After completing a Master’s, many students view a PhD as the next step in their academic or professional career. Some aim to add "Dr." before their name, while others aspire to become scientists or professors. Nowadays, a PhD has even become a basic requirement for becoming an Assistant Professor.
However, pursuing a PhD is not a decision to be taken
lightly. If you're certain about your goal, then by all means, go for it. But
if you’re uncertain or have other career options to consider, here are six
reasons you might want to think twice before committing to a PhD.
How to secure a PhD abroad independently: Finding host and supervisor
1. Delayed Financial Stability
By the time you finish your Master’s, you’re likely around
22-23 years old. A PhD demands at least four more years of commitment, and even
if you secure a scholarship or fellowship, the stipend you receive will only
cover basic expenses. Trust me, saving money on a PhD stipend is difficult,
even if you live frugally.
Before you know it, you’ll be 27 or 28 when you complete
your PhD—sometimes it can take up to six years. Meanwhile, your peers from your
Master’s program will have been working for years. They’ll have solid savings,
possibly even families, and will be professionally established. While they
enjoy financial stability, you might still be struggling with basic expenses.
2. Job Market Challenges
Once you complete your PhD, there are typically three main
career paths: industry, research labs, and academia. However, finding a job in
any of these areas is extremely competitive. In government colleges, positions
have become scarce, and private colleges often offer salaries lower than your
PhD stipend. In industry, those with practical experience are usually preferred
over PhD holders.
If you're interested in postdoctoral research, the
competition is fierce. Some of my seniors spent a full year just looking for a
postdoc position, during which they had no work at all. You might find yourself
stuck without a job even at 28 or 29, while others have already gained years of
professional experience. From personal experience, I was once offered a salary
almost equal to my PhD stipend from an industry, while a private university
offered me only two-thirds of that amount for an assistant professor position,
citing my lack of teaching and industrial experience.
3. Limited Postdoctoral Opportunities
There’s a Hindi proverb, “door ke dhol suhavne,” meaning
things look better from a distance, and this holds true for postdocs. Like many
others, I started my PhD with dreams of securing a prestigious postdoc
position, possibly abroad. However, in reality, most labs only have one or two
postdoc positions available. You often need to write project proposals and
secure your own fellowship, and even after obtaining funding, finding a host
lab is another challenge.
In today’s world of interdisciplinary research, competition
has intensified. Postdoc opportunities are limited, and even if you secure one,
the funding is often minimal. You’ll barely cover your living expenses, leaving
little room for savings. But the real challenge begins after the postdoc—you
might find yourself part of the 'highly qualified unemployed.' This isn’t just
a theoretical issue; I’ve personally seen it happen to many colleagues.
4. Industry Perception of PhDs
In the industry, experience often matters more than a PhD.
During a PhD, we focus on a very specific research area, which means we may
lose touch with broader subjects. For instance, a chemist who started working
right after their BSc has hands-on experience with a wide variety of
reactions—more than we typically encounter during a PhD.
As a result, an experienced chemist with eight years in the
industry can often be more valuable than a PhD graduate. You might also find
that your manager doesn’t hold a PhD, yet you’ll have to follow their
guidelines regardless. The reality is, industry values practical skills and
experience over specialized research knowledge.
5. The Heavy Workload
A PhD requires full-time commitment for at least four years.
You might officially spend nine hours a day in the lab, but often, supervisors
expect you to stay for 12 hours or more. Even if they don’t explicitly say so,
the workload will likely force you to stay longer. You’ll need to design
experiments, conduct them, gather data, analyze it, write papers, and
ultimately, complete your thesis.
Believe me, even when you’re trying to sleep, you’ll be
thinking about your research. Outside the lab, you’ll be writing papers or
planning your next steps. And submitting your work to international journals
doesn't guarantee acceptance. Rejections are common, meaning more revisions and
resubmissions. The workload never really ends.
Additionally, your fellowship will typically last only five
years. Any time beyond that will have to be self-funded, which can add more
financial pressure.
6. Ambiguous Professional Status
One challenge I’ve faced during my PhD is the ambiguity of
my status—neither fully a student nor a working professional. For example, when
I applied for a credit card and mentioned my fellowship, they said, “You’re a
student.” But when I attended exhibitions or professional events and said I was
a student, they responded, “You’re a professional, you’re earning money.” It’s
a strange in-between phase where people define your status based on their own
perspective, not on how you actually see yourself.
Postdoctoral Fellowships for Chemistry Scholars in India and Overseas
Embracing Failure
If you can’t handle failure, a PhD might not be for you.
During a PhD, failure is part of the process. Before you succeed, you’ll face
daily setbacks, constant revisions to your work, and rejections from journals.
This is a normal part of the research journey. Many times, you may feel
discouraged or even depressed, but earning recognition and building a career in
academia or research takes time.
If you’re not prepared to face these challenges, then it
might be better to reconsider your path.
Conclusion
Pursuing a PhD is a major commitment that comes with
significant challenges. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons carefully. If
you’re passionate about research and ready to face the hurdles, a PhD can be
rewarding in the long run. However, if you’re unsure or have other career
options, take the time to evaluate whether the PhD path is truly the right
choice for you.
