Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

The One Thing Your PhD Might Ruin

29 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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0:39

In this short monologue, Steve Tippins, Ph.D., shares personal observations about the hidden costs of pursuing a PhD. He recounts a story of someone who took a demotion to manage responsibilities while entering a doctoral program, illustrating how a PhD can set back a career. He then highlights the impact on family life, describing how PhD candidates often attend events physically but are mentally preoccupied, leading to missed moments with children and spouses. The speaker concludes with a call‑to‑action, inviting viewers to comment "help" to receive a link to a free dissertation help community.

Chapters

I talked to someone recently who actually took a demotion heading into a program because they were in a fairly responsible job and realized they couldn't do both. So again, setting back a career. Time away from family can be important. Countless people have told me, "Oh, I was at their soccer game doing work," or, "I was there physically but maybe not mentally present," or stories about kids saying, "Aren't you done yet? Come on, I want to go out and play," or, "I want to do these other things." So you do have time away from family and missed opportunities there. Drop the word "help" in the comments, and I'll send you the link to our free dissertation help community.