How does a PhD make you a better worker than someone without one?

I'm_With_Stupid

studentphil wrote: »

Maybe more Undergrads should look at a PhD if they are so good for becoming successful.

A PhD doesn't make you successful. Know what you want, how to get it, and working hard for it makes you successful. And a PhD might just happen to be one step in this, if that is your chosen career path.

Stevenj214

Phil, any arguments you can think of for or against A levels versus a Degree apply equally to a Degree versus a Phd. That's the simple answer.

peter999

studentphil wrote: »

Maybe more Undergrads should look at a PhD if they are so good for becoming successful.

No, because most students aren't up to it & don't want to do them.
And I'm not saying it's easier getting a job with a Phd.

If people have the skill & interest to continue to PHd, good luck to them.

They have the same problems finding jobs as other people, in a more restricted area. But they are much fewer in numbers & if they have the right skills they will probably start at higher salaries.

peter999

Gingham_Ribbon

studentphil wrote: »

That was a personal thread and this is an objective debate.

No it isn't. It's a load of pointless rubbish.

But I accept experience and hobbies might be more important than a PhD in some cases.

Morglin

A PhD shows that you have knowledge in a subject and can apply yourself to study.

It doesn't make you a "better person".

As regards to the job front, surely you thought about how your qualifications would help you in whatever career field you are aiming at?

Many of these "newer" subjects that Uni's are adopting seem to serve very little purpose for life in the real world of employment (I think).

Lin

savingsgirl

I admire anyone who has the motivation and self discipline to do a phD. It is a real achievement.

[Deleted User]

I've worked alongside PhD students.. some are smart, some are stupid; they're still people. They just happen to be really interested in one subject. They've got the required skills to complete the research - this might be lab skills, maths etc and grit and determination to write a thesis.

There are a subset of jobs around that only people with a PhD can do, but having a PhD is not always seen as a great way of getting a job easier - they struggle just like the rest of us as employers often deem them overqualified.

TheImportanceOfBeingIdle

Phil, please do take a long walk off of a short cliff. I hear Beachey Head is good this time of year.....

IvanOpinion

When it comes to recruiting at 'graduate' level there are generally 2 people that I would come across ... some have spent years qualifying, reading books and showing commitment to getting a qualification ... others left education went into employment and have raw experience. Those with qualifications are often heavy on theory and light on practical ability .. those with raw experience are often heavy on practical ability but light on theory

I equate both equally ... so it all depends on the role that I am looking to fill.

However when it comes to somebodies second or third job then qualifications achieved years before hand mean little over practical experience.

Ivan

magyar

Phil, to be frank, you demonstrate none of the abilities which would be required to get a PhD, namely:

- to focus on one subject for more than five minutes
- to logically argue a point based upon existing theory and new thoughts
- to convince a peer of the veracity of your points in a one-to-one interview
- to be dedicated and spend possibly years of your working life writing up work at the expense of a social life (actually I imagine you're halfway there on that one)

Some comments on other posts:

Poppy9 wrote:

or it could show a reluctance to leave a safe 'school' enviroment.

It's a perfectly valid point in some cases, and in some ways it was in mine. It wasn't so much reluctance as simply not knowing what I wanted to do, enjoying the lifestyle* and genuinely enjoying the subject area.

* and then discovering that doing a PhD is far, far harder work than getting a degree, where you pretty much have to turn up and do some exams at the end. Most people I knew when I was doing my PhD would work at least six days a week.

IvanOpinon wrote:

However when it comes to somebodies second or third job then qualifications achieved years before hand mean little over practical experience.

Very true for a number of reasons, mainly though because a PhD will often get very out of date. Mine, for example (researched in 1993-6) is so far behind modern technology I might as well have been banging rocks together.

StudentPhil wrote:

But the vast majority of jobs in this country are not in pure sciences, so how does a PhD improve you for a standard job in business or at the council say?

You might just as well argue how does three year's experience as a judge make you any more qualified to work in a council. It may or may not. A PhD is not a directly relevant background for a commercial job, but it becomes a 'shader', so if I see two people with similar experience, then I might just edge it on the side of the PhD.

StudentPhil wrote:

experience and hobbies might be more important than a PhD in some cases.

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