foofighter Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 if you have a Phd, is this field a decent way to make enough to support a family? or is it not really a career you can have when you're poppin out kids with a wife and paying all the money to raise em? in other words, how much do researchers make, and what's life like for them during work and outside of work? anyone here do research that can describe, as i'm considering doing this in my future? thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 I guess that sort of depends on what you're researching and for whom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedarkshade Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 My personal opinion on this is that first of all a PhD will grant you a lot of respect among people. A PhD is a synonym of a man/woman who has tried and worked hard and successfully achieved a reputation, no matter in what field. But the incomes really depend on what field you got a PhD. In the city I live there are at least 5-6 with PhD (something related to cardiology) that don't even work because there is no place, but taken generally anyone with a PhD earns enough to have a good life with his/her family but the problem is time, there's a little leisure time I believe for them due to being busy researching on their fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajb Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 Most "researchers" I know are married and have children. What is true, is that at least here in the UK that academia does not pay very well. But then you do have a good life, plenty of travel, good friends etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 You can definitely make a decent living. But what a PhD really gets you is the opportunity to do more interesting work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paralith Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 From my experience, if you can get a faculty position at a reasonably well-off research university, you can make quite a bit of money. This does, of course, involve teaching courses and taking on graduate students in addition to your research. The problem is that the road to this goal is a long one, during which you will likely experience extended periods of being fairly tight on money (enough to live on, of course, but not a lot extra), and attaining a good faculty position at all is tough because there's usually a lot of talented competition for every spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Note that academia isn't the only avenue open to you for doing research. Though government and industry will likely be applied research, rather than "basic" research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharonY Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Depending on the field you might experience that any jobs are in fact not directly involved in research per se. Other job for phDs include product management, sales/support, consulting and so on. In numbers, at least for biologists, the average salary for a postdoc is at around 30000-35000$ annually in academic jobs. This varies depending on field, country and experience, of course. These jobs are usually time limited, though. Faculty jobs are higher (often around 50-90 k, depending on position), but getting one is not easy and it takes quite some time. I think most score full positions when they are around 40ish at the earliest. Chemists and physicists usually have a higher average salary, though. Jobs in the industry (e.g. as technical consultant or similar) often start at around 60000$. My personal opinion on this is that first of all a PhD will grant you a lot of respect among people. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermanntrude Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 be aware that a PhD can actually reduce the number of jobs you're qualified for. many research companies won't accept a PhD student simply because they can train a master's or batchelor's student up for much less money. Also research jobs are very rare worldwide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedarkshade Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 be aware that a PhD can actually reduce the number of jobs you're qualified for. many research companies won't accept a PhD student simply because they can train a master's or batchelor's student up for much less money. Also research jobs are very rare worldwide. Unfortunately I think this is true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajb Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I am starting to look for jobs now myself. I should finish my PhD by next Christmas. I don't exactly have people queuing up to employ me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I am starting to look for jobs now myself. I should finish my PhD by next Christmas. I don't exactly have people queuing up to employ me! Any claim of finishing a PhD with an expected completion time more than a year out is very suspect, in my experience. Until you've gotten the data you need and are writing the thesis. It's a corollary to Hofstadter's law (It always takes longer than you think, even after taking into account Hofstadter's law): (Before the defense date is actually set) [A]ll thesis completion predictions are optimistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajb Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Any claim of finishing a PhD with an expected completion time more than a year out is very suspect, in my experience. Until you've gotten the data you need and are writing the thesis. It's a corollary to Hofstadter's law (It always takes longer than you think, even after taking into account Hofstadter's law): (Before the defense date is actually set) [A]ll thesis completion predictions are optimistic I mean this Christmas, I would hope to take a postdoc in January. As the funding runs out in October this year, I can't exactly carry on much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaynos Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Most science phd's in the UK are limited to submission within 4years of starting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermanntrude Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Most science phd's in the UK are limited to submission within 4years of starting. although you can always take longer if you don't mind paying the tuition fees for another year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaynos Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 although you can always take longer if you don't mind paying the tuition fees for another year. Well no... that was my point, at least the people I know, funding for 3 years, submission within 4, else you can't get a phd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now