It's not exactly that I've ruled against it; it's more that in my field, it's very hard to get a position without a PhD, and I don't think it's a good idea to go for one yet. The thing is that for a PhD, having an area of research that's really your particular interest (and thus a good idea of who would be a good adviser) is important, and I really feel I don't have that yet. I feel I could do the work, but I don't feel that I have that research focus yet. I'm not willing to invest that amount of time and money unless I have a clear idea what my goals are going in.
I also am not sure that a research career would suit me, not in terms of the type of work but the pace. It seems like a bit of a treadmill, constantly trying to get more grants and more publications and etc. I'm not very ambitious and I wonder if a more stable career might suit me better. I know people say to follow your passion, but I also want a career where I don't get burned out or feel stressed all the time...
My thought is, working with children might well lead me to realize my research interests, and I could then go back for a PhD. Or, maybe I'll find out I love teaching and stay with that. It seems like a good path forward, and also something that's realistically possible. I do want to keep an eye out for research positions, but at the same time, if I want to stay living where I am now I need to find work in the area, and the fact that I do feel so uncertain about a research career makes me think that exploring some options and getting an idea of what work environment I prefer might be wise. I dunno, it seems practical and I kind of like the idea. I guess I'm still in the 'figuring out what to do with my life stage'...although apparently you're meant to finish that stage in college, haha...^_^;;;;
I definitely agree that you need to know what you want to do if you're going to do a Ph.D. You need to have your own plans and your own ideas. Maybe you'll find them while you're working on your thesis. (I think that every kind of career is stressful. They are just stressful in different ways. But everywhere you have to deal with conflicts between colleagues, with too much or too little work etc.)
It's not exactly that I've ruled against it; it's more that in my field, it's very hard to get a position without a PhD, and I don't think it's a good idea to go for one yet. The thing is that for a PhD, having an area of research that's really your particular interest (and thus a good idea of who would be a good adviser) is important, and I really feel I don't have that yet. I feel I could do the work, but I don't feel that I have that research focus yet. I'm not willing to invest that amount of time and money unless I have a clear idea what my goals are going in.
I also am not sure that a research career would suit me, not in terms of the type of work but the pace. It seems like a bit of a treadmill, constantly trying to get more grants and more publications and etc. I'm not very ambitious and I wonder if a more stable career might suit me better. I know people say to follow your passion, but I also want a career where I don't get burned out or feel stressed all the time...
My thought is, working with children might well lead me to realize my research interests, and I could then go back for a PhD. Or, maybe I'll find out I love teaching and stay with that. It seems like a good path forward, and also something that's realistically possible. I do want to keep an eye out for research positions, but at the same time, if I want to stay living where I am now I need to find work in the area, and the fact that I do feel so uncertain about a research career makes me think that exploring some options and getting an idea of what work environment I prefer might be wise. I dunno, it seems practical and I kind of like the idea. I guess I'm still in the 'figuring out what to do with my life stage'...although apparently you're meant to finish that stage in college, haha...^_^;;;;
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