It's not something I ever really think about tbh. I really enjoy having a project to work on, and I'm excited about the idea that I might eventually complete it and succeed at earning a PhD, but having the title doesn't really bother me so much. My housemates actually seem more excited about the idea than I am.

You'll have to test it. Unfortunately trying to seduce the same people with and without mentioning it probably won't work as they'll already be biased from your first attempt so you might need a large sample size. For a further study you could also investigate whether painting yourself with go-faster stripes has any effect on your seductive capabilities.

Great question!

For me, my family comes from a very poor country, and it will be easier to get funding for development and education projects there with the PhD. It helps when dealing with bureaucrats, and actually getting things done - this is what I've observed.

The art of seduction hypothesis is interesting, but I'm married so probably not a good idea to test it out. (;

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I think I want to be a person who knows what she is doing at least in ONE academic subject. I also want to make a academic career, yeah I know, not a lot of money and a long path but I want to be financially 'decently stable'. I have to admit, I want to make my dad proud, he passed away while I was in the middle of Masters. I gathered myself and wrote all of my Thesis, dedicated it to him. Something in me says " you CAN dedicate a dissertation to him"....