It sounds to me like you have a real passion for building things. That more than anything else (including a Phd) will determine if you land an interesting job. Remember that coders are hired on merit not accolades (well, supposedly, modulo whiteboard interviewing and other such pleasantries). I'm working with people with only community college degrees (no university) that are phenomenally capable and people with multiple university degrees that have a hard time thinking themselves out of a cardboard box. Your field of study is interesting to me. Have you thought about a cross-discipline PhD (more than one way to skin a cat)? Can you build a frontend that would look interesting to someone in philosophy or economics (or pick any other field)? You will not do yourself any favors by committing to several years of what you perceive right now as hellish. Don't worry about what you would gain in academia. Industry will challenge you to improve in other ways. I learned more in my first year on my first post-graduation job than in all of my year at uni.
Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
61–70 of 258 posts
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#62A PhD will probably make your life more "interesting" in the Chinese proverb sense[0]. At least that's the impression I get from a lot of PhDs. I don't have one myself, and I used to regret that, but not anymore. PhD work is hard, thankless, underpaid work that has little to no value in industry. Although it does open up opportunities to even more hard, thankless, underpaid work in academia. The one exception is Mach…
> has little to no value in industry. So what ? It has great value to history and humankind.
I find that to be a funny statement. Would you actually argue that every single phd has "great value to history and humankind"?
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#63A PhD will probably make your life more "interesting" in the Chinese proverb sense[0]. At least that's the impression I get from a lot of PhDs. I don't have one myself, and I used to regret that, but not anymore. PhD work is hard, thankless, underpaid work that has little to no value in industry. Although it does open up opportunities to even more hard, thankless, underpaid work in academia. The one exception is Mach…
4 years is generous. I know very few people in the states who have gotten their PhD in only 4 years.
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#64A PhD will probably make your life more "interesting" in the Chinese proverb sense[0]. At least that's the impression I get from a lot of PhDs. I don't have one myself, and I used to regret that, but not anymore. PhD work is hard, thankless, underpaid work that has little to no value in industry. Although it does open up opportunities to even more hard, thankless, underpaid work in academia. The one exception is Mach…
> has little to no value in industry. So what ? It has great value to history and humankind.
Well if it has no value to industry, chances are it has no real value to history/humankind other than "oh that's kind of interesting"
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#65In 2011 I was buying a Ford Mustang and I had to make the decision whether to upgrade to the V8 engine. It was $10K more (+ extra fuel) and the V6 already had 300+ horsepower. I just couldn't justify it.
Eight years later, the car runs great, and it still even gets some complements. I never once needed any extra power! But when someone asks me, "Does it have the V8?" I have to tell them, "Naw, it's just the V6."
At the Ford dealership, you're paying $10K for nothing else than to be able to tell people, for the next 8 years, that you bought the V8. And it might just be worth it.
That's advice on whether to get your PhD, by the way, but it's a few more than 8 years.
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#66If you can't make up your mind whether you need something, you usually don't.
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#67A PhD will probably make your life more "interesting" in the Chinese proverb sense[0]. At least that's the impression I get from a lot of PhDs. I don't have one myself, and I used to regret that, but not anymore. PhD work is hard, thankless, underpaid work that has little to no value in industry. Although it does open up opportunities to even more hard, thankless, underpaid work in academia. The one exception is Mach…
4 years is generous. I know very few people in the states who have gotten their PhD in only 4 years.
It's the best-case scenario. I figured comparing 4 years to 9 months was bad enough, but it could easily turn into 9 years. Or more.
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#68A PhD will probably make your life more "interesting" in the Chinese proverb sense[0]. At least that's the impression I get from a lot of PhDs. I don't have one myself, and I used to regret that, but not anymore. PhD work is hard, thankless, underpaid work that has little to no value in industry. Although it does open up opportunities to even more hard, thankless, underpaid work in academia. The one exception is Mach…
> has little to no value in industry. So what ? It has great value to history and humankind.
Maybe humankind should reward it more, then.
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#69An important point is that not all PhDs are equal. It varies a lot depending on the advisor, the subject, and the lab where it takes place. Some topics are quite "niche" and will not be useful in the industry. Some advisors don't really supervise their students (can happen in the best schools, with reputable professors). Check to see if you'll have the freedom to visit other labs/companies during your PhD. It's good to see a variety of places to get ideas from people, initiate collaborations, build a network. It's usually possible, but requires initiative from your part. And you need to make sure you will not get stuck in a never ending, boring PhD.
> I'm just not that bright and that a PhD would be a huge intellectual challenge for me
Don't think you need to be bright to complete a PhD. If you're able to get accepted in a program with a decent advisor, you should have what it takes to complete your PhD. It's also a matter of personality, perseverance.
I'm pretty happy that I completed a PhD. For one thing, it's great to have more than one professional life. I did a variety of things. Worked in academia, in several labs, several countries, and now in company. I had friends who went straight working for a company after their Msc. They earned more money, but I have the feeling I had a more diverse career, and that I learned more things (even though some of them are pretty useless). On the other hand, even in the industry, there are many opportunities to do interesting things. It's up to you not to get stuck in a boring job.
There's no definite answer.
Re: Ask HN: Will getting a PhD lead to a more interesting life?
#70[deleted]