PhD’s: Do you have one? Would you consider doing one? ?

Esspee I do have a (an?) MA

SM I totally feel like I went down the wrong road.
I should have done something more practical than academic.
I know that I’m contradicting myself here! It’s a bit like, in for a penny etc.

Anyway, I’m enjoying the discussion, thank you all

Zoejory

SueDonim

I got a fabulous thread juxtaposition when I opened up GN just now! ???

Love it!

Excellent ? ?

DS has a PhD in archaeology and is a successful academic, an expert in his field. and I have seriously considered it and would still like to do it some time.

A master's degree is not a precursor to a PhD but is usually the first step towards it.

I have got the masters degrees, 2 of them, MSc and MA

I did the Scottish undergraduate degree so it was four years MA horns degree and was an undergrad not a postgrad degree. I went straight to the PhD, although for the first year you were registered as MPhil and had to submit a draft chapter at the end of the year, and if it was OK they re registered you to PhD and backdated it to the start, so you never actually did the MPhil degree.

SueD I’m glad I’m not the only person that spots those!

I was contemplating doing a masters in comparative religion after my husband died but have never found the time.

I thought a masters was the usual precursor to a PhD Fanny.

Having worked with students doing both I have to say that there is a vast range in quality, especially at PhD level.

No and no. I don’t think I’d have the stamina. I’ve written technical manuals and training manuals in the course of my career in software development but not really interested in writing per se.

SueDonim

I got a fabulous thread juxtaposition when I opened up GN just now! ???

Love it!

Completing the PhD at a prestigious university and getting the Dr title felt like a really big thing at the time. Now I just feel like it’s nothing and doesn’t matter and so what. Probably would have been better to do something that would have earned more money. But I suppose I was following my star at the time, and it did enable me to get a nice job at a college with a good pension.

Shinamae

I have a PhD in common sense, quite happy with that ?

I scraped a GCSE grade C in that

I have a PhD in common sense, quite happy with that ?

I did one following a year spent in industry after graduating, so I suppose I was quite young. It was in one of the sciences, and I spent three years in a dark basement with a piece of electrical equipment that was older than me, that I had to discharge every night with a big screwdriver, so that the cleaning lady wouldn't electrocute herself accidentally . You'd never get away with it now.

I used the topic of the PhD directly for a few years but then moved into another area. When I was first entitled to be called Dr I was thrilled, but I don't use it now.

One of my external examiners was a Nobel Prize winner.

Three years in I was sick of the subject. But luckily had a second wind and got it completed.

I'm currently finishing off my second Masters, (graduated with first one in 2019) and I'm hoping to do a PhD next year.

I love all the studying and it's become part of who I am now, I'm a few months off 60.

Thankyou SM
That’s helpful. When I did my MA (20 odd years ago) my supervisor said that mine was more of a PhD type thesis as I had to do so much original research.
I spent a month at the British Library.
At the time, and even now, I had a nagging suspicion that I was doing some donkey work for him

You can do an MPhil or similar which still involves the research and writing up, but doesn’t have quite the same stringent requirement of ‘making an original contribution to knowledge’.

To pass it has to make ‘an original contribution to knowledge’ in the opinion of the two professors who read it and then give you an oral exam on it.

Margi sorry, the book reference was meant in the sense that you think you ‘have it in you’; but do have the necessary discipline or passion.
But, I do think that in my case (if it ever becomes a case) , it probably would be a bit like writing a book

When I worked at a college aftwards they did address me as Dr when they used my surname. When I started at the college there were a fair few of the teachers with PhDs working there and they were always called. Dr Surname.
However now I’ve changed careers it’s not really relevant so I haven’t mentioned it, and everyone uses first names anyway. However all my official documents have Dr as my title, apart from dental and medical stuff as I didn’t want any confusion there.

We sometimes point it out to officialdom if we think it's important, but I can't see any need to to upset friends and family by pushing it, especially as we acquired the title so late. They'd just think we were showing off.

I do get annoyed by websites that only give you the options of Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, though. There must be lots of people who have other titles.

ShropshireMiss ‘five years full time’
Wow. Well done.
I’m sure that I’d be absolutely sick to death of the subject by then

Hi Fanny, I've never thought of working towards a doctorate as a bit like writing a book! I guess it depends on the area of research or study. Do you already have a masters?
I have a science based PhD which involved many years of original research ( I also worked part time to pay my way), and eventually writing up my thesis and a viva with experts in the field. The writing up part took longer than expected but was really only a very small part of the work. It was several decades ago, before the internet could call up other peoples work so easily or computers could whizz and count so fast, so I spent a lot of time counting and measuring cells, plotting graphs, and messing with statistics - things that could be counted by machine now!
Many people do achieve PhDs whilst working part time alongside- but it was not easy. I'm rather out of date as I left academia decades ago- others will be more useful.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

DD has a PhD in Biochemistry and now leads a research team at the university. I remember it meant a great deal of work and expense. Everything she needed for her thesis cost money, although it did look very impressive when it was finished and professionally bound. She only uses her title when writing papers or giving talks, but does have it on things like her driving licence and credit cards. She went straight on to do the PhD after her BSc so was very young and used to get funny looks when she used a credit card. People were obviously thinking "Hmm, who's she stolen this from?"

Dinahmo

I know several people who have PhDs and none of them have ever considered being addressed as Dr... by friends and family.

I’d insist upon it at all times!

Well spotted SueDonim ???