jeudi 26 février 2015

Does it make sense to get a PhD if a person does not what to be in academia


I am working in a highly technical field (quantitative finance/ statistical analysis) for a private company with a Master of Science degree in economics.


Does it make sense to get a PhD (in quantitative finance, math, statistics) if I do not want to be in academia and prefer to stay in business.


What I expect from PhD:



  1. Structure and deepen my knowledge in the relevant fields through high quality classes (where I sit and listen and learn and do homework to make sure that I have learned).

  2. Get the ability to read any scientific article in the related fields and without much pain understand 90% of it to the very last detail (and implement ideas from the article in my work).

  3. Possibly acquire certain thinking and problem solving culture (so vague... and I guess after my Master I have a fair part of it already(?))


Also important:



  1. PhD was never mentioned as a prerequisite for a promotion or a salary increase.

  2. My colleges who have PhD are not visibly advantaged by the company (do not know about the rest of the industry, but the company being a big player is representative of it).

  3. I enjoy learning new stuff on my own (not a problem to spend many nights with a math book), but hate the status of a student (little money, slave of professors and their peculiar exam requirements).


So should I go for a PhD or rather a specialized Master, or develop myself through separate university courses of my choice and professional programs + self-study?


Any pieces of advice from people used to be in my situation?





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