PhD Discussion Forum

Hi everyone. I’m in search of some PhD advice, now I know that everyone’s circumstances are different and no one can tell me exactly what to do, however, I was hoping for some suggestions on what you may do in a similar situation.

I have recently finished my MSc in September, alongside this, I have also started a very competitive graduate scheme job that I am thoroughly enjoying. I have been considering doing a PhD for some time now and annoyingly, I did not put much thought into this while I was still at University. I am beginning to look at programmes now, however, I’m unsure what to do.

If I find a PhD programme that I like the look of and that aligns with my academic interests, I would most likely want to apply for it. However, this is where I am struggling. Should I give up my job to focus on my PhD and sacrifice the work I put into getting the job? Should I go part time at my job and also do my PhD part time? I dont like the idea of doing my PhD over 6/7/8 years while juggling work alongside this, but likewise, it seems foolish to give up this great job I have.

This is a bit vague and I apologise in advance, but I would love to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this. Thank you.

I began mines part-time but switched to full-time 2 years later. Like you, I had also just started my first job at the time working in the Aerospace sector. Although both in Engineering, the subject matter of my PhD was somewhat different to the day-job that I was carrying out my work. I was frequently asked to do overtime at work which, since I was new in the company, I felt obliged to do. However, this meant that I never really had a consistent routine in the evenings to work on my PhD. Naturally this got quite demanding after a while hence the switch to full-time. Thus, if you are considering going part-time I would recommend you really give some thought to what impact your day-job obligations may have on the working arrangements for your PhD. I learned this lesson the hard way! Good luck.