I know we have some knowledgeable people here on plurk -- possibly people with Humanities grad work -- What do you think of this?

This question, and the return value of higher education in general, is one that has my daughter preoccupied lately.

She would, given the chance, absolutely get a doctorate in English Lit, and has been encouraged to do so by professors.

But the high cost and low job prospects are always weighing on her.

A doctorate gives her better leverage in some positions, but also leads to the "You're overqualified" words

It all depends on what she wants to do.

I'm in one right now (PhD student) and I have no idea how to say this briefly, but graduate school is like going to Hollywood to become a

movie star: Just because you have talent doesn't mean you'll get anywhere. Graduate school is a complete mind fuck - never in my life have I

had to accept the duplicity of knowing my very specific skills are highly qualified while at the same time feeling completely worthless

professionally. To keep your sanity a person has to be both completely obsessed and ready to walk away. It's not easy. Not only emotionally

but financially, socially - academics becomes your life, often a very poor life. Most programs don't appreciate or flat out don't allow jobs

outside the department, especially if you're a TA (like me) so you end up subsisting on a very thin salary, supported here or there by other

small incomes, like tutoring or editing, but nothing substantial. For many people life revolves completely around the department and

departmental activities; it's hard to keep up a lot of outside involvements with the amount of work expected, especially in the higher

programs. There is also an insane amount of competition: in some ways I feel like I've gone back to high school. BUT having said all that,

grad school can be completely fantastic for someone with academic interests. I haven't found anywhere else that I get to be completely

submersed in subjects that I love. Speakers, discussions, reading the philosopies and ideas of others - it's hard to get those kinds of

opportunities outside our little ivory tower. So one needs to be very clear headed when entering grad school. The article does have some

things right about future job prospects - especially in humanities (I'm in literature) where we're not only having to justify tenure track

positions, but increasingly having a department at all. The administration does not see us producing the same kinds of money making ideas or

inventions as other colleges so they'd be more than happy to lump us all together to save money.

So one needs to go into this field absolutely aware that the majority find jobs outside of it and plan accordingly and that can be difficult

to do. When I started I was focused mainly on staying in academia, but lately that has come under a lot of questions - not all of them

because of the reasons I highlighted here, but because academia is a very demanding career and most women in it make great sacrifices, like

family and in my case health, that I'm not entirely sure are worth it anymore. So I've found myself in this grey area between continuing

with my degree and also looking for ways to make myself more adaptable to other kinds of work. I may very well end up where I started, who

knows, but I can't say that I regret the decision to go. Not many people in this world have the chance to focus on a passion in the way that

graduate school allows.

Anyway, sorry for completely rambling on in your plurk (sadly I could go on for much more), mynmemos, it's a complicated and personal

subject

Rambling is exactly what I was hoping for. You have some really fascinating insights there. I'll be sure to pass them along!

And she really does have a passion for analyzing literature. She *loves* it, and academia in general. I could really see her thriving in a

grad program.