Should I be thinking about a PhD in my undergrad?

An undergrad’s first-hand experiences while working with PhD students

I am a third-year undergrad student of Information & Communication Technology at DA-IICT, India. I have been working on a couple of projects with some PhD students over the last 8 months which has time and again put me in this dilemma of whether I should be venturing into academic research as a career after my graduation. This musing covers some of my observations which I feel might appeal to many undergrad students like me who are in the same confusion.

Of course, the observations are based on a number of factors, such as the field one’s thinking about and the level of expertise one wishes to gain in it. Definitely for someone looking for quick returns in lieu of the respective studies, PhD isn’t the ideal pick. Having said that I feel that there are 4 parameters that you should be thinking real hard about before making the call:

#1. Do I really want to be a “guru” of what I love to do?

What a PhD does besides developing the academic acumen for the individuals, is strengthen the critical thinking and decision-making abilities. Not to mention the comprehensive communication skills and effectively detailing the reports owing to the multitude of research papers that one is required to write. In-depth knowledge of one’s field combined with the aforementioned skills makes up for attractive job offers.

#2. How about job opportunities? Does it get any better?

The R&D departments are crucial to any industrial house which obviously requires discovering new ideas, improving upon them, testing older products etc. — activities which involve a good amount of trial and error which is characteristic to a PhD scholar. The work may not necessarily be localised to the very specific part of research area, but understanding the system, it’s functioning and limitations come naturally to a doctorate individual. Companies do not hesitate to invest in such resources.

If it’s the experience that counts, a PhD shall be worth it since one gets to experiment and understand the intricacies of the subject matter. The vast network established by getting to know the various experts in the fields and their acquaintance is priceless.

#3. Is it too long a commitment for me?

Now the tricky part. It’s important to look for the right field for pursuing a PhD, as these can be a time-consuming affair, often taking upto 5 years.

Hence it requires a considerable investment in terms of time and money. Self-motivation and discipline are important ingredients. It’s important to give undivided attention to it at most times, thus leaving little room to pursue other personal interests.

About being able to put the research from the PhD to constructive uses, depends a lot on the field of interest. Fields centring around the Social Sciences always have lucrative job opportunities for PhD students. Certain fields such as Mathematics and other Sciences of the like, rather offer exemplary returns with even as little as an undergraduate level expertise given their complexity and the few number of people opting for them. Hence going for a PhD in these areas, should be thought of as an option later.