Finish Doctorate?

I am on the other end of this. I am 47 and have an M.A.. I am a tenured professor with 20 years of teaching experience. I wanted to get a doctorate, but did not have the money. Then I wanted kids. Now I consider trying, but the thought of balancing my home life, my work life and then student/academic research is overwhelming. The cost is also a big consideration as I would not recover the tuition cost with my salary increase with the amount of time I have left to work.
If you can at all finish this, do it. You won't get another chance. Regret is a difficult thing.

It's a tough one, for sure. I will tell of this, I almost walked out of my program after qualifying exams. My hubby convinced me to write the dissertation. I had no other responsibilities, just a PT job, and it was painful. I'm glad I finished, but I doubt I could have done it if I was in your situation.

Without support, finishing is going to be really hard, and taking out loans isn't going to be worth it unless there is a 90% chance of a job.

What does your advisor say? If you aren't familiar with phinisedD, you might ask there what your options might be.

I guess you need to think about whether or not you can get a decent job without the PhD. If you really, financially need the PhD, then do all that you can to finish it up. Research other scholarship or grant opportunities. Bring in family members to help you on the homefront with the children. Can you manage for the next few years with the way things are now - emotionally, financially, etc? If not, you'll need an exit plan and to start a job search. Will finishing the PhD program rack up an excessive amount of debt? Is the debt so much that you won't be able to save for retirement, your children's education, etc? I'd suggest thinking through the pros and cons before deciding.

I know it's really tough for women with children and no support to make it in graduate school. It was tough for me when I was single, so I can imagine. And they wonder why so few women have PhDs these days... They really need more flexibility in academia.

Wow, you defintely have a lot going on!

I also had a lot going on as I finished my MBA, but different struggles. I try to remember everyone is going through something harder than what I am. It really helps. Know that someone out there is doing it and has more on their plate than you do, as weird as that may sound.

My mom is going through her EdD now. She works full-time, volunteers full-time, goes to school full-time, has my brother with PTSD living with her and my dad, she had a torn rotator cuff and surgery back in November, the other rotator cuff is torn now and will need surgery (plus hours of PT each week), her mom had a major stroke in January and won't be around much longer, plus my other brother passed away on March 20th. She still manages to get her school work done.

It's something she does for HER, same as my MBA was for me. I highly suggest to look into loans, grants, scholarships, whatever you can. Find a way over the struggles, and get it done.

Good luckl.

Have you applied for an old-fashioned scholarship? You can take your story and turn it into an essay for your application.

You sound very stuck like you haven't tried some of your options, i.e. funding, and are quick to write them off.

Will you be able to pay off all that student debt, when/if you graduate?
Getting a job in your field, is not guaranteed.

As someone else said, it really depends on your job prospects upon completion of a PhD. I have heard many people complain that doctoral programs in liberal arts are deliberately misleading candidates about job opportunities. I just finished my MA in philosophy, and even though I was encouraged to go on to do a doctorate, I know the job prospects are dismal. I'm going to stay in high school teaching, even though I would love to do something more intellectually challenging. It sounds like you don't think the PhD is going to guarantee you the job you want. Why not see what you can find as an alternative before you make your decision?

get out with a masters and move on with life.....
:)

I wonder if you could somehow manage to finish your degree. What concerns me is you describing lack of funding for research, which seems necessary. I guess you cannot finish your doctorate in an institution that has more to offer?
Anyhow, I know how you feel. I only have one child, and I am still with his dad, but I did go back to school to do a master degree at the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands. The baby was 8 months old and up every two hours at night, we were in a new country, having to learn a new language, and struggling not only with culture shock but also with very extreme weather. (Until two days ago we still had snow storms and icy winds, felt temperature of -15 degrees celcius), and a many months with only a few hours of daylight. My husband suffered from severe depression for a long time, and had a hard time finding work as an immigrant. We hardly had enough to eat for months, getting skinny and feeling even worse. But we worked through it. I wanted to quit my studies many times, but my husband did not allow it, saying I would regret it forever. The pressure from the conservatory was huge too, and I ended up very lonely and isolated, doing nothing but being a mom, the household, the baby, school.
Now I am 3 months away from finishing, and I feel great. The last couple of years were horrible in a way, but I did it. My husband finally found work, and even though we are still broke, we have enough to eat now. I have learned so much in school, and feel a confidence I did not have before. My son will also benefit from this, watching us struggle through hard times, never giving up, and finally getting to where we need to be. (He did always have enough to eat by the way. He's been doing great the whole time.)
So I wish for you that you can finish, for yourself, but in the long run for your family also. Once you're done, you're done. You'll have a degree that no one can take from you. Good Luck!

Get some programs that offer services in your area to come and help out. They have lots of them that will help you do more and more outside your home.

Get the degree, you'll never regret having it. You CAN always use it in some way. Even if you go apply for a job in the state government you will get a better pay grade and higher benefits just for having it.

I think that any education will only accentuate your career search later on, even if you don't go to work right now.

Go finish the degree, take as much time as you can for your family but remember that you deserve to have this degree too. You can find help to come in and give you time.