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A lot of people believe that a doctorate degree is only important in preparing you for a career path in academia and that it is a footing to becoming a professor. While the latter may be true, the former is a very popular misunderstood concept.

A doctorate degree also prepares you for other career paths too.

The degree provides you with an opportunity to diversify into a lot of different careers outside of academia. There are a number of career paths that require or at the very list encourage the acquisition of a doctorate in order to push forward, these career paths are literally what you do or take on after you have gotten a doctorate degree.

Pursuing a Doctoral Degree enables you to increase your knowledge in a particular field. For the love of professional information that a doctorate degree exposes you to, if you are able to, you shouldn’t waste time to get the degree even if you have no intentions of going into academia.

Fair Enough, getting a Doctorate degree is a considerable financial commitment not to mention the time commitment. A lot of people say it’s a waste of time going through the whole process if you do not want to pursue a career in academia. However, the merits that come with it are far greater than its downside. Even if you have no plans to be a professor, there are other career paths available.

As the number of master’s graduates increases, getting a doctorate degree can put you on a qualification edge in the employment world. A professional in a field would be obviously preferred by an employee or company; as he would be beneficial to the company. In many countries, most doctorate holders do not go on to work in academia.

Although people have emphasized that a doctorate will be very helpful if you desire to take on a career in research. It has been long established that a doctorate degree will be useful in the long run whether in industry or academia.

Here are a few reasons to study a PhD even if you have no intentions of working in academia.

For the love of new knowledge

If you are curious and desire to learn, then getting a PhD is a great way to utilize your curiosity. Getting a Doctorate degree can enable you to advance knowledge in your field.

Society needs it

A doctorate degree can help you contribute significantly to society. Doctoral degrees are quite practical. Confucius once proposed, “The essence of knowledge is having it, to apply it.”  The training that PhD students undergo enables them to have a mindset targeted towards solving problems. This is very important in our society as doctorate degree holders have the potential to change the world.

Earn more

Doctorate degree holders significantly have higher paychecks in industries. They are paid higher than master’s degree holders. According to US Census Bureau data, a PhD holder can have a 33% higher paycheck than a master’s degree holder. For example, People with PhD degrees may have average yearly earnings of $3.4 million when compared with the $2.5 million of a master’s degree holder and $2.1 million of a bachelor’s degree holder.

Increase your self-esteem

When you achieve something great, your self-esteem is boosted. The more you accomplish, the better you feel about yourself. Great achievement encourages one to build a mindset that attracts success. A doctorate degree maybe that great achievement you require to boost the belief you have in your abilities. You would be able to walk into a room head high without feeling intimidated.

Some industries require it

Gathering knowledge through getting a doctorate degree is worth so much. Industries and employees are constantly in search of PhD holders to be part of their organization; as they are in need of as many professional heads as they can get. If master’s degrees are the new bachelor’s degrees, then PhDs are the new master’s degrees. You don’t have to worry about what you would do with a doctorate degree since you do not want to take on a career in academia. A doctorate degree leaves you open to other types of jobs.

Develop important skills

A doctorate degree would help you develop important skills while polishing those you have already. The good thing is that you do not have to put these skills into academia if you don’t want to. These skills are highly valued in all career paths.

Make new discoveries in your chosen field

At the completion of a doctorate degree, you would do research. This research is not conducted in groups, it is a one-person task. Some people decide to take on a doctorate degree because they are passionate about their chosen field and want to make tremendous discoveries that would benefit society.  If you make a good discovery, you could have your research published in journals and other experts in your field would consult and reference your research work in the future.

Enjoy and explore your field

As earlier stated, some people study for a PhD because they are passionate and want to explore their field as much as they can. They have no interest in being a professor or teaching in colleges. They just love knowledge and want to know more.

In Conclusion

A PhD (Doctorate Degree) is an intense course and one that must be taken seriously. It is important that you take time to think about why you want to study a PhD. Whether you want a doctorate degree to enable you to pursue a career in academic or to help you get that dream job, studying a PhD holds great benefits.