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The obvious answer to this question is graduate school. However, getting through graduate school is easier said than done. You may not have realized the amount of your time a PhD will eat up, how much it costs, or the people who you’ll heavily rely on to get you through. Those of you who have already obtained your PhDs will be more than familiar with this, but for those who have yet to start graduate school, there are a few things you should be aware of before you begin your studies.

Below are five things to consider before embarking on the PhD journey, but we would like to hear from you – we’re hosting a Twitter chat from @F1000Tips on February 19th, 1pm EST (6pm GMT), using the hashtag #F1000Talks.

Please join in and tell us about the obstacles and challenges that you have had or are facing on your way to a PhD!

Five things to consider before you go for those three letters after your name:

1)     Time

In the US, the median time it takes to earn a PhD in the life sciences is approximately 6.9 years, and only 63% of doctoral students earn their PhD within 10 years of starting their degree program.

2)     Work

The 40-hour working week doesn’t exist; be ready to work evenings and weekends. Graduate students working less than 50-70 hours per week could receive a letter along these lines.

3)     Principal Investigator and Graduate Advisory Committee

Your  principal investigator (PI), as well as your graduate advisory committee, will have the greatest external impact on whether or not you succeed. Without these people in your corner, you won’t be able work on a project that interests you, nor move forward to defend your thesis on time.

Fortunately, you decide whose lab you apply to, and you choose the members of your advisory committee. If you don’t work well with these people, you still have the option of changing labs or appointing new members to your committee.

4)     Money and Funding

The good news is that most graduate students receive a stipend whilst undertaking their studies. In the US, only ~30% of life science PhD students graduate with debt, compared to nearly twice that number (~57%) for undergraduates.

The not-so-good news is that only 62% of life science doctoral students leave graduate school with a definite job offer. Even if you do secure a postdoctoral position, your basic starting salary may be less than that of the average 25 year old with a Bachelor’s degree. However, it’s not all about the money if you’re passionate about science.

5)     Unexpected Experimental Results

Sure, some of the world’s most important scientific discoveries were found by accident, but unexpected experimental results are rarely welcomed, especially on a tight graduation deadline. They are, however, part of the journey.

How these results affect your doctorate depend upon how you deal with them. It may not be ethical to change your hypothesis to fit in with your results, but if you have the luxury to examine further, there might be a project in it for you.

If your initial experiments lead you to a path that you can’t or don’t wish to explore, then you may have to map out an alternative route to your doctorate. This could mean changing projects or even changing labs. Most importantly, you have to be flexible and learn to roll with the punches.

So, obtaining your doctorate degree might not make you richer, but you’ll be adding to the academic record, and above all, doing real science! With a little determination and, of course, some luck thrown in, you will finish graduate school wiser and more resilient to the curveballs that life will inevitably throw at you.

Of course, these are only some of the factors that graduate students face on their way to their PhD. Please share your own experiences and help us explore this topic further, by joining our tweet chat on February 19^th and following the #F1000talks hashtag (for tweet chat tips and etiquette, please see here.)

Topic: What’s standing between you and your PhD?

Where: The chat will be hosted by @F1000tips, using the hashtag #F1000Talks.

When: Feb 19^th, 1pm EST/6pm GMT

Who: Our special guests are graduate students Peter Weinberg (Columbia University) and Jeremy Fagan @jekey (Albert Einstein College of Medicine).

I look forward to hearing your stories, tips and experiences!