To all of you guys and gals with Ph. D's, Ed. D's, Ed. S's, etc.

[Harp]

If you can pick up a doctorate on scholarship, take it!

If you're a bit burned out right now, fly to Vegas for a week's R&R!

 

[Rosie]

I agree with Harp, if you get the doctorate through scholarship or fellowship, go for it. I was thinking of going after the doctorate in education for the extra $ it would bring but, do I REALLY want it? [huh] Do you have a specific use for the doctorate? Or do you just want it?

I'm applying for a principal-ship fellowship, if I get it, I'll go after the Ph.D but out of pocket? Me thinks not.

 

[CanadaDoll]

I third that sentiment! Ph.D studies are apparently painfully expensive(I'm not quite there yet, so I'm going by word of mouth), and if you're being offered a free ride take it.
Good luck with what ever you choose to do!

 

[Lady Day]

Free is awesome.

Take the gig.

LD

 

[LaMedicine]

Hmmm, common sense says, while you can go back to Ecuador anytime you please, you CAN'T pick up a scholarship for a doctorate anytime you please...but, the choice is ALWAYS yours, and yours ONLY.
Good Luck, whatever you choose.

 

[Panamabob]

Common sense and I don't get along!

I'm not a spring chicken as far as studying goes and I've got 2 kids, one on the way, a house, a car, a dog, etc. Just getting some advice outside of my normal realm of seeking advice.

My specialty is ESL and with the growing immigrant population in Indiana it is valuable and marketable. Otherwise, we make a decent living off of our hats on Ecuadorian terms and I can have the best of both worlds, hats and teaching, in Ecuador. I want the kids to be fluently bilingual and without accent. The younger you are the easier it is to kick the accent and they're 4, 1.5 and coming in May. Oh, and my wife is Ecuadorian and would love to live there for a few years, too.

I'm leaning towards staying it through, because I do like learning.

 

[LaMedicine]

Common sense and I don't get along!

Ain't that the truth for most of us here.lol

My specialty is ESL and with the growing immigrant population in Indiana it is valuable and marketable. Otherwise, we make a decent living off of our hats on Ecuadorian terms and I can have the best of both worlds, hats and teaching, in Ecuador. I want the kids to be fluently bilingual and without accent. The younger you are the easier it is to kick the accent and they're 4, 1.5 and coming in May. Oh, and my wife is Ecuadorian and would love to live there for a few years, too.

I'm leaning towards staying it through, because I do like learning.

I happen to be one of the lucky ones of my generation here who is fluently bilingual without an accent, but there was no ESL concept in my time.lol I just got dunked into a British school at a tender age of 6 due to my father's job, and it was sink or swim, baby, from then thereon.
Education is the basis for a better world and future, especially for children who are less privileged, so kudos to what you are doing.

As I said, good luck, whatever you choose, and may you always have the best of the two worlds.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

two days to go for me . . .

I'd say you do not want to go into a PhD program burned out. You'll be burned out by the end (i certainly am). But the 6 months between now and the program starting (I assume I. U. is on the standard academic year) should be enough to get over this portion of burn-out and recharge the batteries for taking on the PhD.

But then, if getting a PhD won't increase your wage significantly (why else to get a PhD?) there seems little point.

bk

 

[thebadmamajama]

It's a grand deal. Just remember that the work, dedication, and LIFE that goes into getting one is YOUR life and it should probably be something that you WANT, or else it will be torture instead of a dream come true.

Think it over, and go with your gut. I'm in the middle of getting my Master's acceptances...I know the grueling strain of having to decide something. Just remember that (a) it's a fab deal but also that (b) this is your life.

Best to you whatever you choose.

 

[Pilgrim]

OK PanamaBob, this may be a long response. I earned my B.A. in 1973, Master's in 1979, and Ph.D. in 1997.

I got into the higher ed biz in 1980 when I finished my Master's, but wasn't sure I wanted to make a career of it. But as I worked in higher ed, I liked it.

One thing is a FACT: if you're going to work in higher ed, you get the best job opportunities and make the best money with a Ph.D. Although doctorates are less than 3% of the US population, they are omnipresent in higher ed.

So if you're going to stay in that industry, you need the Ph.D., and FREE is too good to pass up.

While working at Texas A&M, I started work on my Ph.d. in 1986 at age 36, and finished in 1997 at age 47. (Yes, I bent the 10-year rule but had an excuse for doing so.) I paid full tuition although I only took two classes a term because that was all I could afford or handle time-wise. And during the process of earning the degree, my wife and I both worked full time, and we had two daughters - one in Dec. 1987 and one in Jan. 1989, 13 months apart.

We were busy. Very, very, busy.

BUT - that degree is what helped me escape from A&M and move to Colorado State University (with a substantial pay raise), where I am much happier. And my marriage survived just fine.

If you can get the tuition for free, you're getting a gift worth $10,000 to $20,000 dollars at a public university, as well as generating more job power and income for your remaining working years. Do NOT pass it up.

But pace yourself, don't overload on classes, and make darn sure that you pick a dissertation project that genuinely interests you. The REAL trap of Ph.D. programs is the A.B.D. syndrome that hits when you get done with coursework and have to finish your research and write the dissertation. Plan ahead so that you move directly into the dissertation - do NOT give yourself an excuse to put it off, even for a semester. That's where most people who are permanently A.B.D. slip up.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about it.

 

[Jay]

I'm an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. It wasn't too hard. And entirely worth it.

 

[rockyj]

Tough choice

Wow yes . First congratulations. Job well done. you have some tough choices ahead of you, and none of them will be the right one I went on to Grad school in my late 30's, Finished, then sat behine a desk. Hated it. Now I'm in a classroom (SP/ED) like it. Most of the time anyway. However, wish I was back working at the Salvage company I left because I thought it was a nowhere job. I know that doesn't help you. But hey! Life is the choices you make. Best of luck in whatever you do.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Anyhow, is it worth the time and effort getting the Ph. D, Ed. D, or Ed. S.? I'm contemplating. I've got some opportunities at Indiana University (read FREE!), but I'm a bit burned out. I'd rather return to Ecuador and teach kids or at a university. I have enough of the initials behind my name now for their higher learning gods.

Any thoughts? Am I throwing away something I'll regret throwing away?

Go. Take the opportunity. Any investment in education is much less expensive, and has a much greater potential for return, the younger you are when you invest. I know. I had been working for half a decade when I finally sold almost everything I owned (house, car, boat) and enrolled in law school. Don't get me wrong---it has proved to be a good decision. But it would have required much less sacrifice had I just gone directly from undergrad.

Atticus

 

[Leading Edge]

Suggestion: consider what leverage the doctorate will provide for the accomplishment of your unique mission/contribution in/to education.
In the past thirty years I have used my Masters to work at an Ivy League university, teach in a private school, tutor Vietnamese immigrant refugees in American English, and currently teach in arguably the worst urban high school (with the greatest potential for success, I might add!) in the city. All of which has enriched my life experience such that I could retire contented that I have contributed satisfactorily to the future.
I have always known that at some point I wanted to earn my terminal degree, but only recently have I been realized for what purpose: to have a "voice" in public education policy and maybe even sit at the proverbial table.
Even so, my favorite job was as a short order cook in a mom-and-pop corner fry joint. (The greatest vicarious pleasure in life is watching a hungry man - not sexist, just biological - enjoy a steak sandwich done and seasoned just the way he likes it best when the eagle first takes flight on a Friday night!)
I say all this to say: your burnout may come from using your personal energy to achieve without the inexhaustible source energy of purpose.

I agree: go wherever is great for you to get some R&R, but also allow some time for the answer as to how a terminal degree in education will enable you to fulfill your unique mission or make your significant contribution to the future. If you don't get an answer, my advice: take the money, get the degree, and let time/experience sort it all out.

 

[acoustics]

It really depends on what you want to work as in future. If you want to work as an academic, the PhD is the minimum requirement, and to have a scholarship to further your education is too good an opportunity to pass over. For myself, if I did not get the scholarship, I will not be able to pursue further studies. I say: Go for it! It is good to be a "professional" student!

 

[Renee]

Well, I'm going to give slightly contrarian advice ....

If you are interested in your PhD, the university will always be there. It's true that you may not have a "free ride" in the future, but most people I've known who have truly wanted an advanced degree manage to get it.

But your children will never again be this young and able to effortlessly pick up a language and speak it like a native. And a move to another country is just so much easier with young children than it is with older children (trust me on this, I've been a military wife for 23 years).

I'd say move to Ecuador and enjoy it. If the siren call of higher education continues to call (and it may not!) then you will always have the opportunity. But life is short, and children are not always young ....

 

[Panamabob]

Thank you all for your advice.

 

[redavis001]

I'm working on the PhD right now and let me tell you it will eat you life. sometimes in a good way Sometimes in a bad way

 

[Harp]

I'm working on the PhD right now and let me tell you it will eat you life. sometimes in a good way Sometimes in a bad way

Sooner said than done! (as in Oklahoma Sooners)

 

[thebadmamajama]

Bof...

I've always wanted my Ph.D and I'm still going for it. But, man, it's gonna be a lot of work. *sigh*