Greetings friends in LYN,

I would like to share my situation and seek your views and advice.

I have been working at a 9-to-5 job for the past 5 years. Currently, I am enrolled in University Malaya in a taught Masters programme (evening and Saturday classes) and expect to finish by end of 2012.

Since the part-time Masters is working out rather well for me, I initially planned to continue and do PhD in the same way. But now I'm thinking of quitting my job altogether and do PhD full time.

Reasons:

1. I want to finish PhD in the normal 3 years - I've been told that doing PhD part time has a high risk of finishing very late or never finishing at all.

2. I am considering a career move, and ideally plan to become a lecturer in a local uni after PhD.

My questions:

1. If I do my PhD overseas with funding from abroad, will I face difficulty in finding a job in local uni as I won't be attached to any institution?

2. What are the prospect for someone like me, i.e. would my 5 years work experience pre-PhD be of any worth to be considered, or would I have to start as a junior lecturer anyway?

3. In general, what is your view/advice for someone like me - I've shared my idea with some friends and a few think that it is unusual for someone with a stable corporate job to want to join academia (the impression they have is that it will be for less pay). Also a family member told me that I was "too old to only start now in academia". This is because by the time I finish, I would probably be around 34/35 and there are PhD holders in early and mid twenties for me to compete with.

Thanks in advance for your views. Please be gentle with a LYN noob.

I have the same situation like you, study part time master, and expected finish end of this year. And i love my current stable job (in term of benefits and self satisfaction). And plan to furter study for Phd part time in near future. But i think i try not to quit my job just to persue my study in Phd because like i said before i love my job.

And i have 8+ years in industry, and i think its a waste after finish Phd to enter academia because imho industry far more better to gain exposure and knowledge if your field of study is the same field with your work.

This post has been edited by ron4: Jul 10 2012, 11:12 PM

My view is this. If you feel strongly about leaving your corporate job for a full time PhD, go for it. I am sure you would have considered all factors before arriving at this crossroad.

Financial factors aside, I feel that you really should consider societal pressures on you. Many do not know what PhD entails. Many think that you are crazy to quit a job for this. Many think that their lives is just about their silly 'real' jobs. Many would feel that you are stupid to forsake your corporate seniority for something more junior in academia (provided if you even land a tenure).

If you are confident of addressing these questions or comments that would surely come your way, then you are all set.

Thanks for your responses.

ron4: I also feel like a "waste" since I've spent a considerable amount of time in the industry and have since climbed a few rungs. However, I'm not so fortunate - I don't exactly love my job. It's not BAD, but I always feel like wearing a second skin when doing a job in the office.

This is opposite to how I feel when doing stuff like researching for an assignment, presentation (in front of class) etc. But it could also be that I'm just happy to do something outside of work, so I can't be sure.

But I've been asked to do "short course" for the company before where I gave a talk / 101 on my subject for the lay-workers, and by far, this talk (in 2009!) was the best thing I've done during my 5/6 years of work.

I wonder if this is indication that I'll be happier in an academic environment compared to the 9-5 desk job.

Starbucki: yes, those are the exact questions I've yet to have concrete answers to

I remember when I was doing my bachelor's degree, I couldn't wait to start working to "apply the knowledge". After working for a few years, I felt the "application of knowledge" at my work is very limited, and was worried that I would become outdated. So I turned to do my Masters.

During Masters study, I discovered a sub-field which peaked my interest very much. This is important to me, as I have not encountered things that interest me much throughout the course of my career.

I wonder if this is just a fleeting "escapism" thing or something that I should pursue to get a more fulfilling life and career.

Depending on the field, some courses require the lecturers to have sound knowledge and experience in the industry. and mind you, they do pay well. I'm in the pharmacy-related field. Those pharmacist with working experience like e.g. less than 3 years do get paid REALLY good. Oh yeah, I'm in the academic line btw. Ever thought of trying out part time teaching just to see if indeed this is something that you would like to do? Do a little research. Talk to your lecturers perhaps?

Whether you'll face difficulties in finding a job in local unis, it may also depends on the area. Critical courses?Highly in demand? But why limit yourself to local?There's plenty of good private universities around.

To quit your job and to pursue your PhD, nobody can help you in this. I truly agree with Starbuckie's comment. Address all the possible factors. Also, do what you want to do. Others may advice and give tons of comments, but in the end, they're not the one in your shoes. I myself in a position now where I might have to quit my job too to pursue my PhD. Got to be one of the most difficult decision to make. But hey, I want this badly and I'm doing this for my future. I rather let go of things now and give it all while I'm still young and capable of (I should be around your age too cos by the time I;m done with my Phd, would be around 33 34?). You may be older than those who got their PhD at a very young age- but remember, you have your working experience to back you up. Also, your friends may be right regarding the pay. IF a GOOD pay matters alot to you, then academic line is not the right place for you to be. But if you seek for self satisfaction and fulfillment educating people, yes, you may get it here . All the best.

I also have a concern whether i can cope with my Phd study if i go as a part time, and work as usual. Or maybe i pursue my Phd at OUM, because i heard it is relatively easy over there as a part time like me.

But the things is if OUM degree are recognised by many university if u choose to teach after u complete your Phd?

My interest is not into teaching, but more to industry

Again, I would advice. Talk to the potential supervisor. For some program, you may do it part time without much burden but some you can't.

What about computer science?

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Added on July 15, 2012, 11:02 pmMaybe i can pursue my Phd fulltime if i take skim MyBrain (MyPhd) because this scheme provide elaun sara hidup for RM2,300 every month and other elaun such as elaun thesis and journal + overall fees. For that i need to resign with my current job or take unpaid leave for almost 4 years. If they provide this kind of allowance for sure i can pay my monthly bills

This post has been edited by ron4: Jul 15 2012, 11:04 PM

ron4, if you are willing to resign and take full time PhD, MyBrain scholarship is definitely a good option for you to take. I myself receiving MyMaster for my Master studies, although since I am still employed, they only pay for the university fees, and I don't get any pocket money.

LoveMeNot, teaching part-time is a really good idea. I've been thinking about doing that as well before and have applied to several places. But maybe because I haven't completed my Masters, my application was not well entertained. Hopefully after completing Masters, I can find a part time teaching position, then I can have a feel of what it's like to teach.

Please share if you know of a better way to apply for part-time teaching, as so far my only avenues are applying online (the universities' websites) and also looking on jobstreet.

No idea bout computer science. soweeeee..

Yeah, you can get the elaun sara hidup and other allowance provided that you are a FULL TIME STUDENT without attachment to any work-related. Even if you're an research assistant, you'll still be deny from getting it. But if you're taking unpaid leave, I'm not sure - curious to know too if elaun will be given because this would be one of my option too.

Don't mind me asking, what field are you ? To teach bachelor students, most unis requires you to have at least a Masters. So yeah, prolly that could be the reason why there's no news from them. However, if there's diploma courses, you can teach.

Other ways would be through contacts if you have friends/acquaintances teaching in any universities or colleges.

Hai TS,

1) no problem at all if your phd is recognised by our JPA.
2) the number of years dont play any role. the grade for lecturers are based on education level. if after phd should be DS51. the experience will be considered then onwards to award you prof madya, then prof.
3) nothing is unusual in this world my friend. we have choices everyday and some choices demand certain sacrifices. you are never too old for anything. competition is everywhere.

good luck

This post has been edited by kanseiworld: Jan 28 2014, 05:12 AM

I'm in the legal field. Yeah, I will definitely try again once I finish my masters.

Right now I don't have any friends in universities. Most of them are either in private practice, with the government or do corporate legal work like myself.

Thanks for all your views. Right now, I'm going to concentrate on my final semester. Hopefully if I graduate with a high CGPA, I can apply for the UM Brightspark or something similar.

pursuing knowledge, title or money? people usually want to grab all?
Love- make it simple and loyal!
pursuing PhD is a long road to go, no passion, patience and faith will be a torture.
try to purify your mind before you do PhD.
my friend published papers more than a univ lecturer even he does not get PhD these years!

This is a huge step for you. I've considered doing a PhD to become an academic myself but opted out of doing it because

(from my own observation in the field of Engineering, do correct me if I'm wrong )

1. Lecturers are often involved in admin work which can sometimes be exhausting
2. To progress as an academic you would need to be publishing all the time (like 3-4 times a year where I went) - I found this unbearable because I just like teaching. Of course, you can stick to teaching but that would really, really stall your promotions.
3. PhD life can get monotonous and lonely (unless you do it in a good research university, of course )
4. Pay cut - academics do get paid much, much lower than people in the industry. If you're thinking of starting a family on this paycheck for 3 years, it's going to be a little challenging. Especially if everybody's used to living off your corporate salary.
5. Teaching the same modules year in, year out. It can get tremendously tedious to teach the same things year after year. Unless of course you get to fiddle around with the course structure

There might be less use for a PhD in the corporate world than the academic world. So it would be a huge opportunity cost for you if you pursue it and then decide not to lecture. 3 years of working experience can push you up in your career ladder!

Anyway, Good Luck!