SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user sought career advice on the platform recently, being in a dilemma over whether she should continue with the corporate job and life she has now, or pursue a PhD and go into academia.
In a nutshell, commenters advised her to make sure she lives life without regrets.
In her Tuesday (Sep 2) post on r/askSingapore, u/Beginning_Medium3551 explained that she’s now aged 36, has been working full-time in marketing for 16 years, and now has an opportunity for something new.
“As much as I enjoyed my career, I think I came to a point where I don’t really want to continue this life where work consumes the entirety of me (wake up at 6 a.m., start work at 8:30 a.m., work until 7 to 8 p.m., reach home at 10 p.m. every day),” she wrote, adding that while she’s not complaining about it, she also wonders if “life is just as such” or if she’s having a mid-life crisis.
She went to Austria for her master’s degree a few years ago, and, quite unexpectedly, enjoyed studying.
“The opportunity to work on a proper thesis got me so excited, I couldn’t understand why research has this much grip on me. Last month, I received my grade for my thesis and got an A1 equivalent. My professor also briefly expressed interest in my topic that if I want to do a deeper dive, I should pursue a PhD and go into research/academia,” she added.
The self-confessed late bloomer admitted to some trepidation about transitioning to academia at her age but knows that this could be true of any other mid-career change. The post author hoped to receive good advice, especially from those with similar experiences.
Many commenters on the post encouraged her to take a leap of faith.
“Better to do it and regret it than regret not doing it. At least this is what someone once told me… pretty useful general guidance. 36 ain’t that old, so even if it goes sideways, you can always come back to Singapore,” was a top comment.
“Just to point out that you might be working long hours and even weekends if you’re doing PhD, but at least you’re working towards things that you earnestly want,” wrote a Reddit user.
A commenter pursuing their PhD wrote that it may be too late for the post author to join academia on the tenure track. However, the commenter added: “If it’s to join academia on a teaching track and be a lecturer, I think this is feasible since you have working experience.”
“My husband is in his late 30s and doing his PhD now. Kinda a late bloomer too. He really enjoyed it. I think if that’s what you want to do, go for it,” wrote another commenter. /TISG
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