Getting a doctorate has been on my mind for decades.
I don't want to be called "doctor." I want to know I did it. I want to build deep knowledge in my work. I want whatever I discover or describe to be of use to others.
During the past couple of years, I looked into two programs. I spoke with a faculty member and a current doctoral student in one program. For the other, I spoke with a graduate student, attended an information session, and had an engaging conversation with a person from Admissions. Each conversation left me inspired. For a while, anyway. Then the math sank in.
These two questions have always been hiding in the background:
What if I accomplish this goal another way?
What might be my PhD equivalent?
Then I found a paper by Kieron Chadwick. He was having similar thoughts and wrote about the decisions he made as he danced with the idea of getting a PhD and transitioning from industry to academia. His paper is titled Exploring Non-University Doctoral Alternatives for Scholar-Practitioners: An Autoethnographic Account. Published earlier this year, Chadwick provides a timely look at the academic landscape from a UK perspective.
In his paper, Chadwick explores professional identity, the status of doctoral programs, the bias against alternative pathways, and being a "pracademic."
In grad school, I met and learned from an independent scholar. This was her title. She was smart, energetic, and a good teacher. I thought, "I want to be that."
Chadwick's article brought that feeling back.
Do you privately hold thoughts about doctoral studies or the equivalent?
What does your equivalent look like?
For Your Library
Chadwick, K. (2026). Exploring Non-University Doctoral Alternatives for Scholar-Practitioners: An Autoethnographic Account. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 25(1), 133-143. https://doi.org/10.82396/cjcd.v25i1.3283
