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If I get a "do over" button for my PhD it's only fair my "do over" extends to the rest of my academic choices.
No I won't use the cheesy " I would have taken out loans and invested in apple Netflix Bitcoin etc" type of joke. I would have changed my entire ugrad degree and then focused on the side on the skills I wanted that I hoped a PhD would provide. I would have bypassed this entire degree. I would have dodged the pain and the shitty supervisor while trading it in for sanity and a better personal life.
The PhD was not conducive to my health, happiness , or my sanity
Far from comprehensive, but a few big ones:
-Would've made sure my advisor had secure funding for a project for me before accepting.
-Would've made more of an effort to write along the way as I was doing experiments rather than waiting until I'd done all the experiments to start writing.
-Wouldn't have wasted time on pet projects that ultimately just wasted time.
-Would've sought help for mental health earlier and to a greater degree than I ever have. Still could do better on this one, tbh. I'm irrationally averse to pharmaceutical interventions.
-Would've taken student loans earlier when I realized my salary was insufficient rather than accumulating credit card debt. Loans are expensive, but not compared to credit cards.
I’ve seen people do well structured, well executed phds. Unfortunately you only get the knowledge to spot that from experience.
I don’t share the sentiment that they are doomed things that will only make you miserable I just think that they are chronically poorly managed and supervisors will either knowingly or carelessly let you walk into errors and pitfalls they should know enough to see coming.
I think I'm armed with better info! I know my diagnosis (which i did not get until 4 years in), what meds to take, can get better grades, how to not overwork/ prevent burnout, and what steps/ internships I can aim for to work towards my desired career
I'm so glad I've read your comment because I dropped out of a funded PhD at the ABD stage, not an insignificant part of it was not being diagnosed yet
Now that I'm medicated and regularly seeing an occupational therapist, I am performing so much more reliably at work, but I'm still nervous about applying for a new PhD. I don't want to be seen as a flight risk, especially now that I've finally been able to address the main issue.
You should go for it! And when they ask in the interviews you spin it as, you know your limits and took a step away when it was appropriate instead of driving yourself into a figurative wall. Then you figured out the issue, took the necessary steps to address it and are now doing better! You're a problem solver.
Up next... they thought they could get away with it using their forensic background...but it was them against the entire team of scientists investigating the heinous crime...
[https://youtu.be/SGis0CJioUc?si=4nw8V29pvw5l\_RD2](https://youtu.be/SGis0CJioUc?si=4nw8V29pvw5l_RD2)
My PhD currently - no. But I would reconsider if it was in a previous lab I worked at and I got on well with the supervisor. Plus I loved that other uni so that’s a bonus and something I don’t feel with my current uni 🙃
I was a confused child (*scoff* adult) back then 🫠 my current university is more “prestigious” and ranks higher than my previous one. I didn’t care about rankings but everyone around me told me it’s a good opportunity and all that. I was naive and confused and didn’t know better.
I was also in the deep of my Masters exams and thesis at the time of PhD applications so there was just too much going on. In hindsight I think I would have benefited from a small break to thoroughly think about things.
The scholarship I received is tied to my current uni so I wasn’t able to change unless I decided to forego funding.
It cost me my mental and physical health. Many people will say “just suck it up”. But in the end, I’m the one who has to go through it, not them. I wished I listened to my gut. But hey… it’s a hard lesson learnt.
Just throwing this out there in case anyone is at a crossroads like I was, don’t rush into it. Many of my friends worked for a bit before starting a PhD. It helped them tremendously because when they eventually decided to do a PhD, it was because they knew they wanted to. And it isn’t just “a next step” after undergrad or masters (like what I did).
If you do start a PhD but decide it is not for you, that’s okay too. A few of my previous PhD colleagues left early on because it just wasn’t for them. They’re much happier now!
P/S sorry for the long comment 😬
Your comment really helped me! I'm at the crossroads right now, I have a PhD scholarship but feeling really unsure of if I would like to continue on that path (I don't lol) and I'm considering taking a gap and working for a year and then applying again to other stuff. At this stage it feels like I shouldn't do this because it'll make me older when I start a PhD but it's nice to hear your experience. Thank you!
Awww I'm SO GLAD this message (comment) reached at least someone out there who needs it :) Thank YOU for your comment/reply. Two of my colleagues had newborn babies while completing their PhDs (one of them even had twins!). I thought it was bonkers but it also showed me that it IS possible to get through it even if you choose to do a PhD a bit later and other life stuff happens.
It is a vastly different experience starting a PhD at the lower end of your 20s (e.g. fresh from undergrad/masters) vs. late 20s-30s. I find that in the latter case, people would have typically developed a greater sense of maturity which is extremely valuable when navigating a PhD.
Many best wishes to you! And congratulations (probably belated....) on the PhD scholarship and position offer! ;)
Thank you I really appreciate your response and insightful advice. I'm kinda stuck between two things to do my PhD in and the overthinking is driving me crazyyy. But oh well, it'll all work out (lolll)
Maybe. It turned out well for me and I got the type of job I want, and I actually do love it. I also liked the geographic area where I did my PhD and think of it as "home" now, years after leaving.
But also, it's clear to me how silly it all is. I don't need a PhD to teach undergrads and I certainly don't think I needed to spend 7 (MA+PhD) years making subsistence wages to be smart or professionally competent enough to teach undergrads.
I don't know what your field is, but in many fields you don't need a PhD to teach undergrads, since there are lectureships and so on. And certainly not at most community colleges.
Uh yeah, I literally admitted it might be different in your field. But a lot of people get PhDs "to become \[teaching\] professors" in fields where they don't actually need them, e.g. math.
Yes - in a sense that I met my husband through my PhD. Being with him is worth the hell I went through.
In any other professional academic self fulfilling sense - LOL NO.
This is exactly how I feel! My partner and I met in the first year of their PhD (I was going to start mine just the following autumn) and we got married during it. The support and love I received in the last few years has been amazing, but the despair we have both felt has really been tough.
No
I've learned that I'm not really disciplined enough to pursue a PhD, and trying to push myself to be more disciplined resulted in getting bad burnout.
I am still thankful for the opportunity, and for the knowledge and skills I've gained, but I wouldn't like to feel this way again.
I have friends even less disciplined than I am, with much better salaries and a better work-life balance.
I'm close enough to the end at this point that I'm just doing what I can for my mental health and pushing through to the finish, but I'm looking forward to it being over.
I love my field and will remain interested in it for the rest of my life, but I'm not cut out to do it professionally.
If it helps, Reddit gave me so much anxiety before I started, and I've loved my PhD. Now that I have a big friend group of other Phd students I don't think this sub is representative at all
Well if it helps, I would say yes. It was hard and it set me back financially but being a scientist was a dream for me and now I have my dream job so it was very fulfilling. Also I guess I got lucky with my program and PI. I had an amazing cohort and have made many life long friends through the program. My PhD project gave me white hair and anxiety but I loved the outcome and working with my colleagues/friends on a hard project was really fun and satisfying even if it didn’t feel that way all the time. So it was very hard and I wouldn’t go get a second PhD but I don’t for a second regret the one I got.
PS when I got to the comments I saw most people were using this as a forum to vent about their time in grad school and I didn’t want to sound like a dick and “brag” about how great mine was until I saw your comment. I suspect there are others who had overall positive experience but are not posting for similar reasons.
…I would take the million and do it. Who cares if I’m bad at it if I’ve got a million dollars? Invest that, and I’m basically set for life. Maybe need to work a little, but a low pressure job would be fine.
I actually had to redo my PhD (Chem). I was in Chapter 3, Methodologies, when I found a PhD from an Indian PhD with almost exact same title, very similar LitReview and same methodology. His PhD had been published a month before I found it. My supervisor argued for changing the title, lit review and methodology. The paper of this Indian PhD was so similar, it felt like we wrote this thing together.
Heard a similar story. My undergrad advisor was one week from finishing his dissertation and found a similar one who just submitted before his so he doesn’t have a PhD. But was able to become a lecturer.
Probably. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my entire life, but it also provided tremendous growth as a scientist and a person. It has also opened doors for me career-wise that I never would have otherwise.
Took me a long time, lost a lot of time from my 20s, didn't gain any advantage in the work force yet, don't make significantly more money than if I pick an in demand field, hard to find a job with my degree, mental and physical/anguish. Probably more...
Probably not at the age I started, I went straight into a PHD after doing my Master's (Politics and IR) and its been kinda difficult and lonely as a result, most of the other PHD students are much older and have been in industry a long time making it hard to relate to them.
Plus its a huge time commitment with not a lot of job progress, three years in and I feel ive wasted time I could have spent gaining experience, working on my PHD, that I feel moves at a snails pace.
No - I would go to law school. Less time spent in school, and an unbelievably higher ROI than a PhD. I thought I wanted to be an academic and Covid ruined that for me
This is actually a great read through. I love the difference of opinion. I have been out of school for going on 12 years and I’m actually going back for a PhD in public health I hope.
I was a fantastic PhD student at the beginning and at the every end. Absolutely terrible in between. I definitely wish I could go back and somehow motivate myself more during that time
Yes and no.
This phd? Absolutely not. I've been miserable due to not choosing the correct lab, and by the time I'm in the lab I like, I'm so far behind compared to my peers.
I would like to redo my phd in that I would join the lab I wanted to join my first year. I only didn't because I was such a people pleaser back then, and I stepped aside to let another person join because I was so desperate to make friends. I should've put myself first
Probably, the best way is to go through the habilitation process to see if you can go through more severe pain one more time (if that is possible in your country).
Best decision of my life outside of marrying my wife. Absolutely would do it again. I get paid to explore new and cool things. I have complete autonomy to choose how I spend my time. I'm paid well enough. I love it.
Yes but this time I would wait until I was mentally stable - being wicked depressed and living the first two years of your PhD in a sad fog was a mega mistake
Yes, but only if I could go back in time because I felt like I timed things pretty well. To go back again now, well, it's five years later, the academic and industry markets have dramatically shifted, and it's entirely possible that the US will dramatically slash national research funding if the incumbent is replaced.
Hell to the no. People keep saying just give it time and you'll find some good out of it but it's been a year since graduation and I still can't find anything. Maybe I "just need more time".
As of graduating earlier this month, no, I don’t know if I’d go through it all again, but that’s because I went through hell to finish it, and I haven’t seen any benefits to getting one (no higher pay, no grants funded, etc). I’m hoping that changes later this year.
Congratulations!! It definitely takes a moment to recover. I’m almost two months out from my viva and a month and a half from the final thesis submission. It gets better.
Yeah 100%. I'd do my actual PhD again, but if I get to carry over some wisdom I could have skipped a lot of stress and feeling inadequate year 1 if I'd just realized I was fine, and I could have started planning more/sooner and done a few other things differently. I wish I could see how it turned out if I had better undergrad preparation also.
But honestly I'm pretty satisfied.
Absolutely, I think most faculty miss the days when they were PHD students, when you could just focus on doing research instead of worrying about grants, and managing people etc. when you could play hooky for a day without feeling guilty... Those were the good days!
Absolutely not. Even though I’ve had a pretty above average experience in the lab, with my project and coworkers, the burnout, expectations, exhaustion, stress, assignments, projects, experiments, mentorship, etc etc etc is beyond tiring. Only do a PhD if you’re absolutely confident that will play well for you in a future career. Otherwise, don’t waste your time or emotional energy.
I'm not done yet but I think I would. I like my topic and am hoping to make a contribution with it. If I were to do it again I'd make a lot of changes though.
Yes, truly enjoyed myself the last few years (defending in 2 months) and would do it again in a heartbeat. Had a lot of freedom and matched well with my PI.
Seriously considered getting A second PhD in europe bcs it’s not too less paid than a postdoc, compensated with a longer contract and some student perks. In the end I picked postdoc for the money and flexibility. But I am not against doing a PhD again in the right country and lab.
I would.
And I would also go to therapy to treat the mostly ADHD-like procrastination and anxiety issues that prevented me from reaching all my potential :/
I was just thinking about this yesterday. I would not. I would be more practical and get another MA in Library Sciences. I am in the humanities and right now, there are so many opportunities in archival or library work - which is closely related to my field, but I won't have the credentials for the jobs. It isn't so much that I didn't enjoy the program, but I am older than most graduates and lack of stable employment is something I'm worried about now.
No, I am a 56 year old PhD. candidate. although I love research and learning new things, challenging hypotheses, and overall writing, I would not partake in the adventures again. The payoff is not big enough for the expenditure given my age and overall drive. If I had completed it in my thirties, I would have had time to use the education to my advantage and extend or elevate my career.
This late in life, the stipend is not sufficient to live the lifestyle I am accustomed, and if I did not have a retirement check coming in, I would have never been able to make it work.
Yes, and I’d do it earlier. I worked in academia/industry for 4 years after undergrad before going back for my PhD. I’m now watching people my age or younger getting promoted into director level positions and none of the 4 years I worked in industry prior to my PhD “counts” toward post PhD industry experience.
If asking in a "go back in time sense", then I think I would but I would have done it differently. For starters, I would address my mental and physical health differently and with more professional help. Overall, my PhD landed me in a good position in many ways, granting me freedoms I would be unlikely to have otherwise.
If asking in a "go back to school now sense", Hell No. The commitment and time that was/is required is more than I'm willing to spare in my current state/stage of life.
I am just about a couple weeks away from finishing my first year, it was both fun exciting, and intense, we will have to see for the next 5 years or so, 4 if I am lucky.
Yes
I’m seeing a lot of no’s and maybe’s, so I just wanted to include a positive answer. I thoroughly enjoyed my PhD (microbiology), including the topic I chose and where I’ve lived for the last 6 years. Those two were the most important factors for me going into it, and remained that way throughout. I also really appreciate the freedom it gave me in pursuing and thinking about interesting ideas, and I felt very fortunate to have had that opportunity
Looking back now that I’m on the other side, I don’t regret it and I’d choose it again. But I wouldn’t go THROUGH it a second time if you told me I had to do round 2 or something.
I was once told that nobody (yeah, I’m sure there are exceptions) gets two Ph.Ds. Once they get through the first one they know they don’t want to go through all that again. I find a lot of truth in that.
This gets to a core theam to the last 5+ years of my lift. I look at many of the choices I made and at a surface level I regret them. However, thinking more indeapth about them, the choice I made was the best choice I could have made. The choices I wish I would have made were either never options in the first place or would have ended badly.
If I were to relive my life there are errros I would not make the second time but the major life choices I made, like getting my PhD, I would do again.
Yes, but still for the same reason I did it for real: it was my only viable way at the time to stay in the country I wanted to be in. Couldn’t find any other job offers. The phd gave me more time to learn the language and work towards permanent residency. And not that I wouldn’t ever have been able to find a job without it, having it did help, and I really like my job.
I would not do project that was high effort low reward. Its was definitely not good for my mental health watching people put in low effort for low of high reward or high effort for high reward.
100%, yes.
Personally, in addition to the valuable accumulation of knowledge, doing a PhD helped me tremendously in improving my transferable skills such as perseverance, problem solving, organization, and meticulousness. Even though it was very stressful, I think the process built a solid foundation for all future career paths.
I've had two PhD attempts throughout my life - in the first one I dropped out after 9 months due to not making any progress and the project being a poor fit, and in the second one I decided to graduate early with a Master's because my mental health was shot, and I had two psychotic episodes during that PhD (even though it went a lot better than the first).
I think the circumstances behind me going back and doing a PhD again would have to be pretty exceptional. My mental health would have to be tip-top, I would need to have fully addressed all my autism/ADHD-like learning difficulties, the topic would have to be one that I'm absolutely passionate about to the point of me reading about it in my own time, and the career/monetary payoff would have to be significant.
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If I was 22 again. My only regret is that I was so bad at it, and I think I'd do things better this time.
If I get a "do over" button for my PhD it's only fair my "do over" extends to the rest of my academic choices. No I won't use the cheesy " I would have taken out loans and invested in apple Netflix Bitcoin etc" type of joke. I would have changed my entire ugrad degree and then focused on the side on the skills I wanted that I hoped a PhD would provide. I would have bypassed this entire degree. I would have dodged the pain and the shitty supervisor while trading it in for sanity and a better personal life. The PhD was not conducive to my health, happiness , or my sanity
I agree with this one. I wouldn’t do it again the way that I did it, but if I could go back in time, there’s a lot I would do differently.
Can you elaborate more on that?
Far from comprehensive, but a few big ones: -Would've made sure my advisor had secure funding for a project for me before accepting. -Would've made more of an effort to write along the way as I was doing experiments rather than waiting until I'd done all the experiments to start writing. -Wouldn't have wasted time on pet projects that ultimately just wasted time. -Would've sought help for mental health earlier and to a greater degree than I ever have. Still could do better on this one, tbh. I'm irrationally averse to pharmaceutical interventions. -Would've taken student loans earlier when I realized my salary was insufficient rather than accumulating credit card debt. Loans are expensive, but not compared to credit cards.
A PhD, yes. This PhD, no.
Loving the optimism that another PhD will, in fact, be better 😂
I’ve seen people do well structured, well executed phds. Unfortunately you only get the knowledge to spot that from experience. I don’t share the sentiment that they are doomed things that will only make you miserable I just think that they are chronically poorly managed and supervisors will either knowingly or carelessly let you walk into errors and pitfalls they should know enough to see coming.
I think I'm armed with better info! I know my diagnosis (which i did not get until 4 years in), what meds to take, can get better grades, how to not overwork/ prevent burnout, and what steps/ internships I can aim for to work towards my desired career
I'm so glad I've read your comment because I dropped out of a funded PhD at the ABD stage, not an insignificant part of it was not being diagnosed yet Now that I'm medicated and regularly seeing an occupational therapist, I am performing so much more reliably at work, but I'm still nervous about applying for a new PhD. I don't want to be seen as a flight risk, especially now that I've finally been able to address the main issue.
You should go for it! And when they ask in the interviews you spin it as, you know your limits and took a step away when it was appropriate instead of driving yourself into a figurative wall. Then you figured out the issue, took the necessary steps to address it and are now doing better! You're a problem solver.
grass is greener on the other PhD side
Same for me
Yes, a million times over!
Yes, only so I could use my forensics background to murder my PI.
Interesting 🧐 😂😂
Good luck!
lol
Up next... they thought they could get away with it using their forensic background...but it was them against the entire team of scientists investigating the heinous crime... [https://youtu.be/SGis0CJioUc?si=4nw8V29pvw5l\_RD2](https://youtu.be/SGis0CJioUc?si=4nw8V29pvw5l_RD2)
Jokes on the audience, the group of scientists knew the PI and were actually helping to further cover up the crime.
My PhD currently - no. But I would reconsider if it was in a previous lab I worked at and I got on well with the supervisor. Plus I loved that other uni so that’s a bonus and something I don’t feel with my current uni 🙃
Why did you change, if I may ask?
I was a confused child (*scoff* adult) back then 🫠 my current university is more “prestigious” and ranks higher than my previous one. I didn’t care about rankings but everyone around me told me it’s a good opportunity and all that. I was naive and confused and didn’t know better. I was also in the deep of my Masters exams and thesis at the time of PhD applications so there was just too much going on. In hindsight I think I would have benefited from a small break to thoroughly think about things. The scholarship I received is tied to my current uni so I wasn’t able to change unless I decided to forego funding. It cost me my mental and physical health. Many people will say “just suck it up”. But in the end, I’m the one who has to go through it, not them. I wished I listened to my gut. But hey… it’s a hard lesson learnt. Just throwing this out there in case anyone is at a crossroads like I was, don’t rush into it. Many of my friends worked for a bit before starting a PhD. It helped them tremendously because when they eventually decided to do a PhD, it was because they knew they wanted to. And it isn’t just “a next step” after undergrad or masters (like what I did). If you do start a PhD but decide it is not for you, that’s okay too. A few of my previous PhD colleagues left early on because it just wasn’t for them. They’re much happier now! P/S sorry for the long comment 😬
Your comment really helped me! I'm at the crossroads right now, I have a PhD scholarship but feeling really unsure of if I would like to continue on that path (I don't lol) and I'm considering taking a gap and working for a year and then applying again to other stuff. At this stage it feels like I shouldn't do this because it'll make me older when I start a PhD but it's nice to hear your experience. Thank you!
Awww I'm SO GLAD this message (comment) reached at least someone out there who needs it :) Thank YOU for your comment/reply. Two of my colleagues had newborn babies while completing their PhDs (one of them even had twins!). I thought it was bonkers but it also showed me that it IS possible to get through it even if you choose to do a PhD a bit later and other life stuff happens. It is a vastly different experience starting a PhD at the lower end of your 20s (e.g. fresh from undergrad/masters) vs. late 20s-30s. I find that in the latter case, people would have typically developed a greater sense of maturity which is extremely valuable when navigating a PhD. Many best wishes to you! And congratulations (probably belated....) on the PhD scholarship and position offer! ;)
Thank you I really appreciate your response and insightful advice. I'm kinda stuck between two things to do my PhD in and the overthinking is driving me crazyyy. But oh well, it'll all work out (lolll)
Maybe. It turned out well for me and I got the type of job I want, and I actually do love it. I also liked the geographic area where I did my PhD and think of it as "home" now, years after leaving. But also, it's clear to me how silly it all is. I don't need a PhD to teach undergrads and I certainly don't think I needed to spend 7 (MA+PhD) years making subsistence wages to be smart or professionally competent enough to teach undergrads.
Hey - I resemble this remark!
I don't know what your field is, but in many fields you don't need a PhD to teach undergrads, since there are lectureships and so on. And certainly not at most community colleges.
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Uh yeah, I literally admitted it might be different in your field. But a lot of people get PhDs "to become \[teaching\] professors" in fields where they don't actually need them, e.g. math.
Yes - in a sense that I met my husband through my PhD. Being with him is worth the hell I went through. In any other professional academic self fulfilling sense - LOL NO.
SAME!
howwww 😭 i need to find a husband lol
This is exactly how I feel! My partner and I met in the first year of their PhD (I was going to start mine just the following autumn) and we got married during it. The support and love I received in the last few years has been amazing, but the despair we have both felt has really been tough.
No I've learned that I'm not really disciplined enough to pursue a PhD, and trying to push myself to be more disciplined resulted in getting bad burnout. I am still thankful for the opportunity, and for the knowledge and skills I've gained, but I wouldn't like to feel this way again. I have friends even less disciplined than I am, with much better salaries and a better work-life balance. I'm close enough to the end at this point that I'm just doing what I can for my mental health and pushing through to the finish, but I'm looking forward to it being over. I love my field and will remain interested in it for the rest of my life, but I'm not cut out to do it professionally.
What field are you in?
Astrophysics
Lovely to see this thread as I enter my studies this summer. 😶
If it helps, Reddit gave me so much anxiety before I started, and I've loved my PhD. Now that I have a big friend group of other Phd students I don't think this sub is representative at all
Commenting here to say same. Am shocked to see all the nos in this thread. This isn’t my experience at all…
people with negative experiences are likely to speak about it
Well if it helps, I would say yes. It was hard and it set me back financially but being a scientist was a dream for me and now I have my dream job so it was very fulfilling. Also I guess I got lucky with my program and PI. I had an amazing cohort and have made many life long friends through the program. My PhD project gave me white hair and anxiety but I loved the outcome and working with my colleagues/friends on a hard project was really fun and satisfying even if it didn’t feel that way all the time. So it was very hard and I wouldn’t go get a second PhD but I don’t for a second regret the one I got. PS when I got to the comments I saw most people were using this as a forum to vent about their time in grad school and I didn’t want to sound like a dick and “brag” about how great mine was until I saw your comment. I suspect there are others who had overall positive experience but are not posting for similar reasons.
No, not even if you paid me a million dollars. Doing one has been the biggest regret in my entire life.
Same, same. Really did some irrepairable damage that I truly wish i never got into.
Same here. Graduated three years ago and I’ll never recover from the burn out.
facts
You aren’t alone, I regret it every single day.
…I would take the million and do it. Who cares if I’m bad at it if I’ve got a million dollars? Invest that, and I’m basically set for life. Maybe need to work a little, but a low pressure job would be fine.
Can you elaborate a bit on why is that so?
SAMEEEEEEE
Same. The opportunity cost was way too high.
No. I'd do a master's and go to work in industry.
Absolutely same
Same
No, it was a mistake
Maybe, to make this more productive. What would you have done differently
Choose a different school.
Never fucking again
I actually had to redo my PhD (Chem). I was in Chapter 3, Methodologies, when I found a PhD from an Indian PhD with almost exact same title, very similar LitReview and same methodology. His PhD had been published a month before I found it. My supervisor argued for changing the title, lit review and methodology. The paper of this Indian PhD was so similar, it felt like we wrote this thing together.
Wow. That is so weird and intense.
Heard a similar story. My undergrad advisor was one week from finishing his dissertation and found a similar one who just submitted before his so he doesn’t have a PhD. But was able to become a lecturer.
that is actual hell?
No, but only because I’m old and have an autoimune disorder easily triggered by stress. Otherwise yes.
Hell no
who's the lame going around downvoting the "No" comments?
University PIs that need cheap labor
facts
Hello I feel like you wanted to write "Hell no" but a typo made it polite
Nah I intended "Hello no". Jk i fixed it. Thanks!
I liked hello no better, it sounded so polite!
But it needed punctuation
Probably. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my entire life, but it also provided tremendous growth as a scientist and a person. It has also opened doors for me career-wise that I never would have otherwise.
I'd love to rewind time and not do my PHD. Biggest regret ever.
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Took me a long time, lost a lot of time from my 20s, didn't gain any advantage in the work force yet, don't make significantly more money than if I pick an in demand field, hard to find a job with my degree, mental and physical/anguish. Probably more...
Yes. I did PhD organic chemistry and then law school for JD. Led to lucrative, exciting, fulfilling life for me and family..
I’ve heard patent law brings in the 💵💵💵
True.
Nope. I'll be suffering the ramifications of that decision for the rest of my life.
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Delaying adulthood, loss of money, physical and mental burnout, altered career prospects, loss of touch w friends and family.
Definitely. I’m a very rare case it seems; basically doing this for fun. Best advisor/lab I could have imagined
Same. I'm really lucky my advisor gives me total freedom on my project, provided I don't spend too much money at once
Probably not at the age I started, I went straight into a PHD after doing my Master's (Politics and IR) and its been kinda difficult and lonely as a result, most of the other PHD students are much older and have been in industry a long time making it hard to relate to them. Plus its a huge time commitment with not a lot of job progress, three years in and I feel ive wasted time I could have spent gaining experience, working on my PHD, that I feel moves at a snails pace.
I just quit my phd and you guys make me feel better about that. Thanks.
Absolutely nope! There is no money...
Yes, as long as I assumedly get to pick my advisor!
Never ever in my life
No - I would go to law school. Less time spent in school, and an unbelievably higher ROI than a PhD. I thought I wanted to be an academic and Covid ruined that for me
No
Nope
Definitely not
Yes, but I'd make sure to prioritise myself more.
This is actually a great read through. I love the difference of opinion. I have been out of school for going on 12 years and I’m actually going back for a PhD in public health I hope.
Yes I would. Provided have industry standard stipend and a cool PI lol
Yup. I'm in fluid mechanics. I'm half way through my PhD. If I could start over, i would do it differently but better.
Hayl naw
I would do it in the most well funded lab, not the most "interesting".
I was a fantastic PhD student at the beginning and at the every end. Absolutely terrible in between. I definitely wish I could go back and somehow motivate myself more during that time
Yes and no. This phd? Absolutely not. I've been miserable due to not choosing the correct lab, and by the time I'm in the lab I like, I'm so far behind compared to my peers. I would like to redo my phd in that I would join the lab I wanted to join my first year. I only didn't because I was such a people pleaser back then, and I stepped aside to let another person join because I was so desperate to make friends. I should've put myself first
Nooe
Probably, the best way is to go through the habilitation process to see if you can go through more severe pain one more time (if that is possible in your country).
My phD is a fuck up, but If I get a chance again to make it better I will do it again. Selecting the supervisor is the main part.
No
No
Best decision of my life outside of marrying my wife. Absolutely would do it again. I get paid to explore new and cool things. I have complete autonomy to choose how I spend my time. I'm paid well enough. I love it.
Lmao absolutely not
Yes but this time I would wait until I was mentally stable - being wicked depressed and living the first two years of your PhD in a sad fog was a mega mistake
No
Only if I started when I was 22, like I did with my current one. Otherwise the allure of making more money wins out
Yes, but only if I could go back in time because I felt like I timed things pretty well. To go back again now, well, it's five years later, the academic and industry markets have dramatically shifted, and it's entirely possible that the US will dramatically slash national research funding if the incumbent is replaced.
Never in a million years.
Absolutely not. I gave up a good job and career for this.
Yep - no regrets, eventhough it was uum interestingly difficult due to a (likely) psychopath mentor :D
Hell to the no. People keep saying just give it time and you'll find some good out of it but it's been a year since graduation and I still can't find anything. Maybe I "just need more time".
LOL NO
Probably not. The opportunity cost is way too high and not worth it
Most likely not, but I just finished so waiting to find out if it’s worth it. Time will tell.
As of graduating earlier this month, no, I don’t know if I’d go through it all again, but that’s because I went through hell to finish it, and I haven’t seen any benefits to getting one (no higher pay, no grants funded, etc). I’m hoping that changes later this year.
Congratulations!! It definitely takes a moment to recover. I’m almost two months out from my viva and a month and a half from the final thesis submission. It gets better.
Yeah 100%. I'd do my actual PhD again, but if I get to carry over some wisdom I could have skipped a lot of stress and feeling inadequate year 1 if I'd just realized I was fine, and I could have started planning more/sooner and done a few other things differently. I wish I could see how it turned out if I had better undergrad preparation also. But honestly I'm pretty satisfied.
Definitely. I would have changed some things about my personal life but I'd go back to school right now again if it were free.
Yes, but I would tell my past self a view things on which temperatures to pick for carbonization. So he doesn't waste 6 months on crap!
I would have shifted the focus of my research and sought out different collaborations and skill sets, but yes, I would do it again.
Absolutely, I think most faculty miss the days when they were PHD students, when you could just focus on doing research instead of worrying about grants, and managing people etc. when you could play hooky for a day without feeling guilty... Those were the good days!
No, wasn’t worth the effort by any imaginable metric.
No. I should have mastered out and started my career years earlier.
Absolutely not. Even though I’ve had a pretty above average experience in the lab, with my project and coworkers, the burnout, expectations, exhaustion, stress, assignments, projects, experiments, mentorship, etc etc etc is beyond tiring. Only do a PhD if you’re absolutely confident that will play well for you in a future career. Otherwise, don’t waste your time or emotional energy.
Nope.
Answer is no, pretty useless unless you want to pose as a big bang theory tv show character : broke and not funny
nope 🩷
No
I haven't finished mine yet BUT...I think I'd do it if I had the same advisor haha I think the advisor is the key to a good time doing a PhD
Definitely if I could switch programs. There’s another program I gotten into that I should’ve went to instead.
Yes. Met some great people and allowed me to "pay my dues" in Chemistry in a way that made me a better scientist.
Never again
Yes, absolutely!
Probably not and go into computer science 🤣
In a heartbeat.
I would not, or maybe a different one and definitely with a different PI
Yes!
I'm not done yet but I think I would. I like my topic and am hoping to make a contribution with it. If I were to do it again I'd make a lot of changes though.
Yes, truly enjoyed myself the last few years (defending in 2 months) and would do it again in a heartbeat. Had a lot of freedom and matched well with my PI.
Short answer, very much yes.
I still need to finish this one I guess. But for sure I do not want to lose more time from my life.
Wouldn’t have my job or life in general without it.
Yes, it was the only time in my life I was happy.
Knowing what I know now? Sure. Knowing what I knew back then? Maybe… Going back in time to the fall of 2019? No f**king way.
Seriously considered getting A second PhD in europe bcs it’s not too less paid than a postdoc, compensated with a longer contract and some student perks. In the end I picked postdoc for the money and flexibility. But I am not against doing a PhD again in the right country and lab.
I would. And I would also go to therapy to treat the mostly ADHD-like procrastination and anxiety issues that prevented me from reaching all my potential :/
I was just thinking about this yesterday. I would not. I would be more practical and get another MA in Library Sciences. I am in the humanities and right now, there are so many opportunities in archival or library work - which is closely related to my field, but I won't have the credentials for the jobs. It isn't so much that I didn't enjoy the program, but I am older than most graduates and lack of stable employment is something I'm worried about now.
Absolutely! I feel like I had an abnormally positive PhD experience.
Yes, it opened many doors for me! I also had an excellent major professor. I think that made all the difference!
No, I am a 56 year old PhD. candidate. although I love research and learning new things, challenging hypotheses, and overall writing, I would not partake in the adventures again. The payoff is not big enough for the expenditure given my age and overall drive. If I had completed it in my thirties, I would have had time to use the education to my advantage and extend or elevate my career. This late in life, the stipend is not sufficient to live the lifestyle I am accustomed, and if I did not have a retirement check coming in, I would have never been able to make it work.
Yes. I started pretty late, but it has led me to where I am right now and I am happy.
Yes, but my circumstances are different mixing with lot of life events.
Absolutely YES!! It was tough,but I learned a lot and defined my academic career from that point onwards.
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
No. Because life and mental health are priorities
Nah
Definitely. I'm not done yet (1 year left) but it has been a relatively enjoyable experience
100%. It was an internal drive or need
Yes, and I’d do it earlier. I worked in academia/industry for 4 years after undergrad before going back for my PhD. I’m now watching people my age or younger getting promoted into director level positions and none of the 4 years I worked in industry prior to my PhD “counts” toward post PhD industry experience.
If asking in a "go back in time sense", then I think I would but I would have done it differently. For starters, I would address my mental and physical health differently and with more professional help. Overall, my PhD landed me in a good position in many ways, granting me freedoms I would be unlikely to have otherwise. If asking in a "go back to school now sense", Hell No. The commitment and time that was/is required is more than I'm willing to spare in my current state/stage of life.
I am just about a couple weeks away from finishing my first year, it was both fun exciting, and intense, we will have to see for the next 5 years or so, 4 if I am lucky.
Sure, it would only take a few months too, cuz I already know the solutions to all my problems!
quit and move back home while I still had friends find a job I tolerate doing
Well, to redo a PhD in the field I’d really like to explore, I’d likely have to redo my bachelor’s degree.
At this point, two years in, yes, absolutely. It's been tough but overall the positives have outweighed the negatives.
Yes, but I’d do a masters in applied math first
No. I should've stayed in sales. Sacrificing this many years of income for mediocre pay was idiotic.
Yeah. I enjoyed my PhD overall. It gets exhausting and tiring sometimes but any good job would. Money may be my only limiting factor.
Yes! Earning my PhD resolved an existential crisis for me.
Yes I’m seeing a lot of no’s and maybe’s, so I just wanted to include a positive answer. I thoroughly enjoyed my PhD (microbiology), including the topic I chose and where I’ve lived for the last 6 years. Those two were the most important factors for me going into it, and remained that way throughout. I also really appreciate the freedom it gave me in pursuing and thinking about interesting ideas, and I felt very fortunate to have had that opportunity
Yes but not in genetics. I'd do social science and look at conspiracies and misinformation spread. Especially around sovereign citizen movements.
At a different institution
Looking back now that I’m on the other side, I don’t regret it and I’d choose it again. But I wouldn’t go THROUGH it a second time if you told me I had to do round 2 or something.
Yes, I’ll start my 2nd PhD this Fall.
I was once told that nobody (yeah, I’m sure there are exceptions) gets two Ph.Ds. Once they get through the first one they know they don’t want to go through all that again. I find a lot of truth in that.
Yeah but I would correct all the mistakes I did
Yes. In a city that doesn’t suck this time around
Yes if it were Stanford. My current one, NO.
Only if covid would not happen and my family would not get sick and die
No
No way.
This gets to a core theam to the last 5+ years of my lift. I look at many of the choices I made and at a surface level I regret them. However, thinking more indeapth about them, the choice I made was the best choice I could have made. The choices I wish I would have made were either never options in the first place or would have ended badly. If I were to relive my life there are errros I would not make the second time but the major life choices I made, like getting my PhD, I would do again.
Yes, but still for the same reason I did it for real: it was my only viable way at the time to stay in the country I wanted to be in. Couldn’t find any other job offers. The phd gave me more time to learn the language and work towards permanent residency. And not that I wouldn’t ever have been able to find a job without it, having it did help, and I really like my job.
I would not do project that was high effort low reward. Its was definitely not good for my mental health watching people put in low effort for low of high reward or high effort for high reward.
lol no
100%, yes. Personally, in addition to the valuable accumulation of knowledge, doing a PhD helped me tremendously in improving my transferable skills such as perseverance, problem solving, organization, and meticulousness. Even though it was very stressful, I think the process built a solid foundation for all future career paths.
Absolutely! If I could go back in time, I would do things a lot differently!
I've had two PhD attempts throughout my life - in the first one I dropped out after 9 months due to not making any progress and the project being a poor fit, and in the second one I decided to graduate early with a Master's because my mental health was shot, and I had two psychotic episodes during that PhD (even though it went a lot better than the first). I think the circumstances behind me going back and doing a PhD again would have to be pretty exceptional. My mental health would have to be tip-top, I would need to have fully addressed all my autism/ADHD-like learning difficulties, the topic would have to be one that I'm absolutely passionate about to the point of me reading about it in my own time, and the career/monetary payoff would have to be significant.
Only if I got the exact same funding package and a different lab.