<p>I'm a high school senior that is currently mulling over my future professions. I am going to attend Dartmouth College in the fall and try to double major. I was wondering if this would be a feasible route to working in finance for 10-20 years. I would like to get my Ph.D. in 6-7 years, get into finance work maybe, then to MBA then to work at a trading firm and then to a professorship somewhere.</p>
<p>I know my future isn't set in stone and some may say I shouldn't really worry about this but, greedy as it sounds, I want to have the best of both worlds. I want to be able to thrive in the competitive atmosphere of business but also have an outlet with my Ph.D. for subsequent teaching later in life. Is this generally not feasible? Would I not be able to go back to a professorship without more reasearch in the field of my Ph.D. </p>
<p>I am new to this territory but I have tried doing a lot of research but haven't come across to a situation like mine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>You don't need a PhD to teach finance - especially if you're extremely successful in the finance world. After you graduate from Dartmouth, you could go into investment banking for your 10-20 years (or switch out into IM, PE, VC, whatever), and, assuming you do well, can be invited to be a clinical professor at many schools... to include the top b-schools.</p>
<p>You are being too premature in planning your future career. Take a wide variety of classes , study hard and things will take care of itself. Don't be a person who collects degrees. A lot of them stay in school to avoid the real world.</p>
<p>I'm not into collecting degrees at all - it's just that with the uncertainty of the economy these days, bankers and other finance workers may sometimes find themselves without a job.</p>
<p>I am planning to take as many classes as possible but just wondering if it is doable to get a PhD in something I'm passionate about (the sciences mainly) and then explore some career opportunities but still keep an outlet open for a professorship. Being tenure at a great university wouldn't be such a bad option after a hectic 10-20 years in finance.</p>
<p>I am not trying to plan my future at the moment, just weighing my options. I find the prospect of doing finance work tantalizing but being a professor just as much. I know these two fields are at two ends of the spectrum, thus the mulling. </p>
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it's just that with the uncertainty of the economy these days, bankers and other finance workers may sometimes find themselves without a job.
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<p>LMAO @ that. Do you have kids? Do you have a wife? Then who gives a crap if you lose your job. You are young, and you just get another job. BTW, if you ever lost your job, couldn't you just pursue the PHD at that point rather than pick it up in the off chance that you might lose your job?</p>
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I would like to get my Ph.D. in 6-7 years, get into finance work maybe, then to MBA then to work at a trading firm and then to a professorship somewhere.
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<p>You need to make a choice. You aren't going to get a PHD in science, then work in finance and then become a professor in science. That's just ridiculous. If you want to teach business it's quite possible that an MBA will be sufficient.</p>
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I am planning to take as many classes as possible but just wondering if it is doable to get a PhD in something I'm passionate about (the sciences mainly) and then explore some career opportunities but still keep an outlet open for a professorship. Being tenure at a great university wouldn't be such a bad option after a hectic 10-20 years in finance.
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<p>I have to agree with VectorWega on this one: your plan is highly unrealistic, for you can't just go off to work in finance and then simply expect to be able to come back and get job placement in science academia. Science job placement is difficult enough even for those people who are actively engaged in it. </p>
<p>Now, as others here have said, your plan might work if you want to teach business or finance. But in that case, a PhD in science is not particularly relevant.</p>