is a ph.D really worth it?

Answer 1

In money, definitely not.
For the experience, if you like doing research then definitely yes.
If you have to ask if it is worth is, it won't be worth it for you, pay and hours are bad, so if you don't really want to do it badly enough, it won't be fun and forget about it.

Answer 2

Do you know how to write that degree acronyms properly? You do not deserve the degree if you do not know the most basic item.

The correct way : Ph.D

To answer your question: Yes, absolutely. Unequivocally. Without research, science will grind to a screeching halt. We need thinkers. We need people who question everything. We need people are curious. We need people who can think outside the box.

That's what research is all about. It is original. It is something you contribute to the scientific community so that everyone can benefit, including yourself. The research you do is critiqued and questioned by like minded people who share similar thoughts. It is the higher learning ultimate.

Are you up for it? It is a lifelong commitment. Hopefully you can answer those questions and if the answer is yes, then go for it. Do not worry about monetary rewards. It will come. It is automatic. If you are dedicated, you will be recognized. If you are an 'also ran' you will be driving a taxi after getting a Ph.D

You just do your thing because that's what you enjoy doing. No one can answer your question at Y!A on such serious issue because it is a personal decision.

Answer 3

Well, let's look at financial figures first:

As you're asking this in biology, the salaries of biologists are lower than in any other science discipline. See reference 1. Average for a Biologist I is 40,943. Of course, that's not a PhD- that's your average biologist, and that's assuming you can find a job in your discipline. The friendly guy who works the desk at my post office is a marine biologist. Right now, molecular and cell biology is more likely to land you a job. That $40,943 figure is also for people with biology jobs- not starting. Starting salaries are going to be about $22,000 for a BS in biology.

From the 2003 Salary Survey of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a biologist with a BS is likely to make about $29,500 for an entry level position. So, if going into academia as a technician with a BS, you'll be making about $30,000 a year if you're lucky. Because of overhead expenses, your boss (some professor) will probably have to shell out $100,000 a year from their grant to keep you on board. Most of that grant will be eaten alive by what's called "overhead," in which the university takes 30-60% right off the top to keep the lights on and the floors polished. But that's another story.

From the same source, the average MS will make $33,600 to start. So, an extra 2-3 years of school, plenty of academic abuse, and you make an extra $1.80 an hour. Again, adjust that for your field.

Again from the same source, the average PhD will make $42,200 a year, working at a university- presumably that figure includes a lot of post-docs- to start. Up from $16.80 an hour to $21.10 an hour after 3+ years of putting up with crap. You'd better love what you do.

Now, if you're foolish and stay in biology, but smart enough to stay in a program where people will actually hire you (molecular stuff), you can end up working for a company that will offer stock options, etc., and you can be pulling down $50-100K with a PhD, depending upon how pertinent your thesis is to anything the company does. But this is fickle; if you do your thesis on Diseases of the Poor in Third World Countries, and the current emphasis is on throwing money down the toilet on diseases of "terrorism" that we don't even see these days (anthrax, smallpox, tularemia, etc.), then you won't get to hitch a ride on a fat grant and waste taxpayer dollars while tuberculosis goes on and kills the developing world. In short, between the time you get your BS and a PhD, demand and supply can change.

Moreover, one has to consider where the research will be done. The current American anti-science sentiment has caused NIH and NSF funding to level off; getting grants isn't quite so easy anymore. Salaries continue to rise, overhead continues to rise, and every major university has bought into making huge biotech research institutes on campus. Quick recap here: less money going to more institutions. Unless money starts coming from somewhere- and quick- American biotech is headed for a major crunch soon.

This is compounded by the fact that American institutions have been training MS and doctoral students from abroad in droves, sending them home to do the same sort of research they did here. It's admirable, and we need to do more of it. The problem is that while Joe PhD at Biotech University makes, say, $100K a year teaching and doing research, the equivalent in India costs a fraction of that, and doesn't have the same restrictions on research. So when a new drug is developed, or a new biotech process is invented, it can be done for a small fraction of the cost using American-trained PhDs in another country.

Ho-ho. Your doctorate just got outsourced.

The graduate degree is the new bachelor's degree. In a few years, everyone will have graduate degrees. The problem being, will the jobs be there to employ them?

For most fields of science, the functional degree is the MS. Two more years in school (three or four if your advisor refuses to sign off on your paperwork because you're skilled, cheap labor that he doesn't want to see leave), and you can make 40% more than you can with a BS in the long run. The PhD is if you want to teach, or if you're absolutely fascinated by the field and really, really feel like grinding out a thesis on something you're virtually guaranteed to hate by the time you're done.

Keep in mind that although the United States has traditionally been the powerhouse research country, that image is changing rapidly. The jobs won't be there in 5-10 years, and it may take some time for them to come back, if they do at all. Expect stiff competition.

One last note: a friend of mine got his PhD in the Cucurbitaceae (cucumber family), and worked at the most prestigous institute of its sort, doing taxonomical research. He made more money on the weekends, trimming trees for a living. The doctorate ain't always what it's cracked up to be.

Answer 4

yes it is worth it if ur willing to spend ur time researchin n dedicatin ur yrs on a subject to love then its definately worth it and then theres an added incentive of being called a doctor...and also u can get a job in big universities as professers which pay loads

Answer 5

are you serious? You get to make people call you Doctor!

But seriously, if you're going into a scientific field like biology, the added experience and research should make you more competitive in the field
Don't take my word for it though

Answer 6

If u r really interseted in research careers, then Ph. D is a necessity.

Answer 7

Yes. I am doing it now.It is worth when you do it with a cause. Do it with scientific spirit and not for a job.

Answer 8

That all depends on what it's in and what part of the World you call home.


Doug

Answer 9

If you want to teach or do research it is.

Answer 10

just another rich hypocrite