Looking for Advice Friends
Had a meeting with the boss today to go over my annual review. Basically, I'm already at the ceiling and he'd like to see me grow. "What are your plans for the future?" he said. "Well, I plan on applying to optometry school in the fall." I replied. He chuckled and said, "Well, optometrists die old, fat, and happy..., but there is a lot of routine in that and you are a bright girl..." His voice trailed and I think he may have been a little disappointed. And so, I have spent the past few hours researching graduate programs, putting the PhD back into the realm of possibilities. I think that if I were to go that route I'd want something really innovative, and possibly cross-disciplinary involving brain/cognitive/neuroscience, but I guess I'm still not convinced that I'll be happy in academia 20 years from now.
Pros for Academia
- Always learning, always growing
- I'm a naturally curious person and I really enjoy asking questions and working toward solutions
- Interacting with others in academia is incredibly stimulating
- There is a creativity in science that I really enjoy
Pros for a Professional Degree
- I like the control over knowing I can go where I want to go. I can get a job in most places and the predictive growth in the fields of optomery and audiology are greater than average, while a lot of universities etc. are cutting back
- I could make a decent salary and pay off loans fairly quickly
- I'd have more control over my hours, more time for family, hobbies, LIFE
I guess ideally I'm more of an academic, but find the grant-based lifestyle a little terrifying. I don't want to give up the real science to students and employees and turn myself into the head of a tiny little company (write grants, secure funding, manage the lab, go to conferences and give talks to get my work know). Ideally, I'd just want to be a post-doc forever.
I don't want to have to worry about finding time for a family, I want options. I want to be able to live in Brooklyn, or Seattle, or some tiny liberal town. I don't want to feel confined to wherever I can get a job. I'm worried about ending up testing out a long-distance partnership like many of the young new college professors, and ultimately failing.
Finally, there seems to be a lot of tension at many universities and colleges right now about hiring new faculty, and who knows what could happen in the next 5-7 years ( the time that it could take me to get a degree). It's a huge investment during an important point of my life. Am I willing to take that risk, hoping the jobs will open up again?
I know a lot of you are in grad programs, recently out of grad. programs, etc. What are your thoughts, experiences? Am I being too pessimistic about the academic track? Any good resources you can direct me to?
Pros for Academia
- Always learning, always growing
- I'm a naturally curious person and I really enjoy asking questions and working toward solutions
- Interacting with others in academia is incredibly stimulating
- There is a creativity in science that I really enjoy
Pros for a Professional Degree
- I like the control over knowing I can go where I want to go. I can get a job in most places and the predictive growth in the fields of optomery and audiology are greater than average, while a lot of universities etc. are cutting back
- I could make a decent salary and pay off loans fairly quickly
- I'd have more control over my hours, more time for family, hobbies, LIFE
I guess ideally I'm more of an academic, but find the grant-based lifestyle a little terrifying. I don't want to give up the real science to students and employees and turn myself into the head of a tiny little company (write grants, secure funding, manage the lab, go to conferences and give talks to get my work know). Ideally, I'd just want to be a post-doc forever.
I don't want to have to worry about finding time for a family, I want options. I want to be able to live in Brooklyn, or Seattle, or some tiny liberal town. I don't want to feel confined to wherever I can get a job. I'm worried about ending up testing out a long-distance partnership like many of the young new college professors, and ultimately failing.
Finally, there seems to be a lot of tension at many universities and colleges right now about hiring new faculty, and who knows what could happen in the next 5-7 years ( the time that it could take me to get a degree). It's a huge investment during an important point of my life. Am I willing to take that risk, hoping the jobs will open up again?
I know a lot of you are in grad programs, recently out of grad. programs, etc. What are your thoughts, experiences? Am I being too pessimistic about the academic track? Any good resources you can direct me to?