Hi all, I'm new to the forum so bear with me if my forum etiquette is a bit off.

I've been struggling with the idea of doing a PhD. One local university in Singapore has recently launched an initiative to start a petroleum engineering programme. I've been in talks with the professor in charge as well as a professor in a university in the UK to work out a joint PhD collaboration between the two schools. So far, this is going well and my application is almost done.

By the time I start the programme, I would have 4.5 years of work experience as a mechanical engineer in the oil industry (take note, not petroleum engineer).

From what I have read in most posts in the forum regarding PhD vs work, I have seen a lot of advice for work. Most of these are based on the premise that the person seeking advice is progressing into PhD right after their undergraduate degree. Some of the problems highlighted with pursuing this track is the inability to secure jobs after graduation due to the lack of work experience.

So I'd like to make a small request for all you veterans to assess the pros and cons my post-PhD continuition of a non-academic career in a different field of work within the same industry (petroleum engineering instead of mechanical engineering).

I'm sure your views will be immensely helpful and I look forward to a healthy discussion.

I started my PhD after 4 years of work, I did it because I'm an ecologist and ecology jobs at the time were all very temporary. I saw my PhD advertised and fell in love with the topic and still love it now - at the end. So if you think you will enjoy your PhD do it for that reason. What are your career aspirations? Academic jobs are in general hard to come by! But I don't know Singapore or the engineering area very well, so it might be there are lots of academic jobs for engineers. Petroleum engineers are going to be in demand for a long while yet too, so you will find work in that field easily I'm sure.

Caro, thanks for your reply. Regarding my career aspirations, I hope to be able to work in research groups within the industry, focusing on issues regarding oil/gas recovery. Alternatively, I'd like to work in oilfield development groups. For the former, generally a PhD is required. For the latter, most jobs I've seen on the market ask for an MSc or a PhD (different years of experience depending on qualifications).

I don't have intentions to pursue an academic career straight after graduation. The discipline is borne out of the industry and generally, you will find that petroleum engineering professors have perhaps a decade or two of industrial experience.

Personally, the passion for doing research and pursuing a PhD is there. However, there is a constant worry that the opportunity cost while in school and the career that follows may devalue the worth of the PhD.

Did you ever get cold feet prior to starting the PhD? For me, taking up a salary means a >50% drop in my income (salary vs stipend).

I wasn't earning very much prior to the PhD - I was doing ecology work, but through an agency so it wasn't very well paid. But it was still a bit of a drop to the stipend, but it's enough to live on, and there are lots of others doing the same. I moved a long way to start my PhD and so that was my bigger worry (my partner couldn't move jobs at that point and it took him a year to be able to join me and I was a long way from family and friends). But I don't regret any of it, I've had a great time and learned so much.

It sounds like it's a good career move for you to have a PhD, and remember in petroleum you will get paid loads more than any other scientist ever will so you will make up for the lack of earnings during studying quickly I'm sure! I will never earn very much as no one wants to pay ecologists, but I'm happy I did my PhD because I wanted to do it for myself.

That's good spirit there, wanting to do it for yourself. After all, money is just potential, it's useless if not cashed in.

Anyway, what makes you think in petroleum I will get paid loads more than any other scientist? The oil market is down so I think right now it's bad times for us (and perhaps the best opportunity to study). Schlumberger just announced an 11,000 cut to its workforce today.

I'm from Aberdeen so I have a lot of friends in the oil industry, all of them earn at least 4 times what I will ever earn and own their own homes (something I could never have done in Aberdeen due to the huge house prices). I know it's on a downturn at the moment but no one I know has lost their job so far and the industry has it's ups and downs but it always comes through so it will pick up again soon enough I'm sure. But you're right while it's down-turning is probably a good time to study so you come back to it with good prospects =)

I opted to leave my job after 5 years to take up a PhD, basically because I wanted a new challenge. The PhD provided me with that challenge, to contribute something new and original to my chosen field.

I'd had the idea for a while, however, opted to enter the jobs market after graduation as after a few years of undergrad then masters I needed a break. My plan was to return after a year, but circumstances meant this became 5 years (failed applications plus finding time to apply). I eventually succeeded via speculative applications to a few Universities and there was a project that suited me.

Generally, my PhD experience was good, with a knowledgeable primary supervisor. As with all academics, he was a little eccentric but that is par for the course. It was also useful having my predecessor on the project around, but this was not a situation I abused. After four years, I passed with minor corrections.

I then did two post-docs, one good, one not so good. After the second post-doc, that's when I had difficulties. Put simply, I and others have found selling ourselves with a PhD risks us being seen as "overqualified" or "likely to move on as soon as something better comes along". Also, people with PhDs are perceived as not being target driven and more dismissive of deadlines. How to overcome this depends upon the individual's ability to sell themselves, however, being interviewed in the first place can itself be a challenge (i.e. deprioritising education on your CV, targeting your skills - both PhD and non-PhD - to the job your after, etc.).

If you aim to stay in academia, be also aware there is an oversupply of PhDs to available positions, so that in itself is a hard sell.

I don't regret doing a PhD and would do the same if I had my time over again, but problems are there to be encountered

Have a look at my blog on PhDs for more information.

http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net

Ian

This is what I feared the most. So even with 5 years of working experience prior to your PhD, you found it hard to find a job? Did you eventually find a job then?

Yes, I did back in industry and outside academia though it took nearly a year.

I'll add, however, my problems were compounded by problems on the second post-doc with the senior Prof. and his side-kick. As I've explained elsewhere I was offered the post, then I believe the Prof. had changed his mind but couldn't back out because I'd signed the contract. We were stuck with each other, with me not able to leave as I would be without income (if you leave voluntarily, you can't claim unemployment benefit in the UK).

It says it all when you turn up to start the job and the Prof. says to a third person as though you aren't there, "He's a stop gap measure, very much a second choice, we'll just have to make do." Another person had apparently turned down the contract and the said Prof. had a reputation for confrontation - a previous employee had taken him to industrial tribunal for bullying.

Whilst I saw out the contract, it was an uncomfortable period and I ended up leaving without a reference. A difficult situation was made even harder as a result.

This is how I'm able to relate to those that have had bad experiences as well as good, as I've been at the receiving end of both.

That said, I still don't regret the PhD or for that matter, the first post-doc. But the second post-doc was a mistake (I knew of the tribunal before I signed the contract, but dismissed it as nothing to do with me) and because of that, I am no longer following the career path I thought I would be doing.

However, if the whole process works out, you may have a platform to sell yourself.

Ian