If You’re These 8 Things, Doing a PhD May Be For You

I mean who would study one little tiny thing for at least three years of your life with no job at the end, face continual rejection, stress over publishing and be generally overworked and under appreciated? You’d be crazy to right?

Anyone, like me, who is doing a PhD will have an edge of insanity about them… but PhDs are also incredibly rewarding and fun.

If you can relate to many of the following, then doing a PhD may be something you want to consider.

1. You want to be a world expert in a subject you are fascinated with.

If there is something you are passionate about and want to be a world expert in, this is a great start. Pick a small part of what you are interested in, then pick a sub-niche within that, and maybe even a niche within that and then you’re ball park the scope of a PhD!

Seriously though, it’s mega niche. I’m studying plant-soil interactions, essentially looking at how communities of plant species in grasslands (rather than individual plant species) drive changes in soil structure using their roots. But my title will be something along the lines of;

“Species dominance drives soil structural changes in nutrient-rich ley grassland soils — the case of chicory (Cichlorium intybus L.) and timothy grass (Phleum pratense L. )”

There’s some caveats within that title, but you get the gist!!

If you find yourself excited by the prospect of emerging yourself in area of knowledge which fascinates you a PhD is just reinforcing and rewarding that idea. If you may be ready to take on the title of world-renowned academic expert in a pretty niche field (pun intended?!), think about doing a PhD.

2. You want to learn new things, learning new ways of doing old things and discover something that no-one else knows.

Whilst being an expert is one thing, being able to discover new things about your field is another.

Imagine how Marie Curie felt when she discovered radiation, or Jane Goodall when she discovered new behaviours with chimpanzees, or Rosalind Franklin with her work on DNA?

Or one of my personal idols, Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe whose pioneering work on deep soil carbon has earned her Director of the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy. Announced on the same day she gave a seminar at my university, I might add.

All these ladies discovered new things or new ways of seeing things.

If you are inspired and want to push the frontiers of knowledge whilst keeping an open mind, seriously consider a PhD.

3. You want to make research a key part of your job and ideas are your thing.

Now you don’t need a PhD to do research. You probably do a lot of research already.

What do you do when you need a new oven? Do you just buy one and that’s it, or do you research all the different brands and prices and work out the best one for you? The latter is research.

Another key aspect of a PhD is ideas. Now, ideas alone won’t get you through a PhD, but having ideas which are novel, or see things from a unique perspective are invaluable. A researcher with bad ideas, or is closed minded, is about as useless as a string vest and can be toxic to the research environment if they aren’t managed properly. Obviously they might bring other skills to the table, but most half decent academics I know, all have good ideas and open minds.

If you love to do your research before taking any decision, and don’t take things at face value, the next step might be a PhD.

4. You’re up for a challenge

A PhD will push you in many ways you didn’t even know were possible. Most of a PhD is self-driven so it will be as hard as you make it. If you push yourself often, then your PhD will reflect this. If you’re lazy and do the minimum, so too will your PhD be.

[😁 That last bit sounded a bit Yoda-esque. My editing brain says no, re-word. My fun brain, says no, leave it and add a comment; PhD you will do, research topic must you find… 😅]

It’s also a financial challenge. However you go about it, a PhD is not well paid. Whether you get funding from a research council or self fund, be prepared to not have much money during your PhD. You may well be digging into savings so make sure you’re prepared.

5. Statistics do not make you quibble at the knees but instead fill you with wonder and fascination

Even in a social sciences PhD, at the very least you will need to have an understanding of how statistics are used and whether the conclusions are valid.

Bad statistics are dangerous. You only have to consider the famous case of Sally Clark to understand the impact incorrect statistics can have on someone’s life.

If the idea of General Linear Models and Chi-squared tests get your juices going, you’ll be well suited to a PhD. Although you don’t need to code to do statistics, with the push for more open science, skills in, or a desire to learn R and Python will set you in good stead.

6. You’re up for sharing your knowledge, teaching and promoting what you study

Mostly gone are the days when academics ruled the ivory tower. Now it’s all about communication of your research. There is a lot of push to publish in the academic literature but just as valuable is the communication you do out with that.

Because the area you study will be very niche, getting people enthused about your subject may be challenging. Sometimes it helps to see outside the box and communicate the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve. Can you use creative communication methods?

Teaching also has a strong component in research and within universities anyway, research and teaching pretty much go hand in hand.

Sharing what you learn with others is essential to a PhD as what is new knowledge if only you know about it?

7. You can run your own ship; setting your own plan and goals

Sometimes you may be part of a bigger research project, which may restrict your plans more. Other times you are the captain of a steam liner destined for the far horizon and you are completely in control of where your research goes.

I pretty much fall into the latter. As long as I stay within the boundaries of my area of research, I can focus in on what interests me and what will be novel and fascinating to look at. Often your results will dictate where you may want to head next.

Setting your own timetable, goals and plans are essential in a PhD. There is no one there to tell you what you should do when, so it’s up to you how you plan your day. Unlike studying in school, there are no grades and few progress markers. Because each PhD journey is unique it can be hard to gauge where you are at at any one time. Would you be happy working with these conditions?

8. Rejection only makes you stronger

Rejection is prevalent in academia. From journal submissions to funding bids, rejection is the rule rather than the exception. If you can fight through the constant disappointment and come out stronger, then you’re well set up to succeed.

Experiments often don’t work as you had hoped. Equipment breaks. Reviewer 2 is a thing.

You’ll spend a lot of time doing things that won’t bear fruit. This can wear you down after a while. However, when you do succeed it is all the sweeter.