TestMagic Forums - View Single Post - Advantages/disadvantages of graduating early from a PhD program?

currentstudent · 2009 July 8th, 01:16 AM

Thanks to all for the comments.

I'm sort of like one of those people you see post here occasionally who aren't all that interested in academia but thought that an Econ Ph.D. would be a good idea to make sure you reach a senior position elsewhere and don't get held back or reach a glass ceiling.

Through the first 2 years of the Ph.D., I've been surrounded by and partially assimilated into a culture where academic research and beyond that university rankings are god. I think I've still managed to hold onto my original goals pretty well, but if a really nice academic placement is available I might consider it. It would have to be pretty nice, though, and I'm not likely to get a pretty nice one, in my opinion.

Hence my dilemma. I would need to stick around to do better to get a good academic placement. I don't want to stick around if I wouldn't get a good academic placement, and I might not even want to stick around if I would. I think that my outside options might be pretty good with an only "okay" job market paper. I'm just not very motivated to try to see what's the best research I could possibly do when academic research isn't really what drives me. I mean, I could easily fill my time for a year with other interesting pursuits -- very easily. Reading, writing... but not what academia would like.

2009 July 8th, 01:16 AM	#8 (permalink)
currentstudent I JUST got here. Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	Thanks to all for the comments. I'm sort of like one of those people you see post here occasionally who aren't all that interested in academia but thought that an Econ Ph.D. would be a good idea to make sure you reach a senior position elsewhere and don't get held back or reach a glass ceiling. Through the first 2 years of the Ph.D., I've been surrounded by and partially assimilated into a culture where academic research and beyond that university rankings are god. I think I've still managed to hold onto my original goals pretty well, but if a really nice academic placement is available I might consider it. It would have to be pretty nice, though, and I'm not likely to get a pretty nice one, in my opinion. Hence my dilemma. I would need to stick around to do better to get a good academic placement. I don't want to stick around if I wouldn't get a good academic placement, and I might not even want to stick around if I would. I think that my outside options might be pretty good with an only "okay" job market paper. I'm just not very motivated to try to see what's the best research I could possibly do when academic research isn't really what drives me. I mean, I could easily fill my time for a year with other interesting pursuits -- very easily. Reading, writing... but not what academia would like.