Caught between finishing a PhD thesis and taking a job
I have just completed three years of my PhD and am only two to three months off submitting my thesis. Prior to my PhD I had a fairly successful 10-year career but was made redundant because of a site closure.
I have recently been approached by my former boss who is now working at a contract research organisation. I agreed to attend an interview but was taken aback by unprofessional questions about my marital status (I am female), and whether my reasons for doing a PhD were because my career had become stagnant. It had, a little, and I was probably stupid to admit this.
The company has since offered me a graduate six-month position, which does not take into account my experience or doctoral training. It needs highly experienced people and is forcing me into a two-week start, which means that I can no longer commit full-time to writing my thesis. I tried to negotiate a more senior grade (not necessarily a higher salary), but the company is refusing to budge.
I don’t particularly need a job right now (I would rather complete my thesis), but think it might be a way to get back into the system until I find a better job. On the other hand, I feel that I am being taken advantage of and that taking this job may reflect badly on my ability to secure a more senior role in the future, which was the main reason for doing a PhD.
Jeremy says
On the slender evidence of this letter, your self-confidence level would seem to be a little low. I say this because, were it not for the unexpected – and uninvited – intervention of your former boss, you’d have been entirely content with your present situation. You’ve worked away on your PhD for three years and are now within three months of submitting your thesis, which you look forward to completing. You’re in the fortunate position of not, for the moment, needing to earn money.
It’s only the offer of a job that’s unsettled you; and what’s more, a job that doesn’t particularly appeal. I assume that this offer, unwelcome and unattractive though it is, has had the effect of raising doubts in your mind about your chances of finding employment when your PhD is secured. Understandable though such anxieties always are, I urge you to put them aside; to behave as if this offer had never happened.
It’s possible, certainly, that you’d find it easier to get a job from a position of employment. But, as you point out yourself, the lowly status of this particular role might have the opposite effect. And anything that interferes with your PhD should be resisted.
Your former boss may think he or she is doing you a favour. In fact, your career plan was progressing perfectly well and all they’ve done is disrupt it.
You undertook your PhD in the belief that it would help you secure a more senior, more satisfying job. Hang on to that belief, blinker yourself from all distractions – and go for it.
Readers say
• It sounds like you were rattled by the interview, and that this and the rather poor job offer have knocked your self-confidence. Don’t abandon your thesis to be thrust back where you were 10 years ago with the employer who made you redundant in the first place. You have achieved so much and are on the final straight. Saying no can only help to boost your confidence. Horatio93
• You don’t need a job at the moment and unless jobs in your field are incredibly difficult to find, I wouldn’t rush into anything. I suspect your former boss has a position at a certain grade and salary to fill and is looking to avoid recruitment fees. walkinginthesand
• So they need you to start immediately because they need your experience – but they insist on giving you a position with the pay and seniority of an inexperienced person. This seems like a great deal for them, but a pretty poor one for you. fluffbunnyrabbits
Dare I give up the day job and go freelance full time?
I’ve been a graphic designer for about 15 years and the last 10 have been with the same employer. While it’s a good job, I’ve always wanted to try freelancing but never really had the opportunity. Recently, though, I started working for a client in my own time.
I really enjoy the work and working from home as well. Sadly it’s not financially worthwhile giving up my day job – I’d be earning less than half if I went full-time freelance. I tried to negotiate my day-job hours down to three days a week, but my employers refused.
I hate the idea of being stuck with my employer forever and I can’t really carry on working in both jobs simultaneously – it’s leaving me with no spare time. Part of me wants to make the leap. I just can’t see where the rest of my freelance income will come from. Is it really a case of “just do it”? While that sounds great, I’m not so sure my landlord will agree if I can’t pay the rent.
Jeremy says
I doubt you have any real idea of your personal market value. At least for the last 10 years, you’ve relied on your employer to attract work; to price it; to get paid; and to determine your own pay – or so I assume. Your income must have been at least satisfactory enough for you to have stayed as for long as you have. You’ve also had none of the hassle of marketing yourself, invoicing clients and doing your own tax returns.
So when you say that if you went full-time freelance you’d be earning less than half as much, I don’t quite understand how you work that out. You’re either reckoning on doing half as much work or the same amount of work for half the money – neither of which has to be the case.
As a freelance, you have some control over the amount of work you attract and the price you charge for it. Designers with little business experience are often diffident about the value they place on their work and so tend to undercharge. My guess is you’re doing exactly that for the freelance work you’re doing in your own time. And that’s why most artists need agents to act on their behalf to drum up business and negotiate fees. Yes, they’ll want a commission, but the good ones more than earn it.
So rather than cut yourself off from all help and go totally freelance, you’d be wiser either to find an agent, or to join a co-operative of other graphic designers.
Readers say
• Being freelance isn’t just a matter of economics. It’s also about temperament. Work doesn’t land on the doorstep by magic, so you have to market yourself. That requires confidence. Some clients will not pay promptly, so you also need to be diplomatic and assertive. You need to be thick skinned, or you won’t get much sleep if things go wobbly. I have doubts about whether you have the right temperament for the freelance life, and would encourage you instead to look for a better salaried job. 28taurus
• I, too, worried about the finances before going freelance. In the end it really was a matter of “just do it”. For me the worry that I won’t make the rent or have enough income is a fantastic motivator. It gets me up in the morning, ensures I give 110% on every project, and that clients come back with more work. happyfreelancer
• Have you considered temping for a while? This might give you an opportunity to work for different clients and test your skills in the market. Angi Henn
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or reply personally.
