Hi everyone!

I'm a engineering graduate looking for suggestions by more experienced people.
In practice, my doubt is: how good is having a PhD for an industrial career? I have been proposed a PhD with scholarship payed by a company, but i also have some very nice job offers who pay much more, thus I don't know what choice I should make.
Is it very good to have a PhD in the job market? Or three years of experience are much more worthy?
Thanks for all the help you can give, and the experience you can share!

Cheers, Lucas.

Hi Lucas!

I had been working as an engineer for 5 years prior to starting my EngD. In industry I got much more money than I get now or I will ever get from research and academia. However, money was never my main motivation but personal fulfillment and improvement. Maybe you want to gain some work experience first before chasing a PhD? Think what would give you a better quality of life.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Hi Lucas, I'm not an engineering person at all, but I would say unless you 'need' a phd for what you want to do, or you have the luxury of being able to take your time doing it and are ok with the smaller wage and know you'll still be able to get a decent job after, then don't do one. The applicability of a PhD in the job market is very variable depending on what your field is, so you should check first perhaps and see if it is beneficial in your field or if it will help you with promotions etc down the line, and then decide on that. Unless you have a plan for a project that is burning a hole inside your brain and you absolutely must do research for the sheer love of it.

I'm not an engineer but I worked for three years after finishing my Masters. After I graduated I didn't know what I wanted to do; after working for three years I knew EXACTLY what I did and didn't want to do. I have far more motivation and personal commitment to my PhD, it means so much to me. Working gave me a lot of money and confidence to just live my own life for a few years. After that, I knew that I couldn't let my dream of research go because although I was pretty successful at work, the roles I was taking weren't "me." The work experience has been invaluable on every level, increased my commitment and motivation, and perhaps above all else it means that I'm not worried whether or not I'll get a job at the end of my PhD, because I know the market and the kinds of jobs available and the skills needed for them. My PhD is building on my career to date and I am very glad I've had that time in industry. Just do what you think will be best for you. Where do you want to be in 10 years time?

I would say that if you're already able to get a good job without the PhD, then you need to think about whether you actually want to do a PhD, whether you'd like to spend 3/4 years doing research etc. If you don't strongly feel you want to do the PhD right now, then I'd say take one of the job offers and get some experience - you can always go back for the PhD later if you want to or if you feel you need it to progress in your career in the future.

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Hi Lucas

You have some good replies. I spent a year working in the Recruitment Dept of a Facilities Management, very large Oil Company and I can tell you this: We tended to put aside Phd holder applications because employers seek experience over academic performance. And the money is much better too. You can always do a part time doctorate but one word of warning, dont allow a company to pay you a research student rate for 3 years as opposed to an Engineer's rate . I have noticed some cheeky employers trying or are doing just that! What they get is a low cost researcher and consultancy on a 3-4 year contract.

Regards

LLC ( let me know how you get on)