The next decade....what's in store?

Not that I consider myself having any expertise in the Tourism/Hotel Management area of things:

But, since you asked, I would say if you think it will make you happy, do the PhD. If it is something that will result in your carrying unnecessary stress (and you really do not need it in order to accomplish your future goals careerwise) then I am not so sure I would bother. Always bear in mind though, that studying is best done in the younger years of our lives. If there is any element of doubt in your mind that five or ten years from now, you may look back and say to yourself, "You know Yammie, you should have done that PhD you know," then do it nevertheless. You can come to no harm from the eductation...knowledge brings with it a certain degree of power.

That is about all I might be able to give as my two cents. I hope you are not mrore confused than you were before after reading what I have suggested.

I hope you make the right choice.

hah hah...no not confused.

I think perhaps the real issue is whether THAT programme is the right one for me. I really only looked at about 4 programmes, and maybe that was not sufficient.

Lawks. Just when I thought I knew where I was going. And you see the first semester will cause me to spend about US$4,000. So you know, it does require serious thought.

I'm with Doctor D on this one...

A regular reader of your blog- but not a regular poster- In some ways I can understand, your dilemma or doubts- But in reading your entry- I am sensing that you already know the answer- as you have indicated with the quotation- and for me I have learned to follow my intuition or gut and to carefully weigh the pros & cons-
hope it was it helpful-

I enjoy reading your blog!

Thanks Nicky, continue reading.

the thing about it all is that after being so sure i wanted to do the PhD, now I'm not so sure!

Bollocks.

Very interesting dilemma Michelle. I found myself faced with this question [as a matter of fact, I'm still faced with the question] recently as to whether or not a PhD is really worthwile for my career. I came up with a short list of pros and cons along the way, which I'll share with you:

*Pro: A PhD gives you a certain degree of prestige and authority, i.e. Dr. Jones sounds more authoritative than Mr. Jones and people may take you more seriously.

*Con: You dedicate another 3-5 years of your life working on a small area of research that often becomes the focus of your academic life.

*Pro: You are not limited to the monotony of a single, specialized job and have flexibility to move around.

*Con: People may not want to hire you because they correlate "PhD" with "Larger Salary" (in my field at least).

*Pro: You have the ability (and potentially the backitive) to make a greater impact in your field.

*Con: It's really easy to get stuck in the vicious "publish or perish" cycle that most PhDs find themselves in.

*Pro: Doing a PhD can be the most amazing use of 3-5 years if you're passionate about what you're doing.

In that light, my advice to you would be to maybe try the program for a semester or two (after all, it is Virginia Tech and it's really prestigious) since you are getting an assistantship and a stipend and you'll still have the opportunity to look around to find a program/better assistantship that you may like more (if the one you start out with isn't appealing to you) or decide you just don't want to do the degree after all...on top of that, you know that the AngryDog is just a few hours away, so you more than welcome fi visit whenever u crave Jamaican company :).

but I think if I withdraw, they will charge me tuition!

Yammie

Just a questions. Were you looking forward to doing the Phd or is it more like you thought this is just a means to an end? Why I ask is because if its the latter and you are certain you can accomplish your goals without the Phd why would you do it?

Not trying to influence you against going though. I think further education is a great thing.

Arent these decisions a pain though? good luck I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

I looked forward to doing it because I enjoyed the research aspect of my Masters immensely and definitely want to do research but as a second preference to doing training programmes in hotels.

When i was going to do the masters, a friend said "don't come back without your PhD" and I laughed her off, because I wasn't even intending to do a Masters really. But I tested myself and pushed myself and ended up with a distinction.

Perhaps the PhD is more of a self actualization need? Before I actually taught, ti woudl have been to get me a better paying teaching job, but I know now that I am too much of a nomad to teach at any one university for the rest of my life.

I can see why u are confused, cause I am currently in a similar predicament. A PhD is not something that should be rushed into. You need to really take some time and think seriously as to whether this is what you truly want to do. After all its 3-5 years of your life. You DON'T want to be 1 or 2 years into your program and just go 'bwoy mi caaa badda yaa' and withdraw. It's much better to take an extra year to think about it, than to start and not finish. The best thing you can do now is to Pray about it and God will show you what to do. Its always best to let God make the decisions for us; and trust me He will show you the way. Just ask....

I must dip in on this one.

You have clearly identified what you want to do with the rest of your life - CONGRATULATIONS -all those things can be done without a PHd.

However, I think that the a PHd would enhance your marketability in and beyond the Caribbean (if that is where you want to go) and give you a certain authority when it comes to securing the "important" contracts.

You would however have to do the RIGHT programme ie one that you could pursue with PASSION and a programme that would allow you to enhance your network.

If you are not passionate about the programme that is being presented maybe you need to explore other programmes OR plunge in and through your creativity/determination/assertive nature mould the programme and milk it so that you get from it what you want.

Mich
Hope this helps. Definately do the PHd but find the right program. If the one you are registered to do does not feel right to you, then take the time to look for the right program based on your ultimate career objectives and whatever is your passion.
Nettie

I didn't know that they would fine you if you decided to withdraw, doesn't happen where I'm at...might want to confirm that.

Yammie
I feel that certain professions benefit from a PhD - and others just plenty of Masters...People asked me why do 2 masters instead of progress to PhD - but I was interested in learning, as opposed to doing research. I feel PhD's should be done when there is a subject you are really passionate about - that you want to delve into with the supervision. I personally dont feel it is right to start a programme and then change or not finish (money wse not ususally the best option)- perhaps more research is in order and see if you can defer admission for 3 months and start in January. (If I were you I would do another masters in something complementary - rather that being seen as an "expert" in your thesis - which may not be particularly relevant in 5 years).
In the end - I think that your abilities will well equip you - a PhD is not easy cheezy - but at the same time - if you are really driven to do your topic....I much prefer learning - but that is just me.

i've printed these out and will digest over some Beef Soup with Dumplings!

Maybe I will email to ask some more questions. I said to somebody today via email that if the embassy denied my visa application, then the decision would be made for me. But that's the cowardly thing to do ent?

I thought long and hard about opting out of the Nottingham programme last year, but in the end, felt I had done the right thing. In that situation, it was also the learning that was important to me, and I wasnt learning the amount I expected to learn for the money I was being charged. The quality of instruction also was not good. Poor in fact for some courses. It lacked rigourousness and was really just fluff.

I don't want to be known as the student who starts courses and doesn't finish. As Princess P said, money wise that is not the best option.

My my, where did all these phantom readers come from Yammie? It seems you have a lot of readers who don't usually comment.

I trust you now have lots of advice on which to ponder. Angry D's pros and cons sound valid though.

Hi Mich:

This is a big decision and a somewhat difficult one! Pursuing a Doctorate is indeed quite prestigious but you really have to be passionate about it and feel more than reasonably sure that this is what you want to do! My view would be to take some time to find a topic that you are passionate about - the brain will still be active in a year or so...if you do decide to do the PhD! Blessings!

Bwoy, Mich, you popular bad! Anyway, you've got lots of advice now. I like the idea of the lady who spoke of a masters in a complementary field still... good idea, that! Still, if teaching will be a big part of your future, a Phd might really be the ticket, as Dr. Yamfoot will probably be respected. If its the real working world you're in, the two Masters might really work well for you...

I'll post here what a PhD involved at the highest level in academia said to me....

"Dear Michelle

Your indecision is quite natural as a PhD is no picnic and you really need to understand your reasons for doing it. If you are not going to follow a career in an academic stream and you do not need it professionally then it really isn't worth the investment. I do find, however, that people tend to have more confidence in the PhD holder in a competitive situation e.g. contract for training, unless you are really good and have established your credentials without any doubt.

If you want to do training and research then maybe what you need to do is some courses from a Human Resource Development Programme which focus on these areas. This would give you a grounding in the practices you want to follow without burdening you with a lot of other material which you may find irrelevant. You would not need to do a full degree either, just the relevant areas of interest which can go on the CV you use in marketing your services.

You are doing the right thing in thinking this through, but be assured, with university teaching comes setting and marking of exam papers and this is very tedious work!"

and then I heard back from one of my UK lecturers. Will post that at another time. Right now I am going to be late for my training session.... Oops!

Michelle,
Thank God that you have choices! Count your blessings.
My two cents:
(I have read all of the above contributions. I found the 'phantom readers' and the 'Dr. Yamfoot' from your regular blog readers/commentators very funny.)
Defer for a semester or another year if you are not sure. In addition to looking at the HRD programme look at the Education field. I dont think there is any job/career where every task is liked.(Are there any teachers who enjoy marking? But a lot of teachers would not change their career)
May say more later.
Will pray for you

I promised you reply from UK lecturer. Here it is....(edited slightly)

"Michelle, you must consider yourself lucky because it looks like you have a wide range of choice for your future career and both options seems to be tempting.

On the one hand, If you plan to work in the USA, being an academic is a good option. You will find a job very easily after getting your PHD and the life would be very comfortable (financially). However, it is a bit of a hectic life style if you plan to work in a top university. Besides, you will travel a lot if you plan to be an active researcher (I like this part). You must ask yourself whether you like being an academic and dealing with students, university politics. If yes, it is certainly suitable for you.

Remember you need a PHD if want ot survive in academia. If you intend to come back here (to the UK) let me know.

On the other hand, you can set up your own company. You can grow starting with training products. If the market is big enough in your country you can certainly add other products to your portfolio. But training itself is a big business. Running your company is hard work too. It comes to a point where you need to ask yourself which one you like most. At the end, this is the key for success. You must do the job you like most whether you earn small or big. I've discovered that this is the key for happiness. Let me know.. "

(this is a young PhD holder who lectured me in the UK)

Michelle:
You seem to be getting such good advice that I do not know what to add. This is also such a personal decision. They way I take decisions is like this: what will it take to do the task that I am considering? How will it affect my life if I embark on such a course at this time? Can my life/schedule sustain such a course of action? If I did not do the programme now, what consequences would such a decision bring for me emotionally, financially and developmentally? What consequences if I did not? What outcomes do I desire? If I did not do it now, could I do it at a later stage considering age/stage of career development? How would I feel in, say, ten years from now if I did not do it? How would I feel if I did?

I hope these help.

TrevR

Mich Mac,

I know I haven't read your site for a long time, but yuh know how it go. If ever there was a surefire way to make me log on your

Hey Michelle,

I will say a PHD is valuable only if you intend to specialize in the field you are doing your assistantship, however, if it is not your passion and you can follow your passion without doing the PHD then from a economical point of view that is a good move.

As a firm believer in education, I also realize that if it is not an area you are passionate about, then don't waste your time......

Good luck

Helen