Pros and cons of doing a PhD (personal experience)

As I hopefully made clear in the video, this pros/cons list is based on my personal experience, and I'd welcome additional perspectives from current and former PhD students. If you think I neglected something important then please put it in the comments below!

---------- II ----------

---------- II ----------

Huge thanks to my supporters on Patreon: Dan Hanvey, David Efird, Suzanna Hofman, Amy Hadden, Ethan Fuller, Charles Bray, Jay Wright, Louis Gillet, Michael Phillips, Martin Hermes, Cameron Matchett, Lachlan Woods, Tim Boxall, Gabriele Mozzicato, Jawad Alalasi, Gaia Frazao Nery, Kodzo, Claire Anthony, Eve Dillon, Rowan Gow, Matthias Loos, James Bridges, James Craig, Sanaa Al Derei, Mark Anthony Magro, Liam, Wendover Productions, Kendra Johnson, Caitlin Louise, Daniel Blume Høj, Leighton Mackenzie, Thusto, Fernán González, Paul Everitt, Kendall Hendrix, Jia Xin Peng, Jonathan Trimble, Ryke Allen.

[adjaniaguilar]

“Doing PhD is so much fun!” Repeat this line every minute of the day until dissertation is finished.

[EuskaltelEuskadi]

A postdoc friend of mine summed it up perfectly: "The best thing about academia is the flexibility and the travel. The worst thing about academia is... the flexibility and the travel."

[wintersyixx]

I am a third year PhD student majoring in Neuroscience and Molecular Biology. The main namesis of doing a PhD would be stress and mental health issue. For me, though PhD demands high dedication and persistency, work life balance is the utmost importance for me. The first two years of continuous grinding had affected my mental health poorly. That’s why I’m clocking into times punctually without going back home late, because work will never finish. Health, family and friends will always comes first..this is how I deal with the PhD’s stress...

[constancellc]

Additional pro: autonomy. Your supervisor is your advisor not your boss, at the end of the day you control the direction of your research. This absolutely doesn't happen in traditional jobs.

[hadowtalker]

"PhDs are hard. Agreed
Recently I watch movies/tv shows where some people say they have more than 1 phd, I don't say "man that person is smart". I say "Man, that person's hardworking".

[xuhanv]

My suggestion is: if you have a rich family to support you, then academic is a very good choice. If you have to support a family, then it is bad choice.

[SuperVapourizer]

I'm currently doing a physics PhD, finishing my first year... and frankly, I'm continuously considering quitting it for several months now.
Basically, all of the cons Simon mentions her kind of coincide in my project, at least it feels that way:
I have gradually lost the interest in the research field I'm in, the funding of my supervisor isn't secured (meaning I would possibly work without any guiding throughout my 2nd and 3rd years), when I'm doing experimental work I put in insane working hours (at least that's what I think) and I'm totally torn between performing well in my PhD and providing for a family.

So basically worst case. And still, the worst for me are the working hours.
It still puzzles me that you put in 50 - 70 hours a week, and instead of denouncing these circumstances, academia has kind of tricked people to say that it is part of the "PhD experience" or (to cite Simon) that "a PhD is hard".
Sure a PhD is hard, but it should be hard because it is intelectually demanding, not because you're working yourself to death.

But this is just me ranting, because I'm frustrated again :/

[gabrielles]

My advisor's boyfriend did a social psych PhD and ended up contracting with the government due to the coding he had to learn for his PhD. They really do open up more doors than you might expect.

[AdityaBasu]

Very relatable! In my undergrad I routinely overworked myself and never bothered to attend any social events. Quite frankly, in the end I was plagued with a feeling of isolation and my undergrad ended up being an unexciting experience.

Once I got in the PhD program, I was determined to make amends. So I got involved with a martial arts club (always wanted to learn karate!). This has made my university experience not only fun, but it also provides a welcome distraction from all the academic hustle and bustle.

[pkos]

I like how you structured the pros between the cons! It made the video tone a lot more neutral and easier to digest -- videos that throw all the cons at the end make the overall thing sound too negative, and vice-versa with the pros.

(needless to say, the content itself was all very helpful too!)

[SayyarAhmad]

At 16:00


Cons: 1. Less income while enrolled in PhD
2. Being tied to your Supervisor
3. PhDs are Hard Work
4. Pigeon-Holed
5. Isolating



Pros: 1. Flexibility
2. Ability to travel
3. Improve Skills
4. Contribute to field
5. Uni mk II

[Biomeducated]

0:39 REALLY?! Damn, I thought it was the same as in Belgium...Here we get stipends that are actually way above the average people's paygrade... I'm talking nearly 2000 euro net salary! I'm currently doing a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, and with 5 years prior working experience I receive even more... I made a video about it on my channel, so welcome to check that out. Also welcome to ask any questions on doing a PhD in Belgium by the way. Furthermore, great list of pro/con, Simon. I think you covered it fully!

[truebomba]

Ph. D. in pure math here. Be sure to be affiliated with a decent research team/laboratory in terms of publications quantity and quality, because, if not, you will end unemployed for a long period of time, not even will be accepted in a postdoc position, and you will hate yourself for that happening after all your colossal effort. This is a good advice for all fields but especially for people doing pure math because for such specialties, it is hard to enter the industry with your Ph. D.

[Sdko]

As a PhD candidate, I agree with all of the points that you've made in this video! I think it's essential to stress that a PhD at times can be a really lonely place to be as many people around you really just can't comprehend what you spend your time doing. I am lucky that I have an excellent supervisory team, but I'd also stress that you make sure that you can work with any potential supervisor before accepting any PhD it's such a unique and crucial relationship! All of that being said it's an incredible thing to do and if after this video you still want to pursue a PhD then absolutely go for it!

[AvandoniaGod]

Hi Simon, thank you so much! I am going to start my PhD in Neuroscience this fall 2020. Your video is amazing and truly inspiring! Im sharing this video to my friends! Love from the Philippines

[victoriahoyle-publichistor]

I’m just finishing my PhD in history (submitting this week 🎉) and a lot of these things hold true in the humanities too. For me the biggest thing is the contribution to knowledge - it’s incredible what you achieve by the end of it. 😀 I would say that relationships with supervisors and others tend to be quite different in my discipline: my supervisor was incredibly hands-off in terms of telling me what to do and when. I saw her every 2-3 months, maybe 20 times total over the whole five years (I did mine part time), and it was generally just for a chat about my thinking, where I was at in my intellectual process etc. That suited me because I started as a mature student with 10 years of work experience in my field and was happy to project manage myself but I know it’s not for everyone. Anyway, I’m rambling! I’ve loved watching your PhD videos, even though we’re in such different fields.

[karenannell]

This helped reinforce my drive toward pursuing mine. Working on my master's currently, PhD TBA! :)

[selma-]

this video was needed right now, i am majoring in physics currently at the third year of bachelor

[thandotwala]

I am doing my PhD in Plant Ecology, and I must say having supervisors you get along with really makes this degree less daunting. Even though it is extremely stressful and hard trying to complete your PhD during the COVID-19 pandemic. So many plans and deadlines have been shifted which further adds to the anxiety. My PhD is experiment-based which requires me to be at the University. Luckily I am due to submit my thesis next year so hopefully, I will be able to recover the time lost.

[n.ff.]

My biggest fear would be the lack of commitment. I do like to read and analyze, but once I’m forced to do that (in academic settings), I panic then shutdown. Not to mention the distraction, which is equally frightening. I mean, just holding your cellphone may lead to hours of wasting precious time. The other fear would be the viva/defense. I didn’t do the defense during my MA studies, and we had to submit a project in each course instead. Always dreaded public speaking, I get hyperventilating when I see YouTube videos of PhD candidates defending their theses. Sigh.