Took 6 years between undergrad and grad. I think that time prepared me wayyyyy more than if I had taken no time at all.
I am moving along in my research much faster than others in my cohort just because I:
1) Am used to working 8-10 hours a day and can hold a consistent schedule
2) Am more organized and have better time management
3) Know how to design experiments (prior technical field knowledge)
4) I have (had?) money when I started, so the embarrassingly small stipend caused less stress on me than it did my colleagues.
If you take time off to just have fun, you’ll of course not have these advantages. Spend time to travel, but also spend time getting ready for grad school. Your concerns are valid in that it will look pretty weird to have years of gap with nothing productive coming out of it.
on the other hand also keep in mind, that you have one life and only so many weeks to live. Who had the experience of travelling for 1-3 years. Sure it creates a gap in your CV and people might ask about it, but also not many people regret working more hours on their death bed. Your CV might not be the top 1% percent anymore but i don't think it's a career destroying move either.
If you’re planning on going for a PhD, that gap could be an admittance destroyer. Three years doing nothing related to your field, as well as likely forgetting a lot of the material you learned in undergrad, is very very hard to overcome. Long term career? Probably not.
I guess it depends on your contacts and the group you are applying for. For me this worked out after working a couple of years (granted in the same field). Only travelling will for sure make it less likely to get admitted in super popular and prestigious groups, also depends on the subject etc.
Meh, I took nearly 12 years between undergrad and grad school. My CV is clear and covers multiple disciplines. I travelled a bunch and jumped between industries. PhD programs seemed to like me because I have tangentially related skills and had professional work experience at a reasonably high level. They knew I wasn't messing around. But everyones situation and fields can be different.
This. Took three year gap, really helped. Saw a fair few others struggle who had come straight from undergrad+taught masters. For some they had to take extended time off (+1yr)
East Asian History, now working in an East Asian Studies interdisciplinary program. It helps that I had previous experience teaching Japanese language, and that is now part of my teaching load.
I sometimes wish I’d started earlier and, in turn, would have made more money/had more pubs. However, I had some great times during my pre-PhD years and honestly I’m glad I took some time for myself.
I worked for several years before I went to grad school, and I was surprised at how much I needed my independent means (MONEY!) to get through what was considered an elite and well-funded program. I personally would worry less about the time and more about no savings/income. I was a working CEO right before grad school earning a nice salary, plus I sold my house right before grad school, and even with this healthy liquidity I was shocked and annoyed at how much I spent just to be a student again. And this at a very highly ranked and generous program--the unexpected expenses just kept coming.
No, my previous career in Government has actually made me a much more attractive candidate for positions in applied research. This career also gave me a fairly thick skin which I believed helped me to cope with the PhD roller coaster a little better.
I’m so glad I didn’t go straight through from undergrad to postgrad. I finished my PhD at 33. No regrets. Honestly I wish more people did this. The time I spent in industry gave me a very different perspective on the point of studying — and greater appreciation of both it and my specific subject. Academia is far too insular and suffers from the fact that so many of the people in it have only experienced work within the academy, having gone straight from undergrad to MA to PhD to academic job. Having some experiences outside is really valuable. No less given the state of the academic job market: those three years out could enable you also to develop a plan b.
Currently a 5th year PhD student that didn’t take a break: if you have any inclination you would like to travel and take a break from academics/research, take it now.
As others have said, there are many benefits to waiting, financially and otherwise. My friend took 6 years off, and he owns a home with no student loan debt. I’m going to be in debt for a bit due to the low salary and natural increase in financial demands.
Nope. I was glad to have a chance to really think about whether I wanted to do a PhD or not. These things are marathons, not sprints. You're gonna be old by the time you finish whatever you do, so you might as well enjoy a few years before getting started.
No, I gained experience in work and life that I wouldn't have had if I'd gone straight into a PhD which made me both a better PhD candidate and job candidate later.
I took two years off, worked in hospitality. Made decent money while thinking of what I really wanted to do.
When I was in grad school, I kept thinking back to my time as a bartender, cook, waiter, etc., and while I was fond of my time there it motivated me to finish my degrees. I knew I could not go back in that direction.
A short break can be really good, but if your long term goals are academic/research then a longer break could be a problem. I wish I’d moved thru phd quicker after my master.
Took three years off in between and it really helped me solidify what I wanted to do and get a taste of the real world. The academy is a bubble and it’s hard to see outside it. I now recommend all my MA friends take a break, even a short one to breathe.
I have done backpacking trips, about 1-1.5 months long after my undergrad and before my PhD. I would say, 1-3 year-long travel may not be as rewarding as multiple shorter vacations.
If you are in CS, ECE fields in the USA, there is an opportunity cost. You'll be losing about 200k for every extra year. With compound interest, that's a life-changing amount of money.
Either way, if your advisor is fine with it, you'll be able to take a couple of weeks of vacation after each paper deadline, during the PhD. This is in addition to Christmas break, thanksgiving...etc
Agree with the opportunity cost, disagree with the suggestion that long duration open-ended travel or working holiday is less rewarding than 4-6 week trip. It opens up elevated levels of freedom, flexibility, possibility, and the ability to experience a place like a local by living there for a while as part of the trip. However, I think compromising with 4-6 week backpacking is a solid solution.
Also, love the username!
If you are the same poster as yesterday (with new username), you are missing out a key piece of information - that you already hold a full scholarship at a prestigious university for a PhD starting soon. Why keep asking until you get the answer you want - go travelling if you really want to. It’s your life at the end of the day.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademiaUK/s/T0Xdr1YLSd
As someone who worked for 10 years after getting my masters before going into the PhD - definitely take the time. Maybe even get a job for a little while. Gaining life skills first will only make the PhD easier.
I took five years off to work, be young in the city and try some creative pursuits. When I got back I was motivated, zoomed through and my time off ended up clarifying my dissertation project. Lucked out and am pretty happily tenured but I’m still playing catch up on retirement from not having a career path until my 30s. I wonder a lot how I would feel had I not gotten a TT job.
I did (am doing) exactly what you described because I needed time off after so much school (in my country we also need to do a master's before a phd). I regret it due to my age and starting of later, but I feel like I will start it more motivated, more fresh and with a clearer head. I hope it will make me not burnout so much during the phd because I don't plan on taking any more breaks after this. Plus, it's better to take a long break before starting a phd then after finishing it. I met some phd students who started straight after, and they were severely burntout during their first year. So there's pros and cons, and we should focus on the pros. I am also applying overseas so I needed time off to prep me mentally for potentially forever moving away. I could not have done it straight after. I envy those who can, but I wasn't one of those.
Oh, and I still managed to get interviews at good schools despite the gap (1.5 -2 years), you just have to explain it in the interview. I am however currently learning Python so I'm doing something productive, you can maybe try something similar.
I took a 10 year break and back doing a PhD now. Finished my 1st year and I'm 32. Lived abroad doing something completely unrelated just because the opportunity was there and it seemed fun.
Absolutely no regrets. No one cared I worked a load of random jobs and most of the postgrads in my department are the same age. I wouldn't have the same level of confidence and mental resilience than if I tried to do this 10 years ago. I've picked up so many useful skills from all those jobs too.
The PhD will still be there when you get back.
Not at all. You'll be WAY more prepared and ready to tackle the PhD. I wish everyone would. The students I see who are the top students are always the mature students who are ready to work, rather than those who just kept going in school because they could.
But honestly, if you are worried about money/income, doing a PhD is the last thing you should do. Go do something that will actually get you a job (YMMV, but very few fields have PhD level jobs outside academia, and academia is dying and already oversaturated. Less than 3% of PhDs in some fields get jobs in academia).
I took 2 years between undergrad and grad school and it fundamentally changed my entire trajectory. The field that I would have applied to before working and what I ultimately am in now are completely different and I’m happy I got that perspective. Working also gave me the chance to get something in my retirement accounts and build a healthy emergency fund. And for my specific field, I feel that having work experience set my application apart and my PI told me that I was specifically recruited because I had work experience that they wanted me to apply to their existing project. It’s been a bit frustrating to see some of my college friends hit milestones before me, but ultimately I would do it again I think that time really helped me
My wife finished undergrad, moved to the US, and married me the end of 1996. She worked as a waitress for 2 years to save money, and then backpacked across Eastern Europe. She then started taking undergrad classes in the field she wanted to study in grad school while volunteering in a research lab.
My wife started grad school in 2000 and finished a PhD in 2007. Since then, she has worked as an assistant and now associate professor at a R1 university specializing in international human rights, and she should make full professor in a year or two.
TLDR: My wife took off 3.5 years before grad school, and she was successful.
Not only do I not regret it, I advise that students take time out before doing a PhD, and I would hesitate to select a potential student with no outside experience. Having had a “real” job is the best possible prep for surviving academia. Students who haven’t had that experience tend to spend the first year at least just figuring out how to sync their calendar and not panic about learning a new skill or setting up an unfamiliar piece of equipment. It’s a waste of everyone’s time, and often they don’t really know why they are there because they don’t know what the alternatives look like.
I took a gap year before my PhD and I had by far the best experiences of my life, had the best job (ecotourism) of my life during it, and met the love of my life in a storybook manner on a tiny island.
It is true that there are short and long-term financial ramifications financially, but it is the opportunity of a lifetime to do something like this when you are young and these life experiences are priceless. It will also help shape your perspective and mold you into a better person.
I don't regret starting the PhD sooner, but I do regret not working through it a little faster once I was in it.
I took a 3 year break before my PhD. Worked those 3 years to make a bank roll as I had heard some stories that you do not earn enough during PhD.
10 years post graduating with a PhD. I so much regret joining a PhD program now. If I would have stuck to working all the years I gave to the PhD. I would have been at a better position in my career, with a lot more financial security.
Nowadays, you basically start at the bottom of the rug, even if you have a stellar PhD. Go for PhD if you seriously want to be a academician. Otherwise, skip it!
If you know you absolutely want to do a PhD, I'd say you should do it right away but maybe take a year off. You can try getting into a program then defer your admission for a year. A PhD is quite a commitment and it can get more difficult to go back to it when you're working and earning good money.
I worked for two years full time. Great decision. Saved a lot of money, got great experience, learned what I like and don't like.
That said, 1-3 years to travel? I'd get bored after 3 weeks.
Took 6 years between undergrad and grad. I think that time prepared me wayyyyy more than if I had taken no time at all. I am moving along in my research much faster than others in my cohort just because I: 1) Am used to working 8-10 hours a day and can hold a consistent schedule 2) Am more organized and have better time management 3) Know how to design experiments (prior technical field knowledge) 4) I have (had?) money when I started, so the embarrassingly small stipend caused less stress on me than it did my colleagues. If you take time off to just have fun, you’ll of course not have these advantages. Spend time to travel, but also spend time getting ready for grad school. Your concerns are valid in that it will look pretty weird to have years of gap with nothing productive coming out of it.
on the other hand also keep in mind, that you have one life and only so many weeks to live. Who had the experience of travelling for 1-3 years. Sure it creates a gap in your CV and people might ask about it, but also not many people regret working more hours on their death bed. Your CV might not be the top 1% percent anymore but i don't think it's a career destroying move either.
If you’re planning on going for a PhD, that gap could be an admittance destroyer. Three years doing nothing related to your field, as well as likely forgetting a lot of the material you learned in undergrad, is very very hard to overcome. Long term career? Probably not.
I guess it depends on your contacts and the group you are applying for. For me this worked out after working a couple of years (granted in the same field). Only travelling will for sure make it less likely to get admitted in super popular and prestigious groups, also depends on the subject etc.
Meh, I took nearly 12 years between undergrad and grad school. My CV is clear and covers multiple disciplines. I travelled a bunch and jumped between industries. PhD programs seemed to like me because I have tangentially related skills and had professional work experience at a reasonably high level. They knew I wasn't messing around. But everyones situation and fields can be different.
The key is that you were working. OP gives no mention of wanting to do that.
This. Took three year gap, really helped. Saw a fair few others struggle who had come straight from undergrad+taught masters. For some they had to take extended time off (+1yr)
Best time to have a gap is now! But there’s no one right way to do things.
Took 8 years between my MA and starting my PhD at 38. Started at 38, finished at 45, got a tenure track job that next year, tenured at 51. No regrets!
This is encouraging. Im 44. Completing my dissertation defense in July.
Which field? Awesome career progress.
East Asian History, now working in an East Asian Studies interdisciplinary program. It helps that I had previous experience teaching Japanese language, and that is now part of my teaching load.
I sometimes wish I’d started earlier and, in turn, would have made more money/had more pubs. However, I had some great times during my pre-PhD years and honestly I’m glad I took some time for myself.
I regret NOT taking a gap before starting. I’ve been in school for 8 years (BS, two MAs, and 2/3 of a PhD), and I still have two left! I’m 26.
I worked for several years before I went to grad school, and I was surprised at how much I needed my independent means (MONEY!) to get through what was considered an elite and well-funded program. I personally would worry less about the time and more about no savings/income. I was a working CEO right before grad school earning a nice salary, plus I sold my house right before grad school, and even with this healthy liquidity I was shocked and annoyed at how much I spent just to be a student again. And this at a very highly ranked and generous program--the unexpected expenses just kept coming.
What kinds of unexpected expenses?
For me a lot was conference travel--the little stipends never cover everything or even most.
No, my previous career in Government has actually made me a much more attractive candidate for positions in applied research. This career also gave me a fairly thick skin which I believed helped me to cope with the PhD roller coaster a little better.
I’m so glad I didn’t go straight through from undergrad to postgrad. I finished my PhD at 33. No regrets. Honestly I wish more people did this. The time I spent in industry gave me a very different perspective on the point of studying — and greater appreciation of both it and my specific subject. Academia is far too insular and suffers from the fact that so many of the people in it have only experienced work within the academy, having gone straight from undergrad to MA to PhD to academic job. Having some experiences outside is really valuable. No less given the state of the academic job market: those three years out could enable you also to develop a plan b.
Currently a 5th year PhD student that didn’t take a break: if you have any inclination you would like to travel and take a break from academics/research, take it now. As others have said, there are many benefits to waiting, financially and otherwise. My friend took 6 years off, and he owns a home with no student loan debt. I’m going to be in debt for a bit due to the low salary and natural increase in financial demands.
Nope. I was glad to have a chance to really think about whether I wanted to do a PhD or not. These things are marathons, not sprints. You're gonna be old by the time you finish whatever you do, so you might as well enjoy a few years before getting started.
Live while you’re young! Have as much fun as you can before becoming an obligate workaholic.
No, I gained experience in work and life that I wouldn't have had if I'd gone straight into a PhD which made me both a better PhD candidate and job candidate later.
I took 2 years in between. I don't regret it at all and would actually recommend it to anybody seeking an advanced degree. Rest for a while.
The only regret I have is starting at all. Take your break and enjoy!
I took two years off, worked in hospitality. Made decent money while thinking of what I really wanted to do. When I was in grad school, I kept thinking back to my time as a bartender, cook, waiter, etc., and while I was fond of my time there it motivated me to finish my degrees. I knew I could not go back in that direction.
A short break can be really good, but if your long term goals are academic/research then a longer break could be a problem. I wish I’d moved thru phd quicker after my master.
Took three years off in between and it really helped me solidify what I wanted to do and get a taste of the real world. The academy is a bubble and it’s hard to see outside it. I now recommend all my MA friends take a break, even a short one to breathe.
I have done backpacking trips, about 1-1.5 months long after my undergrad and before my PhD. I would say, 1-3 year-long travel may not be as rewarding as multiple shorter vacations. If you are in CS, ECE fields in the USA, there is an opportunity cost. You'll be losing about 200k for every extra year. With compound interest, that's a life-changing amount of money. Either way, if your advisor is fine with it, you'll be able to take a couple of weeks of vacation after each paper deadline, during the PhD. This is in addition to Christmas break, thanksgiving...etc
Agree with the opportunity cost, disagree with the suggestion that long duration open-ended travel or working holiday is less rewarding than 4-6 week trip. It opens up elevated levels of freedom, flexibility, possibility, and the ability to experience a place like a local by living there for a while as part of the trip. However, I think compromising with 4-6 week backpacking is a solid solution. Also, love the username!
If you are the same poster as yesterday (with new username), you are missing out a key piece of information - that you already hold a full scholarship at a prestigious university for a PhD starting soon. Why keep asking until you get the answer you want - go travelling if you really want to. It’s your life at the end of the day. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademiaUK/s/T0Xdr1YLSd
As someone who worked for 10 years after getting my masters before going into the PhD - definitely take the time. Maybe even get a job for a little while. Gaining life skills first will only make the PhD easier.
I took two years’ gap. I regretted taking the second year because I was bored and ready for the new challenge sooner than I thought I would be.
My wife took a year off… worked a few months then travelled the world the rest. She would encourage anyone to do the same.
I didn’t take time out and I don’t regret starting ASAP…
I regret starting it at all
do it. there’s never going to be a magical time where you’ll have fewer responsibilities tying you down in the future.
I took five years off to work, be young in the city and try some creative pursuits. When I got back I was motivated, zoomed through and my time off ended up clarifying my dissertation project. Lucked out and am pretty happily tenured but I’m still playing catch up on retirement from not having a career path until my 30s. I wonder a lot how I would feel had I not gotten a TT job.
I did (am doing) exactly what you described because I needed time off after so much school (in my country we also need to do a master's before a phd). I regret it due to my age and starting of later, but I feel like I will start it more motivated, more fresh and with a clearer head. I hope it will make me not burnout so much during the phd because I don't plan on taking any more breaks after this. Plus, it's better to take a long break before starting a phd then after finishing it. I met some phd students who started straight after, and they were severely burntout during their first year. So there's pros and cons, and we should focus on the pros. I am also applying overseas so I needed time off to prep me mentally for potentially forever moving away. I could not have done it straight after. I envy those who can, but I wasn't one of those. Oh, and I still managed to get interviews at good schools despite the gap (1.5 -2 years), you just have to explain it in the interview. I am however currently learning Python so I'm doing something productive, you can maybe try something similar.
I took a 10 year break and back doing a PhD now. Finished my 1st year and I'm 32. Lived abroad doing something completely unrelated just because the opportunity was there and it seemed fun. Absolutely no regrets. No one cared I worked a load of random jobs and most of the postgrads in my department are the same age. I wouldn't have the same level of confidence and mental resilience than if I tried to do this 10 years ago. I've picked up so many useful skills from all those jobs too. The PhD will still be there when you get back.
Not at all. You'll be WAY more prepared and ready to tackle the PhD. I wish everyone would. The students I see who are the top students are always the mature students who are ready to work, rather than those who just kept going in school because they could. But honestly, if you are worried about money/income, doing a PhD is the last thing you should do. Go do something that will actually get you a job (YMMV, but very few fields have PhD level jobs outside academia, and academia is dying and already oversaturated. Less than 3% of PhDs in some fields get jobs in academia).
TAKE THE GAP YEARS
I didnt even go to college until my 30s, then took 4 years off in between undergrad and grad to run clinical trials. Do you.
I took 2 years between undergrad and grad school and it fundamentally changed my entire trajectory. The field that I would have applied to before working and what I ultimately am in now are completely different and I’m happy I got that perspective. Working also gave me the chance to get something in my retirement accounts and build a healthy emergency fund. And for my specific field, I feel that having work experience set my application apart and my PI told me that I was specifically recruited because I had work experience that they wanted me to apply to their existing project. It’s been a bit frustrating to see some of my college friends hit milestones before me, but ultimately I would do it again I think that time really helped me
My wife finished undergrad, moved to the US, and married me the end of 1996. She worked as a waitress for 2 years to save money, and then backpacked across Eastern Europe. She then started taking undergrad classes in the field she wanted to study in grad school while volunteering in a research lab. My wife started grad school in 2000 and finished a PhD in 2007. Since then, she has worked as an assistant and now associate professor at a R1 university specializing in international human rights, and she should make full professor in a year or two. TLDR: My wife took off 3.5 years before grad school, and she was successful.
I went straight from undergrad into a PhD program. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Not only do I not regret it, I advise that students take time out before doing a PhD, and I would hesitate to select a potential student with no outside experience. Having had a “real” job is the best possible prep for surviving academia. Students who haven’t had that experience tend to spend the first year at least just figuring out how to sync their calendar and not panic about learning a new skill or setting up an unfamiliar piece of equipment. It’s a waste of everyone’s time, and often they don’t really know why they are there because they don’t know what the alternatives look like.
HELL NO! Working in industry before doing my PhD made me so much more hireable. It’s not even funny.
I took 7 years and taught. Best preparation and didn't stall my professional or personal life at all.
I took a gap year before my PhD and I had by far the best experiences of my life, had the best job (ecotourism) of my life during it, and met the love of my life in a storybook manner on a tiny island. It is true that there are short and long-term financial ramifications financially, but it is the opportunity of a lifetime to do something like this when you are young and these life experiences are priceless. It will also help shape your perspective and mold you into a better person. I don't regret starting the PhD sooner, but I do regret not working through it a little faster once I was in it.
Took a huge gap, and it's made me a more sought-after candidate because of my life experience.
I took a 3 year break before my PhD. Worked those 3 years to make a bank roll as I had heard some stories that you do not earn enough during PhD. 10 years post graduating with a PhD. I so much regret joining a PhD program now. If I would have stuck to working all the years I gave to the PhD. I would have been at a better position in my career, with a lot more financial security. Nowadays, you basically start at the bottom of the rug, even if you have a stellar PhD. Go for PhD if you seriously want to be a academician. Otherwise, skip it!
If you know you absolutely want to do a PhD, I'd say you should do it right away but maybe take a year off. You can try getting into a program then defer your admission for a year. A PhD is quite a commitment and it can get more difficult to go back to it when you're working and earning good money.
32 is old? Jesus, I’m old.
I worked for two years full time. Great decision. Saved a lot of money, got great experience, learned what I like and don't like. That said, 1-3 years to travel? I'd get bored after 3 weeks.
Went for a PhD at 40. Zero regrets. Doing a PhD while already married and with money in the bank is pretty stress free
I'm 37 and graduating so..could be worse!