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Is it crazy to start a new career at 30?

Is 30 too old to start a PhD in biology with the aim of an academic career?

  • At the moment I am still a spring chicken, just over halfway through a BSc/BA degree and intending to do a 6 month internship and honours. I think I will be about 27 by the time I achieve this. I get good marks when I apply myself, recently got an award for undergrad botany. I've done several independent projects as part of the advanced stream and I've decided I love research and think I could make a career out of it. However I am equally passionate about travel, and have been feeling burnt out of late. I'm not ready to jump straight into a PhD after graduating. Would it be stupid of me to take a few years before graduate school if I mostly spend it traveling and perhaps working as a research assistant or whatever graduate job I can get? If I do this I will probably be 30 when I start a PhD, and about 33 when I apply for a post-doc (I live in Australia where PhDs are usually 3 years). Is this too old? I would appreciate any advice from research scientists in Australia (or outside), especially any women who have started a family early in their career. Thanks in advance

  • Answer:

    It's not too late to start a Ph.D., but you should take a look at the academic job market.  In most fields it's difficult for anyone to get an academic position.

Joseph Wang at Quora Visit the source

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Many graduate programs like to see time off between undergrad and grad school. Many PhD candidates are also in their 30s. So I think it would be fine to start your PhD whenever you feel like it. It sounds like you want a break. Go do whatever you want to. Set your own pace and let everything else keep up with you.

Savannah Niles

Lots of people do PhDs in their 30s, so I can definitely reccomend it. However, academic careers are hard - most people with PhDs don't end up in research, and those who do have to go through multiple short-term contracts. So it's worth considering whether you will be OK with an unsettled lifestyle after you graduate.

Rebecca Nesbit

It depends on if the school has a track record of their PhD's getting into the type position you want. Go to the school because of the EDUCATION AND PLACEMENT.....and at 35 you could work 30 years and still have 20 years retirement

Charles Rein

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