My surname is a homophone of "who", so I've been saying for years now that I'd love to get a doctorate so I can finally fulfill my destiny as Doctor Who. Combine that with a long line of pushy doctorate-having family members and my "inherent sciency-ness" and it probably seems pretty clear where I'm headed. Of course, there are several factors standing in my way, one of which is this: many people with doctorates piss me off. Please direct your attention to this wonderful infographic:
Having never gone for my PhD, I might not have believed it, if I hadn't encountered SO VERY MANY examples in my life. I seem to be surrounded by people who think that, for example, having PhDs in statistics and math precludes them from ever needing to see a therapist because "I have a PhD too, so they can't tell me anything I don't know", or their PhD in music makes them a calculus expert, or their PhD in engineering instantly makes them able to drive a boat, or their PhD in philosophy makes them fantastic at building IKEA furniture (but while we're on the topic, that degree might incidentally qualify them to be an extra in an existentialist Ingmar Bergman flick...if he were still alive and making movies). Now, I know that PhDs and Superman complexes won't always go hand in hand, but the relationship makes so much sense that I wonder how rare it is. Every single person with a doctorate went through A LOT to get that degree, and likely went through even more to put that degree to work (*cough* postdoc! *cough*) and in a fair world that kind of hard work would be appropriately rewarded. More often than not, that's not the case. Many individuals with doctorates struggle to find work because they're overqualified for most jobs if they don't want to remain in academia, and once they do find work, they'll often do the same work as someone with a lower-level degree and make less money. So it absolutely follows that they'd seek "small victories" elsewhere. Your average disgruntled doctorate-haver-turned-overqualified-office-grunt might attempt to dominate the kitchen, the checkout line at the grocery store, the roads, fields they know nothing about, etc., just to feel like their hard work has gotten them somewhere. And I get it. I really do. And I know you're not all like that. Just don't expect me to be queuing up at the provost's office anytime soon to join you.
*(note: this is in no way intended to be a knock at higher education or anyone with a higher degree - I have a master's degree and really do want my PhD so I can finally work as a scientist, which has been my lifelong dream - I might just need to be a little stronger and wiser and richer and happier with my entire life before I go back to school.)
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