To PhD or not to PhD?

That is the question that I’ve been pondering lately. I’ve been thinking a lot about pursuing another degree and I’ve even made a fair amount of progress on a draft research proposal. I get really excited about the possibilities, but instead of jumping in with two feet (as I usually do) I’d like to note some Pros and Cons.

Pros

• support for more study and future research
• potential to teach full-semester courses at the university level

Cons

• leaving my current position
• more debt

I’d love to perform more research. Of course, I can do that to a limited extent in my position, but I am currently an Administrative Faculty member which means it isn’t a part of my job description. And I love to teach! Proposing, designing, and teaching my very own courses sounds like an amazing experience.

But, I have been really lucky to find my current position; something which combines my love of emerging technology, outreach, and teaching in a way that is rare and well-suited to my talents. There’s always a possibility that I wouldn’t have to leave… but I know that to fully immerse myself in the project that I’m interested in working on would be extremely difficult to accomplish while working full-time. And of course, there’s the debt. I already have quite a bit, having financed both my undergraduate and graduate degrees with federal student loans. I think I would have to have a paid research position to make it work and even so, I might have to supplement a stipend with some other kind of income.

So, I’m still undecided. Though I’m definitely going to keep working on that research proposal!