PhD advice: commitment involved, getting funding, skills required etc?

[lola1979]

Hi All

I'm a lecturer who has been full time for the past few years but due to my field / courses etc my hours have been reduced to half this year.

Rather than waste the year I'm planning on doing a PhD (if I can get funding).

Hopefully this will put me in a better position for a permanent post down the line.

I'm looking for advice from people who are doing or have completed a Phd on the following.... commitment involved, getting funding, skills required .... basically anything that will help me!!!

Thanks in advance

 

[Diziet]

Re: PhD advice

OK, in order to get a permanent post at a university you need a PhD - you are at a serious disadvantage otherwise.

Doing a PhD is a pain in the bum, it is a lot of work and a lot of personal energy invested. Choose your topic and supervisor carefully. You want a topic with plenty of scope but which interests you and you have some grasp of the problem and an idea of potential solutions. Your supervisor should spend time with his/her students - many don't bother.

A PhD does not guarantee you a permanent post - you need to publish as much as possible. Don't wait till the end of your studies to do it - aim for a couple of papers a year. If you can attract some research funding so much the better.

As you can guess, I did a PhD (it was fun, but blooming hard work). I worked in the university sector for several years in a permanent post, then I went off to do better things .

By the way, if you are on fixed term contract, your pay and benefits should be on a par with permanent colleagues of similar grade. After 4 years you should be made permanent (EU fixed term workers directive).

 

[lou2]

Re: PhD advice

You still have a chance of getting a permanent post in a University without a PhD depending on the discipline you work in. Obviously though, having a PhD is a major bonus and a prerequisite for many permanent jobs. I have a permanent post as a lecturer and am currently doing my PhD part time. I agree with all of the points Diziet raises...particularly about picking a good supervisor and a subject that really interests you. I find that there is huge difference in the range of PhDs out there...many of my friends are also doing PhDs and some seem much easier than mine and likewise some seem more difficult. I think it's all about planning...and choosing a topic that's actually do-able by one person with limited external hurdles put in your way.

Best of luck with it!

 

[polaris]

Re: PhD advice

What field are you in?

If it's scientific/medical then a Ph.D. is a prerequisite for a permanent position. The humanities and economic fields are more flexible.

 

[cork]

Re: PhD advice

getting funding

I am in a massive career rut. I am thinking about a PHD - I went to my employer and they went vicious.

If I do it full time - I'd get the grant.

If I do it part time - I'll fund it myself.

On the plus side - doing a PHD with an Institute of Techology is cheaper than a University.

Many colleges give scolarships - I would contact colleges directly and tease this out.

 

[ibaraki]

Re: PhD advice

A good supervisor is critical - ask ex-students what he or she was like as a supervisor.

Publication is also v. important and its not necessary the number of papers you write - the impact factor of the journal is key

 

[buffalo]

Re: PhD advice

Commitment involved: Inappreciable at first, overwhelming at finish. Manageable in-between. But please don’t be discouraged.

Getting funding: Depends on your area of study. What do other PhD students in your prospective area of study do? It also depends on the boss. Is s/he good at attracting funding? A quick look at how many people they have in their research group will answer that. Besides, if they want you bad enough, they will find the funding.

Skills required: Not a lot. Desire mainly. Also, an aptitude in your chosen field and a healthy dose of bloody-mindedness.

With respect to the above posts, I agree that choosing the right supervisor is important. The problem unfortunately is that you don't necessarily know who is good or bad before you start. Since the OP is a lecturer, s/he already has the advantage of seeing first hand the supervisors and programmes available in his/her institution. For most, this is not the case.

Anyhow, regardless of supervisor, for those thinking of embarking on their PhD, you might want to consider the following…

If you want your PhD quickly (3-4 years), don't do synthetic chemistry.

If you want a career in academia, a prestigious university and/or supervisor helps. This can be "got around" by publishing your work in fairly decent journals. Check which journals your soon-to-be-supervisor has published in. Perhaps more important is checking how many times their previous work has been cited as compared to peers in their field. Added bonus to anybody who spends time abroad (post-doc researching, not drinking).

If you are educating yourself to enter the civil service of Ireland, stop now. Your grade increase (to 10 as apart from 8 with a degree) is not worth the time and lost earnings that you will need to spend on your study. Not one person in the employment of the state will appreciate your "so-called" dedication to self-improvement. If you join the service after you are 25, you will not be accepted. In fact, you will be shunned in canteens across the land as an elitist.

If your PhD is in a technical discipline, you will more than likely be over-qualified for most positions in private enterprise in Ireland. We don't do private research. In fact, the most important people on the private factory floor of this fair nation are those that control the manufacturing process. A brief chat with these younger, higher earning and more important folk will only result in depression. Best avoided by lack of post-graduate education.

Despite the above, a PhD is an incredible accomplishment and not to be dismissed lightly. It demonstrates that (at least for one topic) you have taken all the information at hand, considered it, and offered an unbiased, and hopefully original, point of view. This immediately ranks you above all politicians, news anchormen and pub know-it-alls. In fact, it earns you absolute respect amongst all your peers.

 

[lou2]

Re: PhD advice

I'm not so sure a PhD does earn you absolute respect amongst all your peers as buffalo suggests...I often hear it referred to a a 'training degree'...and that it's the post-doc work that counts!

 

[cruchan09]

A PhD can be a rewarding experience but a lot of this will depend on your subject matter, your supervisor and your funding resources. It does take a significant committment but you will know this based on your previous job. If you have a topic that you have a genuine interest in with a good supervisor then it can be a briliant experience (my experience). If you have a topic that after 4 years of reserch has yielded little results and your supervisor starts to loose interest in you it can be a complete disaser (at least two of my friends' experiences). I interviewed seven people last week for a middle management job in a public sector organisation, two of whom had spent at least 5 years 'doing a PhD' which they never finished / submitted. 5 years is a long time to spend doing research and then have to try and salvage a masters from it.

Other than as a permanent academic in a third level organisation very few jobs require a PhD. In some fields there is an absolute glut of PhDs (just look at how many lab technicans in UCD and TCD have PhDs). It will not really increase your earning potential and if you intend to become a postdoc researcher you will be stuck on short term contracts (the funding for which is dropping) and will be paid relatively badly (between €35-€50k), and will be competing with dozens of others for every academic job that arises. I seen a postdoc job recently that was offering a salary on the same payscale as a junior administrator.

If you have real interest in doing a PhD for personal developement then I would say go for it. If you think that it's going to guarentee you a better job at the end than you currently have think again. Not one person in my reserach group doing a PhD at the same time as me ended up working in the field. All including myself now work in completely different areas and are earning much more than we would have if we had stayed in the postdoc system.

Doing a PhD was probably one of the best experiences of my working life. If you get a decent stipend like I did you can treat it like any other job (with perhaps strange hours) and enjoy it. And at the end you get to call yourself 'Dr' (but you're still not the same as a 'real' doctor as my wife likes to point out). Good luck.