Am I too old of becoming a Prof?

[mad mathematician]

A little bit about myself.

I am BSc graduate (in math and physics combined), graduated in 2011.
After graduating my BSc I then pursued MSc also in both of them, though I didn't finish writing my theses in both of them.

Last year I started an MSc in EE without thesis component, since my work as a grader will get an increase in my salary (hope to graduate this 2025).

I have the option of course of becoming a math and physics teacher in high-school, though from people that I heard from they rarely find time to learn new stuff in math and physics since their work continues after the 8:00-16:00 hours of school.

So in the last few weeks Iv'e been think of perhaps applying to PhD in UK; BUT there's a huge conecrn that I have from previous years is that I had mental issues, even because of my mental issues I did succeed in getting good grades in my coursework in both MSc (arguably theoretical physics is my weakest topic); I am under medications so I hope this won't be an issue.

My biggest conecrn though is that after graduating (I am thinking of going part-time which I saw is something like (4-7 years in PhD in the UK), I'll be in my early-mid 40's, so it's a bit too late for a career ain't it?!

If I didn't have this mental issue, I guess I wouldn't even pursue my BSc in the first place let alone the other degrees.

BTW, the drink Monster is a HELL of a DRUG... helped me in my exam today.

 

[AlexB23]

A little bit about myself.

I am BSc graduate (in math and physics combined), graduated in 2011.
After graduating my BSc I then pursued MSc also in both of them, though I didn't finish writing my theses in both of them.
Last year I started an MSc in EE without thesis component, since my work as a grader will get an increase in my salary (hope to graduate this 2025).
I have the option of course of becoming a math and physics teacher in high-school, though from people that I heard from they rarely find time to learn new stuff in math and physics since their work continues after the 8:00-16:00 hours of school.
So in the last few weeks Iv'e been think of perhaps applying to PhD in UK; BUT there's a huge conecrn that I have from previous years is that I had mental issues, even because of my mental issues I did succeed in getting good grades in my coursework in both MSc (arguably theoretical physics is my weakest topic); I am under medications so I hope this won't be an issue.
My biggest conecrn though is that after graduating (I am thinking of going part-time which I saw is something like (4-7 years in PhD in the UK), I'll be in my early-mid 40's, so it's a bit too late for a career ain't it?!
If I didn't have this mental issue, I guess I wouldn't even pursue my BSc in the first place let alone the other degrees.


BTW, the drink Monster is a HELL of a DRUG... helped me in my exam today.

I am sorry that you had to go through a rough mental issue in your life. I had to quit college after 1.5 years as well due to mental issues, and may take online classes in the future.

Do not worry about age, as it is never too late to start a professional career. Just know, that as we live in a world that is quick to judge, sometimes, ageism may be a thing. So, be sure to check hiring reviews of colleges to make sure ageism is not a thing at those schools. Another solution is to find a college that uses a blind hiring process (where demographic info is unknown about you until you are hired).

 

[Frabjous]

You are not displaying a lot of passion which you will need in order to complete a PhD.
A PhD is not a guarantee of a professorship. Most PhD’s end up in industry.
You have had a couple of opportunities to write a thesis and you did not succeed. This is a concern.

 

[renormalize]

Another solution is to find a college that uses a blind hiring process (where demographic info is unknown about you until you are hired).

Is "blind" hiring even a possibility? I've never been a member of a college faculty, but I find it hard to believe that one can be hired for a professorship without having participated in multiple face-to-face interviews, as well as a seminar presentation and/or being observed while teaching a class. This all tends to make the age-range, race, gender, nationality, etc. of the applicant pretty evident.

 

[AlexB23]

Is "blind" hiring even a possibility? I've never been a member of a college faculty, but I find it hard to believe that one can be hired for a professorship without having participated in multiple face-to-face interviews, as well as a seminar presentation and/or being observed while teaching a class. This all tends to make the age-range, race, gender, nationality, etc. of the applicant pretty evident.

Blind hiring is very rare, but is gaining traction. In the US, only 1 in 5 organizations, according to a survey, use blind hiring.

From Harvard: "A recent survey of over 800 U.S.-based HR practitioners indicated that about 20% worked for organizations that used blind hiring and about 60% were familiar with it."

 

[renormalize]

From Harvard: "A recent survey of over 800 U.S.-based HR practitioners indicated that about 20% worked for organizations that used blind hiring and about 60% were familiar with it."

That's all well and good for hiring in general. But do you have any explicit examples of colleges or universities that practice blind hiring for faculty professorships?

 

[AlexB23]

That's all well and good for hiring in general. But do you have any explicit examples of colleges or universities that practice blind hiring for faculty professorships?

There was, overseas, but there is no further information on the results of the project.

In 2018, the University of Helsinki tried a blind hiring pilot project. The University of Helsinki tested anonymized applications for academic roles to reduce unconscious bias in hiring practices, stripping candidates' names, dates of birth, ethnicities, and genders from applications. This was part of a nationwide push in Finland towards greater equality in hiring.

Supporters for blind hiring argued that anonymized hiring could help limit bias against women and minorities, but experts questioned its effectiveness in academia. Critics argued that anonymization was impractical in academia, where publication records and scholarly reputation were crucial, and that bias could still occur during interviews. Despite concerns, Helsinki's deputy mayor for education expected anonymous hiring to catch on in universities, citing its potential to improve diversity and fairness. The university's pilot programs aimed to produce reliable data on the efficacy of anonymized recruitment by early 2019.

Source:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/12/20/university-helsinki-tries-anonymized-academic-hiring

 

[renormalize]

Source:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/12/20/university-helsinki-tries-anonymized-academic-hiring

Thanks for this reference. But the lack of follow-up in the last 5 years from this single example is troubling. My point is simply that, based on the current evidence, offering the possibility of "blind hiring" for a professorship to @mad mathematician is likely to give them false hope.

 

[AlexB23]

Thanks for this reference. But the lack of follow-up in the last 5 years from this single example is troubling. My point is simply that, based on the current evidence, offering the possibility of "blind hiring" for a professorship to @mad mathematician is likely to give them false hope.

You are welcome. The lack of followup from that example is quite troubling indeed, and I do not want to raise a false hope. Hopefully, OP can find a university that uses traditional hiring, but is open to folks of all ages. That would probably mean checking online job website reviews for any hiring discrimination.