Looking for career advice - PhD or job?

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:19

Afternoon all,
I made a thread a while ago about a PhD.
I am now in a position to make a difficult decision.
I have the PhD offer in sustainable manufacturing and is funded quite nicely at over £1000 a month (which means I can focus on the PhD without worries of finding other jobs).

I went to see my placement company (a large UK manufacturer) and they will give me a job and I am sponsored by them too. They say I can have a job but cannot say 100% that I have one. The problem is that the PhD deadline is this Friday - I must accept or reject it by then.

I will get an absolute minimum 2:1 B Eng in mech/man engineering at loughborough.

My question is, what choice should I makes beings as the only 'real' offer is this PhD for Friday.
Part of me wants to work and save for a house but part of me wants to involved in the changes the world will make as we run out of all our resources and landfill space.

Also, the PhD would likely be working closely with a company and would be useful in the real world (not some research on particles crashing into other particles at 0.0000001 seconds and tbh pretty useless to industry in the real world!). So would the PhD really add much more to me as a person? I have been at University 5 years (including changing course and a year in industry before my final year) and wonder if I am better off working now as I am almost 23.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Castiel · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:21

Take the PhD

Jakeee · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:21

PhD sounds better on a CV and at 1k per month, why would you want to reject it.

Semple · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:23

Take the PhD. If the company that cannot say 100% that you'll have a job doesn't recruit you when you've finished then it's their loss. There's plenty more companies out there.

nydryl · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:24

PhD. It's paid and you might not find another job.

Tealc · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:27

nydryl said:
PhD. It's paid and you might not find another job.

This.

Sounds like you will gain some useful experience while getting the Phd. It can be tricky to find work fresh out of university so £1000 a month is fine.

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:29

The company I worked for is huge in the UK (and worldwide) and I can get a role as a design engineer, however I want to go into manufacturing (I can do and have done design on placement and the role was fine, it just isn't my 'ideal' one).

The frustrating thing is I turned down an assessment day (at a competitor to this manufacturing business who is 10x bigger in the number of employees they have) in order to have a meeting today. I was hoping for a job offer but it didn't go that way.

My worry isn't about getting graduate work as in engineering its easier than other subjects to find roles suited to your course.

I know that the PhD is a now or never scenario - If I work I will save up towards a house and therefore I can never go back and do it.

I most certainly am not doing it just to be called 'Dr' though, I would do it because I think the subject is of massive importance in my lifetime.

Thanks for the replies so far guys!

nydryl · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:34

mglover070588 said:
I most certainly am not doing it just to be called 'Dr' though, I would do it because I think the subject is of massive importance in my lifetime.

Maybe reconsider as you're going into a PhD for all the wrong reasons :confused:

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:35

nydryl said:
Maybe reconsider as you're going into a PhD for all the wrong reasons

Surely thats the right reasons. I would study it because I want to make a difference.
Doing it for the title is the wrong reason. Did you misread the post and think I meant I would do it just for the title?

Lagmeister · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:38

If the PhD is fully funded go for it, you will regret it later especially if its partnered with an industry

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:41

Lagmeister said:
If the PhD is fully funded go for it, you will regret it later especially if its partnered with an industry

It is I think. Don't think I'd be permitted to say who yet though.

In all honesty I am sick of being an undergrad.....

However I feel a PhD would be like a full time job anyway, because it is. I expect there to be deadlines and times where the workload is high, but then how is that different to real life?

Disco Boy · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:41

Why on earth would you not want to do a PhD? You're getting one of the best qualifications possible and getting paid for the privilege (pretty handsomely really too, I'm assuming your is basic rate of £13.5k tax free stipend).

I might be a bit biased though as I am intending to do one too

nydryl · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:42

mglover070588 said:
Surely thats the right reasons. I would study it because I want to make a difference.
Doing it for the title is the wrong reason. Did you misread the post and think I meant I would do it just for the title?

No I was just joking, although I started mine mainly because it was available, I fancied doing some research, it was funded, and I didn't fancy my chances of getting a job. An interest in the specific subject area wasn't the main factor, it wasn't really a factor at all. That's changing now though that I'm getting more into it.

As you say it's a full time job with flexible hours, possibly much more than some full time jobs when you're really going for deadlines. It's not like undergrad at all.

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:44

Disco Boy said:
Why on earth would you not want to do a PhD? You're getting one of the best qualifications possible and getting paid for the privilege (pretty handsomely really too, I'm assuming your is basic rate of £13.5k tax free stipend).

I might be a bit biased though as I am intending to do one too

Yea thats the one. They pay the fees to (which I think for UK it is about £4500 a year).

Are these stipends fiercely fought for? I got that one and the lower one is £8000pa.

NeverWinter · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:50

I'd do it just for the title

Disco Boy · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:51

Oh I've never heard of one below £13.5k as the government bodies (EPSRC etc.) all pay that, ones funded by industry can be more. I am talking about chemistry and biochemistry here though as they are the only ones which I know about.

As for fought for, they are becoming increasingly in demand as people like you and me are thinking that the job market looks pants so now is a good time to be a student, as well as the extra qualifications being a good part of a CV.

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 16:56

Disco Boy said:
Oh I've never heard of one below £13.5k as the government bodies (EPSRC etc.) all pay that, ones funded by industry can be more. I am talking about chemistry and biochemistry here though as they are the only ones which I know about.

As for fought for, they are becoming increasingly in demand as people like you and me are thinking that the job market looks pants so now is a good time to be a student, as well as the extra qualifications being a good part of a CV.

It is EPSRC. It would be with a company but most that go with companies (in engineering anyway) are EngDoc's that take normally 4 years - They are funded better but theres no way a company would fund me unless they had a contract that tied me to them for some time afterwards!

I did my final year project with industry for my B Eng - It has not gone well as I haven't had sufficient support! (Not my fault but frustrating to say the least).

Are EPSRC ones hard to get? I genuinely have no idea how fiercly contested they are.

w11tho · 13 Apr 2011 at 17:05

mglover070588 said:
Are EPSRC ones hard to get? I genuinely have no idea how fiercly contested they are.

They're not anything like competitive enough!

Morba · 13 Apr 2011 at 17:07

I dont understand why you would even consider getting a job and saving for a house instead of the PhD.

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Apr 2011 at 17:07

w11tho said:
They're not anything like competitive enough!

What do you mean? I might be being an idiot but I have no idea what you are on about

.