Choosing to pursue a PhD is a major decision that requires self-reflection and careful consideration of factors such as your desired career path, academic and research interests, and personal circumstances like time commitment, funding, and skillset.
Desired Career Path
Obtaining a PhD opens you up to potential careers in academia, industry, policy, consulting, and entrepreneurship. Before committing to obtaining a PhD, you should consider what you want your future career to look like—do you want to conduct independent research, teach at a university, work in biotech or pharma—and is a PhD the right option to get you to that point or are there more suitable options, such as a Master’s or MD.
Research Interests
In addition to determining whether a PhD will help you get the career you want, you should consider your research interests and whether a PhD, and more specifically which institutions and programs, will allow you to pursue your interests. What topics and disciplines interest you, what problems do you want to solve or questions do you want to answer, what type of research and what methodologies do you want to conduct, and who do you want to collaborate with are all questions you should consider when choosing to pursue a PhD. Answering these questions will help you not only as you decide whether to pursue a PhD, but also as you identify an institution and program.
Time Commitment
A PhD is a major endeavor comparable to a high-pressure job with students often working beyond the traditional 9-5 schedule of a typical role. Most biomedical PhD sites will list the average time to completion for a PhD, but generally students can expect to spend approximately 6 years in a PhD program. Reasons for an extended PhD can include funding constraints, unexpected findings, and lengthy journal submission processes.
Financial Considerations
Most PhD programs provide a stipend to cover living expenses and may also include health insurance. While a PhD opens the door for an array of career opportunities, it also means that you will be foregoing the salary of a traditional job, along with benefits such as retirement savings, while you are in the program. It is important to consider the financial trade-offs when deciding whether to pursue a PhD.
Personal Skillset
Beyond utilizing advanced scientific knowledge and critical thinking skills to conduct research, during a PhD program you will be expected to:
- Convey advanced scientific topics to people from many different backgrounds, including scientists and non-scientists.
- Work back from deadlines, including journal deadlines, grant application deadlines.
- Utilize project management skills to juggle multiple projects, timelines, and priorities.
- Work independently while also taking critical feedback from faculty mentors and other researchers.
If you are thinking about pursuing a PhD, it is important to take time to reflect on your current skills and further develop in key areas such as self-motivation, communication, time management, and perseverance to ensure success in graduate school.