Pangloss
feu follet
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: 54.60°N 5.70°W
Posts: 1950 |
quote:
Originally posted by Touch:
Future careers
c) Finally, get a real future. I'm currently majoring in english and philosophy. I've been talking to career advisors and it looks as though I could go on to university, put in the hard work and after several years either burn out or come out of the experience with a doctorate in philosophy. With a nice looking piece of paper like that I could really get places. It'd be hard, fucking hard. Yet if what people tell me is true, I should be up to the challenge. Apparently I do have some brains.
So while a) is the easiest option, and b) perhaps the most likely, I would much rather choose c). It appeals to me the most, and who doesn't want to stick 'Doctor' in front of their name?
What do you guys think?
You don't need to be eligible to join mensa to do a PhD., no matter what you have heard. I'm in my final year (third) of research for mine, so this is the voice of experience speaking. Granted, I've not yet got mine, but I hope to before September 2001, which is when my funding runs out.
You don't need lots of brains. What you do need is passion, enthusiasm, stamina, the ability to work alone and the ability to see yourself through some dark times.
Working for a PhD. is a lonely experience at times. For the first 18 months you will wander around with your head up your ass. When you find your feet you'll begin working on whatever subject you've picked / wandered into. It's the second half which is the hardest. You've read what's been said and you know what everyone else knows about it. You get the Doctorate by pushing back the frontiers of knowledge, providing some significant contribution to the body of knowledge in your field. Theoretically, you are already an expert in your immediate area and no one else can really help you. No one else has the answers. If they did, it wouldn't be research.
Perhaps all of the above is a little science/research orientated. I know that research in the humanities is much different, but my original points remain.
You should also be aware that having a PhD. is not necessarily going to give you a skeleton key to your dream job. If your research is directly relevant to your job, that's wonderful. Having a PhD. in English Literature or some branch of pure or applied Philosophy may not be so desirable. Indeed, many employers looking for some bright lad to work in a heavily structured 'team' environment might see the PhD. guy as being too used to working in his own way, by himself. Another negative point is that many employers might see Dr. Touch as being undesirable because he is a smart lad who enjoys the challenges of new material and there is no way they could keep his mind occupied.
And so on.
There are, of course, employers who will jump at the chance to get their hands on the guy who has shown commitment and a love of learning. There are as many positive points to doing a Doctorate as there are negative issues. You should think them all through very carefully before you decide and ask yourself why you really want to do it. If "because I really love this area of academic study" is not in your 'for' list, I would advise against it. Without a deep commitment to your area, you won't make it. Or, you will come very close to killing yourself over it. Trust me, I have seen people like this with my own two eyes.
My advice to you would be to register initially for a 1 year Master of Philosophy degree. Talk with your supervisor(s) after you have done 6 months work and see if there is the will (on your part as well as theirs) to take it on to PhD. That's what I did, and lookie where I am now.
Also bear in mind that close to the end of your second year you'll find some internet site which distracts you too much and from which you have to wean yourself off if you are to stand a snowflake's chance in hell of getting finished on time. Still, at least you get the chance to play the sage old wizard every now and then to some young turk who reminds you of yourself....
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and so on ...
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11-21-2000 10:02 AM
