My_qualifications: Ba Hons in History, MA in English from Delhi University and currently pursuing an MSc in Development at LSE. With a year of experience in the rural development and health sector.
I’m extremely sorry if I sound extremely entitled or out of touch, but I’m genuinely seeking advice with regard to what would a rewarding career path be.
I wanted to do my second Master’s and PhD from India itself, however this MSc is only one year, figured it would save me time and give me international exposure as well. Additionally, opted for this degree given the state of Indian Academia, especially in the social sciences is pretty uncertain and the stipend in abysmal. I do realise it isn’t that much better in the West but there are still some funding options (though extremely competitive) and talking to research scholars in India about their PhD experience has been disappointing to say the least.
Also, (not sure of how true this is) I’ve heard that a PhD acquired from universities abroad holds more value as compared to the Indian one. However, I’ve always wanted to stay in India and wouldn’t have even considered going abroad, but this seemed like a good opportunity.
Now there are three situations that I have to consider, which are as follows:
A Preparation for Civil Services.
This degree is all I ever wanted and now that I’m here I’ve realised that this isn’t for me, the program is extremely good and so is the faculty. However, I really want to live in India. I’m not extremely ambitious and I’d much prefer living with my parents in my hometown as I prefer the slow lifestyle and the convenience it offers. I’m from Punjab and I’ve been thinking how the state civil services exam could sort all of my problems.
The problem with this is; the exam is extremely competitive, is conducted after years, and requires dedicated 1-2 years of prep. I’m 24 and provided that the notifications come after an average of four years, I would barely sit for four attempts. This seems like a gamble and without a backup it’s foolish to step
into this.
B Working with NGOs, Research Organisations.
The job market is pretty bad as is and I’m aware that my degree is not the most employable. I am also aware of my limitations and that I’ll have to acquire quant based skills. I did not move with the intentions of immigration and needles to say, for degrees in social sciences– countries would give preference to their home students and I’m honestly not exceptional that I’d cut to working with the UN directly, as that’s just the fact of things.
So my best bet is perhaps to look for NGOs in India or for some Research Assistant positions.
For this I’m assuming one would require to at least have cleared the NET exam and would also be extremely competitive. For the NGOs– it’s not really my cup of tea; as everything boils down to corporate jargon and no real work, plus the pay is abysmal.
C PhD (Either in India or Abroad)
This is what I’ve always wanted to do. My topic is an intersection of Social Anthropology, Ethnography, Ethnomusicology, Gender, Folk and Post Colonial Theories. I want to explore ‘Third Spaces’ and Agency in Punjab through a study of select communities. The reason I opted for the Master’s was an entry point into the global academic sphere. But now given that I’m not liking my experience here I’m not really sure what steps do I take next. Should I prepare for NET and sit for it next December post completing my degree and aim for doing it in India or should I try giving it a fair shot here? I’m more than okay to move to other countries too, maybe I’d like it better elsewhere.
Kindly suggest what the best possible choice could be.
Thank You.
TLDR; Confused between pursuing state civil services, a PhD abroad or in India.