Is it wise to pursue a doctorate in linguistics with student debt?

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I can't speak to work outside of academia, so what I have to say is only relevant for future work in academia. Also, are you in the US? Assume that my advice only counts for a US context.

First, let me say that jobs in academia are very hard to come by these days. Positions for tenure-track professors (which would allow you to do research in addition to teaching) are few and tend to have a huge pool of very qualified applicants. Non-teaching research-only positions are not common in general linguistics (though maybe in neuro-linguistics, cognitive linguistics and those kinds of fields). Lecturer positions (where the sole duty is generally to teach foreign language classes) are available but don't pay as well, and again have a big number of applicants. So this means you need to think very carefully about how competitive you would be, not just for entrance to graduate school but also once you go on the job market after grad school.

Second, you say you are proficient in Spanish, well, so are a lot of people. You need to make yourself stand out somehow. Just how proficient are you in Spanish? How proficient are you in French? Am I correct in assuming that English is your first language? And you have just finished college, so you've never lived abroad (not counting a study abroad semester or year), is that right? These would not make you a good candidate for a teaching assistant position at a university (which is one way to fund a graduate education).

My advice to you would be to live abroad for a few years (perhaps you could teach English) in either a Spanish or French speaking country and improve your language skills while you learn more about the culture first hand. Besides giving you a chance to learn a lot about the language and the culture firsthand, it would also give you some time to pay off some of your student loans. And, by really polishing your language skills, you would have a better chance of funding your graduate studies as a language TA. Getting funding though is only the first step, you really need to be thinking about how best to make yourself hire-able after completing the graduate degree. And for that as well, having a significant time living and working abroad will be a big advantage.

I also suggest you look at university programs in linguistics, applied linguistics, foreign and/or world language education, second language acquisition, and maybe translation studies. Try to see what kinds of coursework students do in those programs, what kinds of MA and PhD theses students are doing, and what kinds of funding the institutions offer its students. Be wary of scholarships and fellowships that are only one year long also!

A career in academia is not impossible, but there are a lot of variables and you need to really stand out to get a tenure-track position, so think very carefully about how ... (more)