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The average PhD stipend is barely above the poverty line. You're financially better off doing just about anything else with your undergraduate degree. I'm glad

by ng12 7y ago

The average PhD stipend is barely above the poverty line. You're financially better off doing just about anything else with your undergraduate degree. I'm glad you had the luxury of pursuing a passion PhD without sacrificing your personal life or worrying about future career prospects. Most students I've known did not have that privilege.

arethuza 7y ago
I think chrisseaton is in the UK - here a lot of people work as researchers on short term contracts and do PhDs at the same time. While not competitive with private sector salaries they didn't use to be too bad - I got married and bought a flat in the 1990s while working as a Research Associate on EU funded projects. NB Traditional PhD studentships did get a pittance, but relatively few people seemed to do these (at least where I worked). Edit: Also I had no student debt, which definitely makes things easier.
- ng12 7y ago
  The article above is about the American University system (and non-STEM degrees at that). If it's different in the EU it's not particularly relevant.
kxyvr 7y ago
I've been through the Ph.D. process and while I agree that stipends should be larger, it is not insurmountable. Specifically, what you're missing is that stipends are a 9 month salary and that many students, including myself, take summer internships that make up the difference. I was paid $23k in stipend a little over a decade ago. I also worked for a technical employer for three months each summer that paid about $35/hr, which brought in about $17k in additional income. Occasionally, I would work a month in the winter as well to bring in additional income. That said, I was making about $40k a year at the time and I know for certain that salaries both at my university and for said employer have risen. And, yes, my final year I did not work the summer in order to finish my thesis. Yes, I understand that not everyone has the luxury of additional employment. However, it is not a truism that those of us who pursue a PhD must sacrifice their personal life or career prospects. It improved both of mine.

by ng12 7y ago

arethuza 7y ago

I think chrisseaton is in the UK - here a lot of people work as researchers on short term contracts and do PhDs at the same time. While not competitive with private sector salaries they didn't use to be too bad - I got married and bought a flat in the 1990s while working as a Research Associate on EU funded projects. NB Traditional PhD studentships did get a pittance, but relatively few people seemed to do these (at least where I worked). Edit: Also I had no student debt, which definitely makes things easier.

ng12 7y ago
The article above is about the American University system (and non-STEM degrees at that). If it's different in the EU it's not particularly relevant.

kxyvr 7y ago

I've been through the Ph.D. process and while I agree that stipends should be larger, it is not insurmountable. Specifically, what you're missing is that stipends are a 9 month salary and that many students, including myself, take summer internships that make up the difference. I was paid $23k in stipend a little over a decade ago. I also worked for a technical employer for three months each summer that paid about $35/hr, which brought in about $17k in additional income. Occasionally, I would work a month in the winter as well to bring in additional income. That said, I was making about $40k a year at the time and I know for certain that salaries both at my university and for said employer have risen. And, yes, my final year I did not work the summer in order to finish my thesis. Yes, I understand that not everyone has the luxury of additional employment. However, it is not a truism that those of us who pursue a PhD must sacrifice their personal life or career prospects. It improved both of mine.