[speaker001:] Hey, Shirley! Want to join me for lunch... my treat!
[speaker002:] Wow! Sure!
[speaker001:] I must confess I have an ulterior motive for asking you to lunch.
[speaker002:] Oh... that's OK... as long as you're buying!
[speaker001:] I really want to pick your brain about something I've been thinking a lot about.
[speaker002:] I'd love to help if I can.
[speaker001:] 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!
[speaker002:] Wow! Just the idea of going back to school fills my head with pain.
[speaker001:] But you have a Master's degree... hasn't that helped your career?
[speaker002:] Yeah, I'd have to say it has. But I'm still paying for it, you know.
[speaker001:] 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.
[speaker002:] Well, getting a Doctorate degree would mean close to a decade of school. Can you afford that? Can you survive that?
[speaker001:] I certainly can't afford it, but I'm sure I could find some good student loans.
[speaker002:] 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.
[speaker001:] 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.
[speaker002:] Uh huh, that's for sure. You might find that your only career choice is teaching other graduate students.