so, do I go for the doctorate or not?

[ulysses]

I ask you, of course, because it's always best to leave big life decisions to virtual strangers. ;)

It would be in educational leadership.

[Nickster]

1. I'm almost at that point myself. Less than a year away from my MBA, so I need to decide if I'm going

to take the leap or call it an education. I love learning and I'm not sure I can sit around without having a class or a project or whatnot to do. What would I do with all that free time?? I'm thinking that I want to teach a little and a doctorate would help with that. My fear is that employers will look at my education and go....ohhhh....you're a little too educated for us.....

[UTUSN]

2. Well, if it's in a field that will growth itself into HUGH money in 20 yrs, YES!1

If it's Liberal Arts,like me,NO!1

[rebel with a cause]

7. I'll second that emotion..

A Liberal Arts degree is fun to get but hard to utilize once gotten. Especially in some fields.

[caitxrawks]

3. i say

Go for it! If you like learning and all that stuff. I want to eventually go for a doctorate in anthropology/archaeology. I suppose it all depends on what field of work you wanna go into, right? I know employers will want to see a PhD next to my name if I want to go anywhere close to something with science, lmao.

[bluedigger]

11. In archaeology you only need a masters unless you want to teach.

In the cultural resource management field or government everything is possible with a masters. A doctorate would probably show a very poor return on your investment. And welcome to DU!:hi:

[femmocrat]

4. I regret that I didn't finish mine.

If you have the time and the opportunity, there's no time like the present! Good luck! :hi:

[jobycom]

16. yeah, me too. Half my time is spent wondering how I can afford to go back later.

Finish it now.

But if you do, go all in. Don't go in thinking you'll stop if you get bored. Plow through it without questioning why until you get to the other side.

[ulysses]

5. thanks, all.

Think I'll apply after a bit. :)

[undeterred]

6. If you want to waste thousands of dollars and the best years of your life

make sure its something that you really enjoy. If I lived my life over, I would not do graduate study again.

[WinkyDink]

8. Do you want to think of nothing but school budgets?

[stray cat]

9. In what area and why?

[Cant trust em]

10. Depends on whether you think you really need it or not.

It's going to cost a lot of money, time and work. If it's an investment will help actually help you attain your goal, then I'd say go for it. If it's just going to be something that you find interesting, then I'd say probably not.

I just submitted the last of my grad school applications after asking myself these same questions. Ultimately I decided that I wasn't satisfied with my current career, so I wanted to go back to school to put myself on a different path. I can't see myself being able to make that change without additional training.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Are you really interested in spending years of your life learning educational jargon?

That's what it really boils down to.

[CBR]

13. I am currently in my third year in a doctorate program in Public Policy.

They pay my tuition, I TA for living cash (I am also married so that helps with the income) and I spend my time researching in my interest area. It is alot of work but totally worth it. I cannot speak to your discipline but in public policy, a Ph.D. helps beyond attaining a professor position, many positions open in consulting, research, non-profit management, advocacy etc...

[Bucky]

14. Hey, man, you got it all wrong! We're not virtual strangers...

We're virtual friends. We're total strangers.

[Sanity Claws]

15. No

I've come to the realization that universities are similar to the corporations -- they continue to grow while selling schlock.

BTW, I have an M.A. and J.D. from an Ivy League institution. Just wanted to let you know that I'm not tooting out my arse.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

17. No. Don't do it.

I have a Juris Doctor that I spent five years of my life getting. It took five years because it was difficult and I worked full time to pay for it. I got out just before all the student loan leeches got popular (mid-80s). So I don't owe any student loans on my three degrees.

However, the BA and the JD have never helped me get a job in spite of the fact that I have worked in the legal profession for decades and know a helluva lot about the real world in trial.

I have a very impressive looking glass covered placemat.

[Sanity Claws]

18. Hello there -- I didn't know we had that in common.

I used my JD but stopped practicing about two years ago. I'm thoroughly disillusioned with law.
I would not encourage anyone to go to law school these days. There are way more attorneys than we need. I feel bad for all the recent graduates who are so heavily in debt and were misled as to their career prospects.
I would not encourage anyone in any graduate or professional program, except perhaps engineering, a hard science, or medically related field.

[treestar]

19. Yes!

Because you will feel good having it.

No one I know who did it regretted it.

You will be in the 1% who have them. OOOh, the cultural elite!

[Tikki]

20. Yes, also....

Tikki

[greatauntoftriplets]

21. Only if you really want to.

:hi:

[struggle4progress]

22. Do you like the subject enough to live and breath it for a few years?

[Solly Mack]

23. Go for it.