[推荐]PHD是否值得？且看毕业后能赚多少

商学院phd毕业后85%的学生都选择进入academia（除了Finance的学生进入industry的机会多一些），因此商学院教授的工资收入也许是我们计算投资回报率中最重要的一个因素了。

上次那一份sample report的数据有些旧了，还是来看看今年4月份新鲜出炉的美国商学院教授薪酬调研最新结果吧。

福建：Professor's Paycheck

Hi, Renzhen. Nice to know that an admitted phd in Top 10 is still hanging around on this forum.

One thing to remember when reviewing the data is that the report only indicates the average 9 month salary of over 200 AACSB credited business schools and some of them are really podunk colleges. For a Top 10 phd candidate like yourself, it will be safe to say that freshly minted assistant prof's in strategy can expect a 12-month salary (3-month summer support, research funding, travel expenses, etc) into the $115-120 range at Top 15-20 schools. After 3 or 5 years down the road and when you manage to pass the tenure reveiw, salary increase will be around 30% and doors are open to addtional income from consulting, executive education, publishing and postions on company's BOD.  In general, if you're a b-school prof, expect to live well, but not like a rock star (unless you are a rock star).

Can you give me a resonable comparison between the income of a biz prof and a middle manager in industry? No intention to be probing, but I'm curious about how you convince yourself to pursuit academia after being so succesful in industry? How do you convince your family, especially your spouse to give up what he or she has in China and relocate to the States ( I suppose your spouse must have been doing well in his or her career life)? Do you have any exit plan or Plan B if you find the academic life is not what you want when you are actually in the program?

As a "non-tradtional" applicant that you, I really like to exchange ideas with you on these soft issues. Would appretiate it if you can drop me a line at rongdongc(A) hotmail.com

Hi Rongdong,

Thank you for your nice words. It is a hard decision for me - "to be or not to be". After thinking very hard and discussing with my family memebers and close friends, I decide "to be". I think that is a personal choice - depending on what you truely want. One week ago, I was offered by my boss more salary and higher grade. It is a token for my hard work and good performance. However, I will not really have those as I decide "to be".

I think my life would be boring if I followed my current track - working hard and getting promoted to higher and higher level with more and more sallary. The ceiling would be a Vice President in a global company in some Asian countries, or a CEO in a medium or small company most likely in China at my 45's or 50's if I was doing well and with good luck. Of course, I could still have vacations somewhere every year, drive nice car... However, the life perspective as such does not inspire me. Actually, it makes me feel dull althought this is the best scenario I can have. Needless to say that things can go worse as well. When it is known, it is not so interesting. To exploit the unknow, to challenge myself, and to experience life are what truely interest me, make me feel I live, creat self-confidence, and pursue the glory of being a man.

A researcher's career can creat the things I could not otherwise have if I stay in the industry. That opens a door to a new field, to the unknown. That is the reason why I chose "to be". On the other hand, as a business professional, I certainly can come back industry easily if I want one day. In order to have the option, I have to work harder. Life is hard but fun. How do you think?

Hi Rongdong and Renzhen,

It's nice to see some decent posts like yours. I didn't know much about B-School's Ph.D programs but I would like to know more as I'm planing (purely on personal interests) to apply for them. My target wouldn't be top10 as I know myself and how much to make after graduation is not the primary concern for me right now. But I still wouldn't like to get in a decent program in which I can be really interested and learn something. Rongdong, I wonder if you are curently a Ph.D applicant or candidate. And Renzhen, how can I see your application process? Any experience to share with? Many thanks in advance.

Hi Wang, I have a five-year multiple entry visa to the USA and plan to be there in one month. Nice to know you, too.

Hi Valarie, You can see my post titled " A Ph D offer from one of the top 10 US B-schoos" in this BBS. Good luck to you.

Hi Renzhen,

Thanks for your response. Can you tell me the school's name?
Are you heading to somewhere close to NC? Please drop me a line at your convenience. lxintian1128(A) hotmail.com

Hi Valarie,

I am still a phd aspirant. If you're really serious about phd application, check out this forum on Business Week.

http://forums.businessweek.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=bw-bschools&msg=37185.1&maxT=9

It goes for more than 4000 threads. Yes, I've read all of them (as a pre-warming for my painstaking phd research - and am thinking about putting up some summary of what I've learned there.