Play Ph.D. Casino!

Getting a Ph.D. is like playing the lottery, explains Monica Jacobe. After a median 10 years of study, and perhaps four or five years of job hunting, 40 percent of language PhDs will not have tenure track jobs anywhere.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Colleges
• universities
• professors
• students
• adjuncts
• faculty
• feminism
• women
• PhD
• Marc Bousquet

[Y2ANJ]

Sorry but this country needs more engineers, doctors, mathematicians, scientists, etc... not more humanities professors, lawyers, etc... Shouldn't complain about not getting a tenure track position when you know going in that the job market for such positions is scarce.

[MarcBousquet]

Usually, I don't reply to user comments, except to ban the uncivil. But it's worth noting, Y2ANJ, whoever you are, that mathematicians, scientists, engineers and even physicians are all experiencing this kind of exploitation--not just humanities types.

[Nullifidian]

Packersfan,

Get back to us when you have gotten your doctorate, are staring at tens of thousands in college loan debt, and can't get a job or don't earn more than $30,000 a year, and then tell us how salary is irrelevant and a Ph.D is all about loving the field you study.

[Dorfeld12]

Jesus, Socrates, and Kierkegaard probably didnt have a car payment either. I love to teach, but I also have to pay my bills. As an adjunct, I could not.

[WarrenAch]

Well if you have a 3 page CV, then you're already doing something wrong.

If youre applying for something straight out school with a 3 Page CV, it's unacceptable.

Employers spend like 30 seconds checking each CV, 3 Pages won't improve your chances.

Oh and a "good research" University doesn't mean shit, every University in the T2-T3-T4 claims to have "top-notch" programs but fail to place most of their students.

For a Ph.D., it's Top-15 or gtfo.

[sergioapuzzo]

PhD = pretty horrible deal

I got a PhD in Biochemistry and published 6 papers during my PhD and still no decent job, so guess what, I went to med school and had to postpone my life another 10 years.

Please tell the world to avoid higher education in the form of PhDs or Master's - it is actually dangerous for your future - for example I have to consider staying childless since I have no time with med school and being older I get tired more easily. Again please do not do a PhD

[BaldinLeePramer]

@MarcBousquet You are right. I sent out 120 applications, and got three offers. I am very lucky to be working at the level I am in a good research university in the mathematics department.

[Trinivalts]

@Buddha2you what if I'm a retard at math, more than half of all possibilities closed.

[brahud]

I am working on a PhD. in Business....that is a better bet. This country is all about business.....for God's sake...... Dr. Ruth is a sexologist (doctor). That would be my second choice for a doctoral degree.

[Buddha2you]

Answer: Dont do a PhD in humanities! Seriously, why would you? It has never paid well... so dont choose to do one, then complain about the low wages. It has been thus; and thus shall always be.

[mlabit1985]

When Progressivism takes root, the leaves and Fruits of Liberty wither and die...

[mlabit1985]

@MarcBousquet

Yup, I don't know who mr/ms/Mrs/ (or whichever PC moniker it is these days...) Y2ANJ is, but it is so arrogantly rude of you to reply to what I believe are well intentioned points to be made, with such obviously flippant arrogance. I do not believe that you are being exploited, rused, socially-dis-justified, or whatever in heck, excuse my french, you think is going on. It is a very simple problem with many complicated discombobulations. Please Sir, Don't censure my remarks :-)

[SuperKugel]

Shouldn't the P.h.D. candidate know a thing or two about how our society as a whole is based on voluntary transactions? In order to provide high wages and benefits to the unemployed doctorates, some organization will have to intervene again and again to undo the bad effects of the choices these doctorates made themselves. Liberty upsets patterns.