connect Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Dear members, I will be immigrating to Melbourne on PR 189 visa. I have been looking to do PhD in Dermatology / skin disease related project. I was told to quit this idea as PhD is considered over qualified qualification and that there are simply no jobs for PhD in Australia. The university prefers native Australian citizens for PhD positions until a Australian PR with Australian PhD has an excellent academic profile. How far is that true? Please share your thoughts for PhD jobs in Melbourne, Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Dear members, I will be immigrating to Melbourne on PR 189 visa. I have been looking to do PhD in Dermatology / skin disease related project. I was told to quit this idea as PhD is considered over qualified qualification and that there are simply no jobs for PhD in Australia. The university prefers native Australian citizens for PhD positions until a Australian PR with Australian PhD has an excellent academic profile. How far is that true? Please share your thoughts for PhD jobs in Melbourne, Many thanks I'm not sure a Ph.D is the route to getting a job anywhere - is that really the point of doing a Ph.D? I don't know anything about your field so I could be wrong but unless you are looking for a job in academia a Ph.D is probably a waste of time/money. In my field (I.T.) experience counts for far more than qualifications and I would certainly be put off someone who had a level of education that did not 'fit' their experience - I have had CV's from people under 30 with no experience but an MBA and I think they have made themselves almost unemployable. Get experience, work your way up and when the next level of jobs require a Ph.D/MBA or whatever then that's the time to do it. But hopefully someone from a science background will be along to confirm or refute what I am saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connect Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Many thanks for sharing your opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Experience in local markets and over confidence in your own ability are generally what is required. There are a lot of under qualified people in senior positions, I guess it's called opportunity. The recent opinions expressed by Labour and many of its supporters that 457 visas should be withdrawn and local unskilled people trained to fill skilled positions is shared by many including established media. It seems the days of welcoming skilled immigrants with open arms looks to be gone. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled Pink Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) Absolute rubbish! My husband and I both have PhD's. He is a senior academic in a University. I work in a non University position, but with links to working with several. We have a large number of friends who are also PhD's. I would not have my job and he his without it. Majority of Universities are now not recruiting anybody in a position above level A without a PhD. Its a essential pre requisite. I work in both the academic and clinical field and am well known and highly regarded for my specific level of knowledge and expertise in a particular medical field. This knowledge was developed and gained directly through the PhD process. I was an invited speaker at a conference week before last... In a nutshell, and without going on, I would not be where I am without my PhD. It has opened doors for both my husband and my career that would have been exceptionally difficult/impossible to get through otherwise. My husband and I both have our PhD's from a UK institution. He was headhunted for his first job here 5 years ago because they could not find anyone in Australia to fill the position, and they tried for a number of months. As long as you pick your subject wisely, then yes, you could very well be sought after highly in Australia. As an aside... I'm quite upset that someone might think my qualifications and expertise are 'a waste of time/money' as I'm not working in academia... maybe you need to widen your view as to what this qualification means for people. I think the patients I work with are very grateful for what I know and how I can help, saving them a whole lot of time and money going to someone who isn't able to cut to the chase, trouble shoot and manage their condition as effectively. Edited November 16, 2016 by Tickled Pink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Plenty of work around for those with PhD in public health in QLD! Loads of research going on. I have somehow made my way into the upper ranks of health data linkage/analysis with a lowly BA honours degree, but most in the field are Masters/PhD. Public/population health gives you a nice, broad field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 To offer a counter view, I am a senior scientist leading a team of scientists/engineers for an environmental consultancy. I do not have a PhD but I do have an M.Sc. which got me my first job in a research institute in the UK. Granted, not having a PhD in academia is very unusual (as was having a permanent job straight out of my masters) but in my current role it certainly is not required. Many people in my industry do have it though and there are a few advantages. In my view, those advantages do not outweigh the time invested in it. I stress that this is in my industry. Whether it is worth it for you depends on why you want to do it. Is it purely to get the type of job you want? Is it possible to get that job without a PhD? You will need to talk to people in the industry to figure that out. However, people do PhDs for many reasons. Perhaps you would like the status associated with one, or the intellectual challenge, or simply the joy of discovery. If it were only for jobs then there wouldn't be so many people doing them. I would imagine only a portion of people completing PhDs need one for their work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj1980 Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I personally would like to complete a PhD for the challenge. I have quite a few areas that I'd be interested in studying, my wife thinks I'm mad! I don't need it in my line of work so for many it's the challenge or perhaps the status. I guess you need to ask yourself what is the fallback? What will make it worthwhile to you? Speak to people in Melbourne in the field, actually network a bit if you can and try and get a feel for the opportunities that may arise. A very wise, old, colleague of mine used to say try and work out if they are close to retirement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 One of my children seems to have been a lot more in demand since she got her PhD in 2014( creative field , art related) Mostly I think you would get a good job through having one but can't speak for all fields. She also published her thesis in a book and she has sold thousands of them( helped to cover some costs!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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