I am a msc student at a UK university in IT related subject. My supervisor for dissertation has advised that I go for a PhD once I have completed msc. I don't know what to do. I have told her that there are a lot of scare stories on the internet and she has told me to take no notice on the internet as it is not reliable source/information

I tried to explain her that i dont want to be a lecturer or even a researcher. She has advised that I do not have to stay on academia or go to do a research related job.....

She has promised me that she will be a good supervisor and will help alot as none of her phd students have ever failed. she will guide me all the way....

i trust her but cant say i believe everything she says....

i dont understand if phd can be useful in a non academic or research related field after graduating

I am getting to a point where i am going to tear my hair off

Please someone shed some light into the whole thing

What do YOU want to do? What are YOUR hopes for the future? What interests YOU? Where do YOU see yourself in five years time? You need to do what will make you happy or at least what you think will make you happy. A PhD is a big undertaking and you would need to find your own reason for doing one, don't do one just because it has been suggested by someone else.

Time to bung up that link to my blog again. Have a read and see what you think but bear in mind I don't pull any punches. It is a big undertaking, but a doable one provided you have a structured approach and good support.

The fact she has picked you out and made this recommendation to me shows she has faith in you to see the process through. However, as Delta says it's about what YOU want to do.

http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net/

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

She clearly thinks you have a lot to offer as a PhD student so take the compliment :) But it is your life after all so do what you think will make you happiest. I'm doing a PhD right now and will not stay in academia at the end of it - i'm enjoying the process of it and learning more about myself and my abilities. I think a PhD can always be usful in other jobs/careers as it shows just how much dedication and commitment you can give to something - very desirable in todays job market!

I echo Delta's comments. Whether or not a PhD is right for you depends on what you want to do with you career. A PhD can be beneficial for some career paths but not helpful or even harmful for others. So think about your long term aims.

I find it a bit odd that your potential supervisor dismisses the whole of the internet as a reliable source of information...

maybe said supervisor is lurker on this forum ;-)

The decision ultimately is yours. Your supervisor undoubtedly thinks you have the ability; you have to decide if you actually want to do a PhD.

To be honest it started like this:-

I did an BSc in Business IT and graduated in 2004 with a 2:1 which I was pleased
I worked for an IT helpdesk company for a bit over 7 years but the job was dead end with no real step up the ladder
I now have come back to uni and started to do MSc on a month ago
When I came to see her for MSc sign up she asked me what I wanted to do and to be honest said I wanted to do a PhD as it sounds very pretigious and make self very proud (At this point I didnt know about the whole point of doing a PhD and what type of jobs I can get)
I know my supervisor since I was doing my BSc so we get along.
I get a little green eyed when I see people with PhD especially international students, as they come to the UK and go back to develop their country as Doctorate (WOW!!)

I am doing a dissertation on IT Marketing topic and I do like it... However I hate to see that there are no jobs with an even MSc in the Business IT field

I have been looking around the internet to get some ideas on what is needed to be a sucessful PhD candidate and all the ups and downs

I told my supervisor that I have seen a lot negative stuff on forums and the internet as a whole... her response was just ignore it as internet is not reliable source

She has admitted that it is hard to get a PhD but help will be available... I dont quite believe this to be honest

I asked her help on my MSc dissertation and on especially doing a critical review of literature, but she has asked me to look into books. i told her that my research methods module lecturer does not help and she doesnt teach, rather she talks about non academic issues. RM module has been warned in previous years I belive. The same supervisor who is trying to encourage me to do PhD said read a book on research methods which will help alot

After a long discussion with her last week she asked me finally what I wanted to do if I do a PhD, I told her I didnt want to do teaching and didnt want to do research. Her response was you don't have to do neither of them but you can do consulting

She gave me an example of one of her current PhD student who gained a first in her Master's dissertation and that this student is getting fed up with her comments about her PhD dissertation. She rightly said that the student would need to know the truth

Please advise anyone....

======= Date Modified 19 Feb 2012 15:49:39 =======
I think the best way to decide is to try to work out what kind of jobs you would like to do in the short to medium term and then find out if a PhD would help you or hinder you. For example, in some fields, having a PhD is very useful for consultancy work (I have a friend who did a PhD in molecular genetics who is moving into that area). But in some fields, industrial experience might be considered more valuable. If you do decide to do a PhD and you know you don't want to stay in academia, then I would recommend choosing a project with a very clear applied component to it. If you do something totally theoretical, perhaps future employers won't see the value in it. But I am not an expert in IT so you should get guidance from someone who knows your area better.

Good luck.

[Edited to add - you might also want to look at your university's reputation for research/PhDs. Talk to existing PhD students about how much support they get and what they plan to do next]

thanks for your advice

my career aspirations are to stay in the IT field say in internet marketing

one of my fellow colleague told me that PhD will not help if you want to work within a commercial organisation as PhD is a major project and all research based.

He also said if you want to show that you have done some research work and show that your similar skills as PhD then you can talk about how obtained those skills during your MSc dissertation. PhD dissertation and MSc dissertation are not the same as PhD is at a extremely high level but both require skills

======= Date Modified 19 Feb 2012 19:59:34 =======
To be honest, I would be a bit weary of this supervisor's motivations. Has she mentioned funding possibilities for you? Or is her department simply after your fees. No-one should try to convince you to do something of this scale. You need to be the one driving the process. Her promising you her students never fail is a very negative place to begin the discussion.
Your reasons for doing a PhD have to be strong enough to get you through the difficult times. If you don't want to stay in academia and if it isn't a requirement for the work you want to do in the future, then I imagine doing it simply for the prestige is not going to be reason enough.

======= Date Modified 19 Feb 2012 20:35:52 =======

Lughna,

Fair comment.  I've sat in a pub and watched as a potential supervisor has tried to persuade a potential candidate to do a PhD and bought him a few beers in the process.  Clearly, he thought the lad was capable as I know the academic concerned and he would not try to get a candidate to try for a PhD if he wasn't capable.

That said, it was all about the project and I doubt I heard a single word in the conversation mentioning finding.  The potential candidate when I think back was bright, but naive.

Mohammed,

I posted a link to my blog in an earlier post ( http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net ) and in that blog, I've done my best to address the key issues a potential PhD candidate has to face.  These range from what exactly a PhD is, the funding issues and the pressures you may face during the years you are doing it.  There's also the repsected http://www.findaphd.com/student/ page that also gives you a run down on what to face.  I disagree with your potential supervisor in that there are sources of information on the internet that can help you understand what is happening. 

Additionally, you might want to sit down with a careers advisor in your university careers office and talk through with they exactly what you want to do in the future.  In academia, a PhD in some areas is almost obligatory.  If you are seeking a real world position in your field after you finish, you should look at whether a PhD is going to be a help or a hinderance.  It's a big undertaking and you need to know now whether or not you'll be any further forward after the three to five years it's going to take.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

For a PhD you do not need MSC. Ask her why she is not willing to take you now. Do not go for it, if it has to be self funded. Getting good PhD students is like Recruiting Skilled labour at a fraction of the cost. IF it is self funded than think what it is?.
BTW, PhD is next step. You need not thinking about this now.

Jin,

I think you've misread. He's already doing the M.Sc.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

She obviously feels you have all the capability required to do well in a PhD, and supervisors like to take on people they know will shine because it reflects well on their department.

However, as it is not a career position move, the only question is "Do you want to do a PhD?".
If your heart is not in it, you won't feel the drive to keep slogging on when it gets difficult.

I am doing a PhD because it has been a dream for 20 years. I am probably not good enough to be an academic and the job market is lousy; I do it knowing I may not improve my career chances but because I love the work.

Where do you want to go in the future? Could you go and do something else and then return to education later on?
You could even take a year out, keep in contact with your supervisor explaining you need a break after the MSc but are still interested, and then go back after you have had enough time to properly consider what you want to do.

======= Date Modified 21 Feb 2012 12:48:08 =======
Hi Mohammeduk,

One option which hasnt been brought up yet (I dont think), is PhD via publication. I think it is quite common in IT as getting a whole thesis on one topic is not always possible. PhD via publication means that you publish some research and when you have enough, you can write a thesis which ties it the publications together. It might be a way of finding out what the PhD is like without making a full 3+ year commitment. Also, your supervisor may be keen, as they always like to get published!

Just a thought,

Potatoes