Working while doing a PhD: PhD - reddit.
As someone trying to finish while working full time, I strongly recommend against it. My school has quite a few people who try to juggle a job and school at the end and maybe 10% of the normal rate graduate. I don't know of anyone in any program who started a PhD while working full time.
It would also be impossible to pursue a PhD while working full-time. PhD's require full time dedication because you will be required not only to work on your studies, but also contribute to the university's research advancements, and perhaps even being a TA for undergraduate courses.
Jemma doing coral health surveys on the Great Astrolabe Barrier Reef, Fiji “I managed to do a masters degree by research part-time while working full-time, a PhD in the same capacity should be OK”. Unfortunately, that’s not actually true. The key difference between doing a masters and a PhD is the independence and, as such, the isolation.
When she was 4 months old a friend started to mind her and her older brother 3 mornings a week so I could resume the PhD, and I would try to do 2-3 hrs each night. We continued like this until I got another univerisity contract job which forced me to do all my PhD work in the evenings.
Each year, some PhD candidates do not meet the requirements of their graduate programs and are asked to leave. Others choose to leave because they are burnt out, or their interests have changed. Some students who don't complete the PhD leave with a master's degree; others leave with no degree at all.
Starting a PhD can be tough. Looking back, there are many things I wish I’d known at the beginning. Here, I have curated a list of advice from current PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.
Sometimes known as a 'while-you-work PhD', Professional Doctorates are internationally-recognised qualifications, designed for working professionals in the private and public sectors with an active interest in work-based research. Unlike a PhD, a professional doctorate is not a pathway towards a career in academia, but an opportunity to combine your professional practice with a research degree.