South Island, take it as a blessing or a stepping stone to greater heights and be positive and thankful. Many others will dream for such and opportunity and do not be resistant to change."Be the change u want to see"Ghandi:

thank you morris and sophie,

I guess i have kind of decided. I have got a my offer deferred for a year. Am planning to try out the actual work environment and then try the academic line, so that I can make more appropriate decision in my life regarding my career...

Morris: I would def love to come to NZ. What is NZL.. I have been offered a place at Massey. Good luck