Ph.D. - piled higher and deeper

Many have asked me (including family), "why are you getting a Ph.D.?"

Let's look at it from a logical point of view. If you look at the pay jump from bachelors to master's (which takes 1-2 years), it is pretty worth it. The jump in pay from master's to doctorate isn't as much and it takes more than twice as long to get a Ph.D. compared to a masters. So there is little benefit from the purely monetary point of view (sure, the initial pay will be higher, but you lost 4-6 years of good wage to get it).

My initial intention was to just get a master's degree and get a job. My dad has two (engineering and business), which I admire. Maybe I wanted to be the first "doctor" in my family. Not really, I don't really care that much.

I guess that I just went through the doorway that was open in front of me. I've always done well in school and liked it and maybe I just feel safe in this environment. I've figured it out and have my system. I also feel like it has opened potential opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise (being a professor, doing the best research, etc.). There's an old joke that says a B.S. stands for bull$&#*, M.S. stands for more of it, and Ph.D. is piled higher and deeper. I have found that you don't necessarily have to be super smart to do it. You mostly just have to be stupid enough to stick around long enough until your advisors tell you, "write up your work and go get a job, you bum".

I'm still not sold on becoming a professor. They all seem overworked and stressed. You have to prepare lesson plans and tests for class, teach the class, grade hw and tests. You have to bring in a bunch of money by writing proposals that most likely won't be granted to manage a group of graduate students to do research. You have to serve on university and departmental committees. I know some professors that say they work 50 hours per week, but after their kids go to bed, they put in 2-3 hours writing or reading stuff at night. Yuck, I just don't think that I have that much entrepreneur in me. I don't care if I'm famous. I want a good wage, benefits, work 40-50 hours a week, occasionally travel to conferences, and be home with my family. Someone told me how you choose: decide what you want to do on a Friday night. If you like reading and writing professional journal publications on Friday night, be a professor. If you like to (fill in the blank) on Friday night, do something else.

The ambitious side of me says that I can grow more as person by being a professor, but even though I like teaching and doing research and am decent at writing, I just have a hard time getting excited about working that much when I can make a similar amount working less. The realist side of me says - it's a job that supports your family. Do it well, get your paycheck, and enjoy the time with your family. Now, that sounds a little more exciting, albeit less exotic. For me, my job isn't who I am, but just a part of me. When I retire, I want to be done and not feel lost because I've lost my "identity". Don't get me wrong. I want to do something I enjoy, but I'm interested in a whole lot of things.

So, if you want to get a Ph.D., go for it. But don't call me doctor.