Postgraduate Studies And/or Scientific Careers

By Author: Randy Wheeler
Total Articles: 332
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1. Time to Think: Is getting a PhD Degree What You Really Need?

Every time a person spends his/her energy on doing something, he/she needs to know that it is done not in vain. To make your decision about PhD, you should have clear understanding of why you need becoming a PhD graduate. Do you dream about academic career? Or do you think that PhD is necessary for reaching your career goals outside university? In this article we will try to help you to come up with your decision about PhD.

If you have left some blank spots in your career plans, it is time to deal with them. Evaluate importance of getting PhD for your future career. Besides, consider the following things:

1. Not all PhDs build academic career. It is obvious that a number of lecturers is much smaller than a number of PhD students.

2. If you plan to build your career beyond academic field, mind that what your potential employer may expect from you is your work experience, not a PhD degree.

If you have analyzed reasonability of becoming a PhD graduate, let us list several issues that you will need to walk successfully along your ...
... PhD path:

1. Desire and ability to study. You should understand well that you will have to study 4-6 years more. To become a PhD student, you should really enjoy studying. Even gifted students are sometimes stuck with their PhD dissertations, and it is necessary to have strong eagerness to study in order to finish what you have started.

2. Interest for research. You should be interested is some specific field and be ready to carry out research in it. PhD is not about simple attending lectures and doing homework. What will be required from you is an investigation, original and done at high level.

3. Resources. Here, we imply a range of factors: your time, energy and money. It is important to evaluate your abilities appropriately before applying to PhD.