well, I was unemployed, and the offer of funding was great. In my field, where you can be an academic or a practioner in the 'real world' the academic community holds a lot of sway and there are tight networks - if you're in on that then finding a job in the practioner field is easier, as you know the right people. So at the time it was the best offer I had in terms of developing a network of people I could work with (although I did actually turn down a better paid practitioner job to do it). BUT, overall I love research, I've never thought 'I want to be an academic' until recently though. I didn't think I could cut it tbh, but now I can see why I was drawn to it.
I also love working at home ;-)
I can tolerate most research if I'm allowed to do it on my own terms (work where and when I want).
I love research when I'm allowed to study my own research interests.
I love working from home and dread ever having to go back to 9 to 5 but hate the thought of short term research contracts and moving around every year or so. :-(
I wanted to change field within engineering and when you apply they say "do you have experience in this field" and I used to have to say "no, because you won't give me a job in it", whereas I will be able to say "yes, I have PhD in it..."
Well I only started it because I had (and still have a passion for my topic).
I am working FT and I really love my job, I am paying for my PhD (so no university funding) and because my job* gives me an allowance for my studies, I have to work with them for the next 10 years (so, no change in my career).
So, as eveyone can understand, the only reason I am in this is my passion......
*I am a teacher in Greece, employed by the Ministry of education and religuous affaires
I started my first go at a PhD (full-time, science) because I wanted to become a university lecturer. I had to leave that one after progressive neurological disease struck.
Nearly a decade later I started my second go at a PhD (part-time, humanities) because I loved my subject, and wanted to research it. I was very scared to try another PhD though. I'd grieved very painfully for my lost one and was scared of failing to succeed again. But I got through.
I can't work due to the illness, but am doing independent research as I can, and enjoying turning my research into more journal papers and outputs. Having a completed PhD gives me confidence to carry on as an independent academic research, albeit a bit free-wheeling from institutions.
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My reasons:
- I can work from home when not in the laboratory
- I can work when it suits me
- I enjoy being my own boss
- Factoring in taxes and NI contributions, my stipend allows me a higher standard of living than my friends in graduate level jobs
Mostly it comes down the the money though. My PhD is in Chemical Engineering (in the UK).
I ummed and ahhed about doing clinical psychology or a PhD. I did an MSc (put me off research!) worked as an assistant psychologis (put me off clinical!) worked as a teaching assisstant (made me think being an academic would be yay!) so I applied for a PhD.
I chose the first answer (researcher/academic) because that's why I did it in the first place. As soon as I realised that an academic career really wasn't for me (somewhere during my first year) I did it because I had a passion and thought it would be useful for a career.
Saying that, it hadn't proved all that useful. It's only my current job that I'm actually finally using my skills...
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