111–120 of 125 posts
I do think it would be an interesting way to re-structure my time, though.
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Isn't that enough? Well, yes, it can be . During my PhD studies I met a couple people who could be considered "lifers" who were clearly very happy doing graduate-level research work. Maybe you are one of them. Their optimal career path would be a cushy postdoc job so they continue to keep doing what they are doing but without paying tuition fees. I'm sure you know, but for others reading, there are reasons why most p…
(1) is (only) your personal viewpoint - i certainly never felt that. (3) can apply to any interesting job, if you let it. only (2) is an impartial criticism of research.
I see a lot of people saying getting a PhD limits your options for employment afterwards and you should only do it if you want an academic career. I'm currently completing a PhD, and that was one of my primary concerns prior to starting. However I've eventually become more at ease with it. For one, I see a new appreciation for PhD level knowledge thanks to Google et. al, who have repopularised the value of having a P…
This is due to my view of the cost of college, and my success in IT without higher learning credentials. That said, I would definitely give advice to young adults now that if they are going to college, they should either go for their masters/doctorate, or an advanced bachelors like nursing, law, or engineering. Anything else is just a waste of money. Everything you said about bachelor degrees is spot on.
I see a lot of people saying getting a PhD limits your options for employment afterwards and you should only do it if you want an academic career. I'm currently completing a PhD, and that was one of my primary concerns prior to starting. However I've eventually become more at ease with it. For one, I see a new appreciation for PhD level knowledge thanks to Google et. al, who have repopularised the value of having a P…
...now back to that problem set...
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(1) is (only) your personal viewpoint - i certainly never felt that. (3) can apply to any interesting job, if you let it. only (2) is an impartial criticism of research.
Of course I can't claim that my personal experience is representative of all people. But you're the first person I hear say that did not feel any psychological effects of doing a PhD. Every single person I know that did a PhD (including myself) has mentioned feeling frustrated/isolated/depressed/etc at different stages in their PhDs. It is interesting to see that some people are actually not affected that much.
I'd actually say it's the opposite: the process of getting my PhD has been one of the more wonderful experiences of my life thus far. Although, I tend to believe that at least part of this is due in large part to one particularly awesome professor that I've worked closely with (and isn't my advisor).
I see a lot of people saying getting a PhD limits your options for employment afterwards and you should only do it if you want an academic career. I'm currently completing a PhD, and that was one of my primary concerns prior to starting. However I've eventually become more at ease with it. For one, I see a new appreciation for PhD level knowledge thanks to Google et. al, who have repopularised the value of having a P…
I had a similar decision to go through, and I'm in a PhD program in machine learning now myself! PhD's might not be the trendiest thing in the startup world, but they're not a detriment at all from what I've heard and seen. Interned at a well-funded startup with 40 employees at the time, and we interns were literally the only tech people there without advanced degrees; many were ex-Googlers and the like. Similarly, a…
Regarding the PhD experience, choose your advisor and group very carefully. You'll spend a lot of time with them. Also, during almost 2 years I was working with a really bad crazy advisor, that was pushing me to the limit for his interest. I was almost quitting but decided to change advisor and I'm really enjoying this now.
As someone who was recently persuing a PhD, I would say anyone getting one is making a huge bet on the future of traditonal higher education institutes. In general, I am scared for the future of pure science
I think the Internet brought us back from the brink -- except now it's not large institutions sponsoring R&D, but rather small companies and individuals. Pure science suffers in comparison to small tech (like apps and web stuff) because it's expensive, but I think that could change as we perfect crowd-funding mechanisms and as enough people accumulate enough resources to start privately funding pure science research.
I don't think traditional higher ed institutes are safe by any means -- but a PhD itself is still a worthwhile use of time, whether used for its intended purpose or as a pivot.
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> I may need money someday, but right now I don't, so I might as well take advantage of the situation. That's partly why many people see a Phd as a luxury or as something not entirely useful or necessary. Many people NEED to make money RIGHT NOW.
In Germany you get around 2000-2500 netto per month for doing a PhD. Its like an entry level engineering salary, but instead of working for someone else, you are working for your self (on your own PhD, which is a lot of fun). Furthermore, you are still a student, so you get all the student benefits available (really cheap transportation, cheaper food, cheaper sports, travels...).
The only other possibility for getting money for doing your PhD is trying to get a scholarship. If you aren't near to either a big religion or a political party (I'm not to any of both), there's virtually only "Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes" (German National Academic Foundation) which has really strict (and many people say: really strange) conditions of admission.
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I agree with your thoughts on this being Naive. As an undergrad I wrote off the idea of pursuing a Phd (my initial intent) because I saw how the senior professor I assisted spent his time. A lot more mental energy went to grant writing than teaching or research. The other thing is it will be very hard to do this at 30 with kids. Best of luck with this!
> A lot more mental energy went to grant writing than teaching or research. As a PhD student, I can tell you firsthand that that is not true for all professors. I was naturally very skeptical of the academic-governmental complex, but it turns out that academia can come fairly close to the idealized image people have of it. The professor I work for spend around 10% of his time on grant funding, and gets plenty.
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The problem is that you might find yourself at a point where it is just not all that enjoyable anymore. Your adviser stops caring about your research, or you are told that you need to get N papers published by the end of the year to stay in the program, etc. Maybe you find that you are unable to work with your adviser, and there is nobody else who will take you on as a student. I have seen a number of people leave gr…
Well, I mean, yeah. If you don't enjoy it or end up in a position where you no longer enjoy it, then doing it for fun is no longer a good reason. :-) I certainly didn't mean to imply that everyone's experience should be rosy...