Hi everyone,
I have been reading all the posts about how people should give up the hope of getting their PhD because of the job market, and understand that there's an oversupply of PhDs. However, I might be crazy enough to go for this anyway. I'm currently an undergraduate student, so I have time before I need to reach a final verdict.
I would only pursue this if I could get my degree from a prestigious university. I'm working on two projects that I am hoping will end up being published in undergraduate journals before I graduate, and I'm also hoping to be able to present at least one at a conference. I believe this should give me a leg up. If I couldn't get into a really, really, really, good doctorate program, I wouldn't pursue it further.
Upon graduation, I would be willing to interview for positions around the world. I don't know how many other PhDs search globally—it could be that most do and there still is an issue with finding a tenure-track position, in which case I'd likely be in trouble. However, if I am willing to go wherever possible to apply for TT positions and work in temporary/non-TT positions until I found one, could the work prospects really be that bad?
Again, I do understand that there has been a dramatic decline in TT hiring (although this changed last year). But it isn't that there aren't any TT positions, there just are too many PhD candidates, which invariably means that some aren't finding work.
So, Reddit, I come to you and ask this: am I crazy for thinking this? Even if I get into a prestigious PhD program with a history of undergraduate publications & conference presentation, just how doomed would I be? I know I should be avoiding the PhD route, but I can't put it aside. I'll spare you the paragraphs I could write about how much I love reading, writing, researching, as well as the prospect of really inspiring students (even just one!) like several professors have inspired me.
Congratulations--you've just described every history PhD student. Absolutely none of that makes you special in any way.
You might want to google exactly what a "post-doc fellowship" in the humanities is, especially how long they last. You might then consider that the rise in postdocs is a result of the decrease in actual jobs, connected with universities' willingness to exploit desperate PhD holders socialized to believe that the academic life is the only worthwhile one (and by "worthwhile," they sure don't mean in the monetary sense).
Jobs aren't coming back because this situation is great for universities. They have no reason to change it--only to make it worse for PhDs, financially better for themselves.
We don't mean to strike a depressing tone, but a while age we ran this Monday Methods post courtesy of /u/sunagainstgold, which offers a sobering assessment of this career path.
I left my PhD program at a good school before I finished. The job market really is that bad and being willing to look abroad makes no difference at all. No one who gets a PhD in history can afford to be tied to particular place. You have to go where the job is.
If this is the path you want to take, I want to strongly caution you against pursuing adjunct/temporary positions. It is very often a dead end and you will more than likely make less than your graduate stipend. When you've done it for a couple years, it looks bad on your CV and will make it even harder for you to get a solid job.
I do know a number of people who got jobs outside of academia, but it is very much dependent on your subfield and it's certainly not something you can fall back on. They aren't jobs that are easier to get or more plentiful, just different options. I know a couple of people who got a Masters (which I think were in poli sci), worked for a few years in think tank type jobs and then got a PhD so they could get promoted. I went to a school with a strong military history program and several of those students went on to good jobs with the DOD. What are you interested in studying?
I won't say don't do it, and I don't regret going for it myself, but if you can imagine yourself doing absolutely anything else, do the other thing. If you do get your PhD and it doesn't work out, starting over when you're nearing 30 is not going to be easy. And really, it couldn't hurt at all to pursue a different career after you graduate and take some time to seriously consider graduate school. Not being an academic doesn't stop you from researching and writing. You can still write for a popular audience if your interests would appeal to general readers.
If you are brilliant, your interests are on trend, you land a great advisor (not just a good school), you bust your ass writing articles in grad school and manage to get into good journals (sorry, no one cares about undergrad articles), and network like crazy, then you might get a job at a tiny school in the middle of nowhere that very well may cut your position when they run out of funds next year. It is a rough path with little reward. If you do it, go into it with a realistic idea of what the outcome may be. And add another more practical major now if it's not too late so you have something else you can do.
While extremely few in number, there are definitely good jobs for people who are at the very top of their field. I have peers who as first or second job after a first-rank PhD program landed jobs at top 25 universities (world-wide ranking). You must be doing quality scholarship with rigor (or something mediocre and have a close relationship with a senior faculty who is considered top in their field) – plus know how to network & market yourself. A lot of landing jobs is about making people like you, and being able to market yourself to what is trendy / department needs. That means, a top-five PhD program is necessary but not sufficient.
Only do the PhD if you feel you absolutely must, and if you would regret all your life not doing it. And have a plan b.