Jumping Back in – Leaving Work to Start a PhD

You won't be alone if the current economic situation has disrupted your career plans, whether you're having to rethink a graduate scheme, or consider alternatives to your current job. But what about the alternatives? Well, now could also be the perfect time to revisit your plans for a PhD.

Even before the coronavirus disruption, going back to university to do postgraduate research was more common than you might think. This post from our blog reveals Sam's experience of swapping an industry grad scheme for PhD study – and shares what he learned in the process.

At the end of my science undergraduate degree, it felt as if two main choices were presented to me, find a graduate job, or start a PhD. Many people will make their choice and never look back, but perhaps you are on a graduate scheme / have full time job and have decided you want to dive back into the academic world - a situation I found myself in last year.

After many stressful months and years of consideration and soul searching, I left my job in industry to start a PhD in September 2018. It was not an easy decision, and while no one can tell you what the correct choice is, I would like to highlight some key considerations that I went through and advice I was given, in the hope that I can kick start your decision on whether to jump back into academia with a PhD project.

Inevitably a big part of any decision. Funding is not easy to come by and not guaranteed. Even if you are lucky enough to secure funding, it is likely to be lower than what you were used to during your time in work. On top of this, the amount you receive is likely to be a fixed amount for the duration of the programme.

Careful consideration should be given to how you will budget your allowance during your PhD. You may have to work another job during your studies, and the differences between the work like balances you currently enjoy, and how that is likely to change if you start a PhD programme.

On the flip side, you may be starting a PhD to open up new career opportunities and increase your earnings in the long term. You should check and compare what opportunities are available with and without a PhD in your field, and be realistic about the likelihood of obtaining these positions.

Having spent time outside of academia, you have probably had a chance to live with a comfortable disposable income. Depending on your financial situation, PhD study won’t be a return to beans on toast student days, but it is still likely to affect how you can spend your free time. Similarly, if you are signing up for a full-time PhD, it should be treated as such: full time.

It is not unheard of for PhD students to work unconventional hours and your time will likely be much less structured than your current work. Consideration should be given to your current time management skills, and if they need improvement.

Depending on how you select your programme, you will likely have to move to an area you are unfamiliar with, or a city / university you would not have paid attention to earlier in your career.

You probably gave a lot of attention to your university's facilities and features when picking your undergraduate degree, but your time on a PhD is likely to be less campus-centric. So it makes sense to think about location more broadly. Scenery, proximity to family / friends, how / where you can live with your budget are all things that you should reconsider.

Try to find as much information about the area as you can. Postgraduate open days are run by most universities and are worth attending. This will ease anxieties about moving to a new place and also help you budget.

A PhD is not all about the thesis, but the thesis is the document that will allow you to receive your PhD award. Starting a PhD means committing several years of your life to a single research project.This will be one of the biggest changes for someone who's used to working in industry. Are you willing and able to commit to one project for three or four years? Would spending more time in your current role / looking for another role with a shorter commitment make more sense?

The skills you'll gain during a PhD are at least as important as the qualification itself - particularly if you're thinking about your broader career. Four years is plenty of time to develop and learn new skills, regardless of the framework in which you’re working. You should look at the skills that are necessary for your PhD or important to your future career, as well as those that you would enjoy developing.

There are tools that can help you. The Researcher Development Framework, provided by Vitae, is a tool to help postgraduate researchers choose which skills to develop. Looking at this now will give you a clearer idea of which skills you will be expected to develop during your PhD time.

If you're thinking more broadly about your career you should consider where these skills can best be acquired. Perhaps training in your current position, or volunteering outside of your main job would help you prepare for your PhD or achieve your goals through another route.

Life goes on after a PhD, and while no one has a crystal ball, you should think where you are likely to be in five years’ time. Look at people who have done PhDs in similar fields, people who have stayed in industry. Where would you like to be and will a PhD help you in this?

Remember too that not all PhDs lead to academic careers. A doctorate could be a great route into longer term university research, but plenty of alternatives are available. Going back to university for a PhD doesn't mean you need to stay there.

Perhaps you were not able to find the type of graduate position you wanted. Maybe the graduate position you chose turned out to not be what you wanted, or you think you would simply prefer doing research. On their own, these aren't necessarily the best reasons to do a PhD.

The advice about starting a PhD that comes up time and time again is that you have to be passionate about what you will be researching. Makes sure, above all else, you have this passion to go through all of the considerations listed here.

Also, make sure you show that passion. Your time in industry or other work could arguably make your application stronger, as it gives you a wider perspective. If you decide to move back to academia it also demonstrates that you have considered all options and are not pursuing a PhD simply because it is the next thing to do.

The reality is that no one decision will be foolproof, but if you take time to decide what is important to you, discuss your options with people from a variety of backgrounds, and read the experiences of other PhD students, hopefully you can make a choice with confidence.

Editor's note: This blog was originally published on 11/05/19. We've checked and updated it for current readers.

Sam Frampton is a second-year PhD student at the University of Leicester, looking at novel spacecfraft mission designs for planetary science. You can follow his research on Twitter.

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