Hey, Shirley! Want to join me for lunch. . . my treat!
Wow! Sure!
I must confess I have an ulterior motive for asking you to lunch.
Oh. . . . that's OK. . . . as long as you're buying!
I really want to pick your brain about something I've been thinking a lot about.
I'd love to help if I can.
Well, as you know, I have a Bachelor's degree in English literature and that's served me well so far, but I've always wanted to do some post-graduate work. . . maybe even get a Doctorate!
Wow! Just the idea of going back to school fills my head with pain.
But you have a Master's degree. . . hasn't that helped your career?
Yeah, I'd have to say it has. But I'm still paying for it, you know.
I know education is expensive, but it's been my lifelong dream. Call me crazy, but I've always wanted to have that PhD at the end of my name.
Well, getting a Doctorate degree would mean close to a decade of school. Can you afford that? Can you survive that?
I certainly can't afford it, but I'm sure I could find some good student loans.
I think you need to separate the dream of having a PhD from the reality of years of more schooling. It's not as romantic as you might think.
Yeah. . . . I keep thinking about what I'll do with a Master's or Doctorate. I love language but I don't think there are a lot of well-paying jobs out there for experts on Shakespeare.
Uh huh, that's for sure. You might find that your only career choice is teaching other graduate students.