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Why Earn a PhD?
| Publish date | 2007-09-21 |
| Available Articles | Full articles without membership |
Perhaps you’ve considered the benefits of earning a PhD, but are daunted by the investment of time, energy, and money required. You wonder if the doctorate would really be worth it. To help you make a decision, consider these ways a PhD can make a difference in your life:
With a PhD, you can …
- Fulfill a lifelong goal. Why put off until “someday” something you’ve always wanted to do? Begin the process today by exploring your options—the first step in making your dream a reality. DiscoverPhD.com is your source for the information you need about researching and applying to programs, and getting through the doctoral process once you’re accepted.
- Challenge your intellect. Do you miss the days of devoting yourself to a subject in college? Do you long to have time to really explore a topic in depth? A doctoral program will challenge you to absorb new information about your subject and make it your own, and it will change your view of the world in the process.
- Realize your potential. No matter how successful you are, you know you can achieve more. A PhD reflects the highest academic accomplishment and mastery of an area of knowledge. The process of earning a doctorate will demand that you fulfill your intellectual and organizational capacities.
- Follow your passion. We all have subjects about which we’re passionate. But few of us get the chance to really explore them, given the demands of our personal and professional lives. A doctoral program is your opportunity to take time for what interests you—and then use that knowledge to make a difference in ways you won’t even begin to imagine until you’re well under way with your program.
- Interact with the brightest minds in your area of interest. A PhD program is an all-access pass to interactions with the best minds in your field. You will have regular discussions with your professors and fellow students in your program. And academic and professional conferences will give you an entrée to networking with luminaries from around the world.
- Make a significant contribution to society. We all dream of making an impact on society. The specialization of a doctoral program enables you to become an expert in your subject matter, allowing you to make an original contribution to your field and, ultimately, to the world.
Advance in your current career. Achieving a doctorate is a demonstration of expertise that can help you earn the respect of your colleagues and move up to a more senior position in your organization or your profession. With a PhD, you’ll be the “go-to” person for ideas about how to approach new projects.
- Reinvent yourself in a new career. In an era when people may have several careers over a lifetime, a doctorate is an invaluable asset in catapulting you from one career to another. Of course, your interest may be in teaching as a full-time university professor, but with a PhD, you could also work as an independent consultant or researcher, serve in a think tank, publish your research, or gain the background necessary to work in any number of other fields.
- Be a role model for your family. Finally, getting a doctorate is the best example of the value of lifelong learning you could provide for loved ones. By making your own education a priority, you’ll inspire others in your family and circle of influence to do the same.
Best of all, there’s never been a better time to go for it. Pursuing a doctorate used to mean being sequestered full-time on campus for years. Now—thanks to the flexibility of Web technology and the increased credibility of online learning—a PhD is more accessible than ever for working professionals with family and community commitments.
Source: DiscoverPhD.com
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