Why enroll in a PhD?

If you are considering committing to a study program to earn a PhD, be sure to have a purpose. A PhD should never diverge from your professional future. Consider that, normally, a Master's degree is already enough to find a good job or to pursue a professional activity. So if you want to enroll in a PhD program, do it because you want to, but ask yourself how will the PhD help you achieve what you want in your future?

What are the reasons for enrolling in a PhD:

• It will be useful for your career, although when you start a PhD it is unlikely that you already have a complete career plan. However, having some idea of where you want to go can be helpful. Be aware that you may not get the career benefits right away especially if you are not thinking about a career as an academic researcher.
• You want to become an expert in a specific area of your subject. If you complete a doctorate by doing a good dissertation, you will be one. If you have done a very good literature review, if you have investigated the topic knowledgeably and seriously, if you have discovered important gaps in the existing literature and have provided original solutions to your thesis, no one, neither your supervisor nor your final examiner will know more about the topic you have studied than you do.
• You want to achieve something. You want to work hard, demonstrate your passion for the topic through timely literature research, show how much time and effort you put in and how motivated you are. Self-motivation is one of the many skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers after earning a doctorate, which is useful for entering a competitive job market, especially in large companies, NGOs, multinational corporations.

What are the reasons for “not doing" a PhD.

• Do not do it just because the supervisor of your research project asked you if you wanted to join him/her. If you wish to do it and it is within your study field as well as useful for your professional future, then do it. If you had never thought about doing a PhD before and you are not sure why you want to do one, then think twice, the dropout rate for this program is very high.
• Do not do it because you don't know what else to do. Many people do a Ph.D. because they don't know what else to do and think that this will give them time to do something useful and important. Doing a Ph.D. is a huge commitment, at least 3-4 years of your life; so, before you undertake it, make sure you understand why. If you are not sure but thinking about doing it, we recommend you choose a program by Research via Distance Learning. Like that, if you are focused, you can get your doctorate even in a year without huge changes to your life.
• Do it because you want to, not because your family or others do; not because your family or friends are doing it or did it. Make your own decision, not someone else's. Remember that if you want to commit to a major for three or four years, you can choose a professional job to go into, become an expert in and gain skills up to the level of a PhD and earn money instead of spending it.