The story goes like this:

Education background: BSc in Biomedicine (Hons), MSc in Health Sciences (majoring in infectious diseases)

I left my full time job back in September 2012 to pursue my PhD in Science in Faculty of Medicine, UM. However, due to some issues, I left the place; and thus there goes my 1st attempt of pursuing my PhD. To be honest, I don't quite have the passion to do science-related research anymore; but I do have a strong passion when it comes to teaching.

After the whole drama rama in UM, I personally don't think that I can afford to leave my current full time job again and go for another around of jobless full time PhD. Right after leaving UM, I was considering of going for PhD which can be done part time and also does not requires me to be in the science laboratory 24/7. I approached the Deputy Dean of Graduate School Open University Malaysia (OUM) to inquire further on the Doctor of Education programme. He specializes in Education. I voiced out my concern to him on this field switching-whether it viable or not to do so. His answer was quite positive. I was hired by him as a part time Research Assistant just to have the feel of it; doing research in Education related researches. It was quite good experience and I kind of like it.

However, I'm still contemplating because many others have go against this plan of mine due to the fact that I'll be left hanging halfway since IF I do have PhD in Education, I do not have the basics of it; and potential employers of colleges and universities may question my credibility.

At the end of the day, I want to be a lecturer.

My questions are:

1. Would it be difficult to for me to get hired with this kinda education background? Halfway in science and another half in non science?
2. If I do get hired, can I actually lecture in both field?
3. Do you think the potential employers will try to negotiate my rate since I do not have a complete education background within the same field?

My main concern now is employability.

I'm not seeking for a solution. Just want to hear out more opinions, suggestions, advices.

Thanks

You have a master's degree already, so if you are really into teaching and has a passion for this job, then you can begin to lecture already in universities/colleges. That is the minimum requirement in most institutions.

In my opinion, if I were you, with my current qualification, I will go and look for a lecturing job first. When I got a job already, then I will think of pursuing my higher degree- e.g. in your case PhD.

Then you will have two things in your hand rather than taking PhD without knowing whether you will be employed or not in the future.

This post has been edited by mycolumn: Oct 14 2013, 03:34 PM

Employability depends on alot of factors. So it's hard to really say. I would think having 'half knowledge' of a field would be okay for general subjects but not for specific ones.

thanks for your reply. I've already have 5 years of teaching experiences at college/uni. I left my lecturing job last year to pursue my PhD but it didn't worked out. I'm not lecturing at the moment. My concern is not about pursuing PhD or not. It is whether IF I switch field from science to non science - will it have big impact on my career in the future.

It is depending on many factors. but when it comes to education, things are pretty rigid especially in Malaysia. However, how close it is I'm not too sure, thus here I am posting my inquiry. I was just wondering, why can't I lecture e.g. students of Bachelor of Education when I have my Doctor of Education? Acquiring basic knowledge is quite easy I presume if I were to reach to this level. Would the university hire me if I do not have my basics since I come from a science background?

This post has been edited by LoveMeNot: Oct 14 2013, 04:20 PM

I don't actually know what is the syllabus for Bachelor of Education so I can't comment specifically. But there are some institutions that hire people with sub-par, sometimes only slightly relevant qualifications.

I would assume (emphasis added) if you have a Doctorate in a particular field that you would be able (allowed) to lecture students of the Bachelors of that particular field.

(1) With an accredited Ed.D. plus a qualified record of 5 years of professional experience in the education sector, you can easily get a lecturing job at the Faculty of Education in most institutions of higher learning, especially when you aspire to be an educational leader in one of three disciplines: Culture, Institutions, and Society (CIS); Education Policy and Program Evaluation (EPPE); or Human Development, Learning and Teaching (HDLT).

(2) Comeback to Ans. (1), if you are a staff of the Faculty of Education, naturally you'll teach the faculty-based primary discipline subjects. However, because you have a Science Major, it is possible to teach biomedical science-related subjects. The higher research authority you have in combined Pedagogy & Biology, the better opportunity you gain to teach in both fields.

(3) Honestly, salary negotiation is pretty much skill-oriented (i.e., hard, soft & transferable skills). Your starting salary equation does not depend explicitly on your education background. More importantly, you have great missions to foster in students the capacity to be global knowledge educators, and to produce graduates of distinction committed to lifelong learning, ethical practice and professionalism, as well as capable of being responsible leaders. Anyhow, since your charming factor is very high, I believe you can handily win the tug-of-war on fat cat salary.

My supervisor always tells me to do something/research on something that I have passion for. That's what is going to keep me going on.

If you wanna switch field from science to non-science (education), I personally think that if you have a Doctor of Philosophy in a particular field, then you can teach students in that field too.

But I do understand your dilemma as well. Like myself, my background was in Accounting. And I almost pursued Project Management field for my postgrad studies. However, after several advise from my friends and colleagues, I went back to Accounting. Their reason was that there is a consistency in what I'm studying as well as qualification. Although during my degree time I do not fancy accounting, it just happens that there is a topic that is really interesting, really my type and I have passion to pursue it.

At the end of the day, it is again your choice. Honestly, I dun think that it will have such a big impact on your career in the future. My dean in my school has Bachelor in Science, Masters in Language Studies and PhD in Education. And he/she is my dean.

Your prior education in Biomedicine & Health Sciences has greatly expanded your non-laboratory research ability to investigate, evaluate, interpret, and explore educational issues related to Biomedical Sciences, as well as to improve the quality of education using combined Pedagogy & Biology techniques. As a case in point, consider the following research ideas ::

(1) The Kinesiology of MultiRacial Society: Towards a Theory of How Racial Patterns Emerge in Medical Schools in Malaysia

(2) Evaluating the Impact of MOSTI's ScienceFund, TechnoFund, and InnoFund on Biomedical Graduate Student Success

(3) Academic and Non-academic Factors which Lead to Success in Careers in Biomedical Sciences in Malaysia

(4) Raising Malaysia's ranking in the UNDP gender index in Private and Public Medical Schools

This post has been edited by Critical_Fallacy: Oct 15 2013, 01:22 PM

TS, I think you will have a better advantage in that case.

You can either teach in the field of sciences or in the field of education.

This is because I have seen lecturers in both situations.

For example, his lower degrees is in management but his doctoral degree is in Education and he teaches management subjects.

In another case, her lower degrees are in the pure sciences but her doctoral degree is in management and she teaches management subjects.

1. I really do hope so because according to this colleague of mine who's has vast experience dealing with MQA when it comes to a programme approval and accreditation, it will be hard because MQA may question the credibility of a lecturer in particular dept/faculty if she/he do not have a complete qualification within the same path.

2. It would be great if I can actually lecture for both fields. I guess this is a risk that I'll need to take. Worst comes to worst if nothing works out, I'll just be a housewife huh?

3. Honestly, these days, it's no more about fostering of educating the youth. If you noticed, it's all about ranking, publishing, chasing for names. Also, when it comes to education sector, sometimes skills and soft skills doesn't really matter. If it is, you wouldn't encounter sucky lecturer teaching you ain't it? Some of them are really not fit to be an educator; but when it it comes to research and publication, is otherwise.

I'm not too concern about the salary to be honest. If I really do, I wouldn't even be in this field because at the end of the day, we earn lesser in comparison with others. Also, by the time one has a PhD, others of the same age have already go so far and earning big. I only hope that in the end, I can be a lecturer; and not something else. Don't wish to go into the industy anymore. Been there, done that. Not my cup of tea.

ps: thank you for taking your time to share with me your insight.

As bolded, yeah, that's my concern. The authority e.g. like MQA are quite strict when it comes to teaching staff qualification and this might hinder my opportunity to find a job in the future because in Education Line, it's all about qualification. Of course I may teach e.g. Diploma or Bachelor students since I have a Ed.D, but the university may reconsider in hiring me since I'm halfway here and there. I can only take the leap and hope for the best, prepare for the worst.


Thanks for the suggestion. I would say these are pretty good ones. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do? Seems to have alot of experience in research/education related field.



Thank you so much. At least this give me some hope that it's not really dead end yet. It all depends how they (employers) sees it. I personally think it's an advantage for them (specifically the private ones) since the more they can "squeeze" from their lecturers, the better it'll be. If I can contribute to both field, it's a win-win situation.

Consistency is a word that everyone knows, but few people really understand its true meaning. The key to consistency is Diversity. Here are four Tai-Chi principles for dealing with situations like this.

(1) Accept the bias without offering resistance, because it's an opportunity to restore a balanced interpersonal dynamic
(2) Turn and look at things from their viewpoints (e.g., What kind of consistency/qualification is important?)
(3) Take a chance to step away and re-center yourself allows you to take the wind out of their sails.
(4) Synchronize yourself with them (just like Elizabeth Edwards' famous quote)

Creativity is the ability to connect two seemingly unrelated things in an efficient way. In Malaysia, Ed.D. students usually carry out focused research in their area of specialization, which is of immediate relevance to local interest that involves solving educational issues using existing pedagogy knowledge and within resource constraints. In your case, having a Science Major enables you to specialize in Science Education by providing an atmosphere that promotes the understanding of diverse viewpoints from a wide range of scientific disciplines.

Have you chosen the right university for you?

Not a wise move! Touch wood, what if your foolish hubby dump you for a younger attractive woman? It's becoming a norm in the urban population. At least, with a Ed.D, you can become a policy-maker in the field of education.

By the way, I'm just wondering... Can someone with a MSc in Health Sciences (majoring in infectious diseases) get a job as an Epidemiologist? We know that epidemiologists investigate the triggers of an infection and causes of a disease to prevent them from transmitting and recurring.

I'm sure we can do wonders if given the opportunity to do so. My only concern is whether MQA will try to be funny and this may hinder my opportunity of getting employed by future employers. If the future employers have the same thoughts as you, then I shouldn't be worry anymore. But reality IS reality. In education, it's all about approval and accreditation. Thus one of the aspect of hiring lecturers will be the qualification.

Well, worst comes to worst I can always teach tuition right? When plan A fails, there's always B, C, D and so on. I can only hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

You can- but pretty hard because institution will hire those with MSc in Public Health or a MBBS holder instead. In fact, I've even thought of taking PhD in Public Health; but one of the criteria is it is valid for those having the mentioned education background as above.

Am i the only one who thinks that it is too late for u to switch a different educational field ? == ? ok i cant say for certain since i somehow i experience the same kind of faith as u which as i am studying as a mechatronic engineering and have no interest in it and my 1st semester was still back to form 4 to 5 basic is it too late for me too ?

Yes. Too bad you don't have interest in mechatronics. Our modern world is virtually filled with mechatronic devices, gadgets and machines (DGM). What is your non-mechatronic interest?

sorry for the late reply buddy == i just dont like interacting with a mechanical object

I am from engineering background and I am doing educational research in NIE, NTU, Singapore....

I cannot tahan now and I've decided to accept an offer of scholarship to pursue my phd in engineering in ntu....

I used to have this kinda fancy... wow... I love teaching and have been teaching for 2 years... maybe it would be good if I could pursue my phd in education... and be a teacher's trainer?

U have to be very clear that teaching and research in edu is TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!!

If u really have the passion in edu research and teaching, go ahead... we need passionate educators in malaysia, singapore is so much ahead of us

What kind of thing is that thing you cannot “tahan”? Singaporean girls?