Worth doing but not worth having? The influence of personal aspirations and career expectations on the value of a doctorate

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the interaction between the component domains of doctoral value to identify those which have a greater influence on overall perceptions of the value of a doctorate. This study also investigates what may lead an individual to say the doctorate was not worth doing. Design/methodology/approach Using Bryan and Guccione’s (2018) conceptual model of “doctoral value”, this study used a qualitative survey, to examine 261 perceptions of the value of the doctorate in a range of employment contexts. Findings Individual perceptions of value are dynamically influenced by the fulfilment of expectations, career achievements and the employer’s perception of the doctorate’s value. The authors found that the circumstances of respondents’ current employment are the most common predictor of overall perceived value and that those who reported that their doctorates were “not worth doing” attributed this to lack of a positive career outcome. Originality/value A recurring concept was that respondents considered that their doctorate had been “worth doing” for the value it conveyed to them personally, but not “worth having” because of its low value to employers. This new understanding illustrates the complexity of decision-making and the individual career timelines that influence value. This study positions the “career value” and “personal value” domains as determinant in informing individual value judgements. The findings of this study lend weight to calls for doctoral education to focus on non-academic careers and also inspire further investigation into how non-academic employers recruit, motivate and value doctoral graduates.

Doctoral Supervision: A Best Practice Review

“…This is the end of a phase in the life of the doctoral students, and possibly the start of the rest of their career. Supervisors therefore need to be aware of the career aspirations of their doctoral students [28], to help them to develop appropriate transferable skills [111], and to make efforts to support their professional development by embedding them within their discipline and/or profession [4,113,114]. The careers of doctoral students are now more varied, and, as the percentage of the population with a doctorate increases, most will seek careers outside of academia, and often this is now perceived to be the most likely career path in certain discipline areas [115].…”

Supporting Doctoral Students in Crisis

“…Doctoral students have often brought an aspiration for a new career, or for career enhancement, and that awareness, or its frustration, can become an issue in their wellbeing and/or doctoral progression [64]. As above, supervisors might have limited knowledge or capacity to fully support related development, especially as the proliferation in purposes and focus of doctoral studies [65] means many doctoral students no longer aspire to an academic career, and, whether planned or not, most doctoral candidates will end up working outside academia [17,[66][67][68]. This is another area where signposting to wider sources of information and support may well be an appropriate response.…”

“…Part-time doctoral students in particular are under significant pressure, because in addition to academic and personal issues they are likely to be juggling parenting or professional responsibilities. It is also the case that increasingly, nominally 'fulltime' doctoral students are undertaking significant paid work, because of funding issues or a perceived need to build a wider portfolio of skills and experiences in order to access valued postdoctoral opportunities [17,65,67]. There might be particular professional-related pressures on women [22,69,70].…”

Editorial: Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education during a decade of change

“…Another example is Guccione and Bryan (2023), who used survey data from early career researchers to offer insight not just into how an individual might value graduating with the doctorate but also how the doctorate is received within the workplace. How well the doctorate aligns with the needs of employers outside of academia is a question of crucial concern, and one where the answer plays an outsized influence on the future of the doctorate overall.…”