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PhD Simulator

research.wmz.ninja

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Re: PhD Simulator

#191

Post by michaelt »

jvvw wrote: post #90
womenintech333 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bit disappointing it doesn't go into other details like being a women. As most PhD candidates are in their mid 20s and often by the end of the beginning of their academic careers they immediately have to decide to either have a family or pursue academia.

Didn't realise at the time but you have made me appreciate that that was one good thing about the British system - I was 24 when I submitted my PhD which is fairly typical so still time before such decisions (it was another 11 years before I discovered the challenges of combining a career with motherhood!)

> I was 24 when I submitted my PhD which is fairly typical

Good for you - that's very fast. According to [1] the median age for starting a PhD in the UK is 24 to 25 for full-time students. So you actually graduated around when the typical student starts.

[1] https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PhD-Life_T...

Re: PhD Simulator

#192

Post by 78124781 »

chias wrote: post #54
lqet wrote: post #5

This is great and exactly captures the PhD experience. Both in the simulator and in real life, I mostly survived until the end by slacking off frequently, and needed around 5 years. Some highlights: > INBOX: Based on the reviewers' comments, we regret to inform you that your manuscript has been REJECTED for publication. One of the reviewers pointed out that there is no comparison with a state-of-art method. > You cam…

One dynamic I experienced that also isn't in the simulation: if you focus too much on classwork early on in order to pass your RPE, it can actually be hard to find an advisor. Classwork is basically dead-end work and the more you focus on it the less you have to show for yourself when trying to convince an advisor to work with you. Your goal should be to optimize for doing just well enough to pass your classwork. Als…

Generally, the focus here should be on: 1) Not bombing any classes (i.e. A/A- in all, maybe a B+ in one; a B or below is failing) 2) Doing very good work and trying to write an original paper for professors that you want to work with while doing just enough to get by in other classes [this is in part how you figure out who you want to work with] 3) Being good enough with the literature to pass the comprehensive exams (or, as another comment points out, have some kind of protection from a sponsor; it is not uncommon to have profs use comps as a chance to take out students they don't like for various reasons, even as small as "they do X field, which I don't like" or "they work with Y, who really gets on my nerves).

Of course there's plenty of additional ways to derail this as well, including advisor moving, advisor getting into a fight with the rest of the department, advisor giving poor advice, advisor deciding that they don't like you, etc.

Re: PhD Simulator

#193

Post by ikrenji »

b555 wrote: post #119
logifail wrote: post #70

In the sim, at "Year 3 Month 9" I apparently "lost all hope and quitted your PhD". In my real one (20+ years ago), I submitted my thesis after 3 years and 6 months, by which point I was no longer on speaking terms with my supervisor and was hanging on to my sanity by the skin of my teeth. My viva went surprisingly well, after which I did the minor corrections that were requested, handed in a copy of my thesis, packed…

if given a chance to do it all again, would you?

absolutely not lol

Re: PhD Simulator

#194

Post by ikrenji »

eagleseye wrote: post #52

I notice a lot of negativity and "do not recommend" regarding pursuing a PhD on HN recently. That raises the question: Why would you go for it?

if your family is wealthy and money is not something you need to ever think about then, sure, go for it.

Re: PhD Simulator

#195

Post by 78124781 »

hattmall wrote: post #190
NooneAtAll3 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Teaching obligations any advice for people aiming for teaching instead of all the publishing stuff?

A teaching university and not a research university. You can / will still do some research but your job is teaching students not doing research. The pay is generally better, but of course, you will have to actually teach a lot and have a lot of office hours. Maybe once every few years you can work out a research semester. The initial pay is better but less so the opportunities for advancement as you won't be publishi…

I'm not sure the salaries are better. Most R1s are now offering 90-120k starting in my field, but regional teaching Us start around 50-60k, with liberal arts colleges in the 50-80k range.

The point about the lack of opportunities for advancement/moving due to the course preps and teaching taking up your time is very true. While your friends at R1s are on pre-tenure sabbaticals, getting course buyouts, and teaching a nice grad seminar for a semester, you might be doing 3-4 new preps a year and likely getting piled with service work.

Re: PhD Simulator

#196

Post by xyzzy3000 »

gorjusborg wrote: post #101
blackbear_ wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A PhD is one of those rare periods of life where you are completely on your own, navigating unknown territories without anybody telling you what you should or should not do, where your professional success depends entirely on your own ideas and decisions. The reason to try a PhD is that you are truly free to test your limits. It can be liberating, but also daunting. And definitely humbling. In some ways, it is not so…

Interesting that you point out the symmetry between pursuing education and entrepreneurship. One of the tough things about the education route is that winning at entrepreneurship can result in huge tangible life changes, but it seems like the effects of winning at education is harder to visualize. I get to put PhD after my name, but what else?

Sometimes hotels and airlines mistake PhDs for medical doctors and give out upgrades... just keep your fingers crossed that there won't be an in-flight medical emergency.

Re: PhD Simulator

#197

Post by 78124781 »

gorjusborg wrote: post #101
blackbear_ wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A PhD is one of those rare periods of life where you are completely on your own, navigating unknown territories without anybody telling you what you should or should not do, where your professional success depends entirely on your own ideas and decisions. The reason to try a PhD is that you are truly free to test your limits. It can be liberating, but also daunting. And definitely humbling. In some ways, it is not so…

Interesting that you point out the symmetry between pursuing education and entrepreneurship. One of the tough things about the education route is that winning at entrepreneurship can result in huge tangible life changes, but it seems like the effects of winning at education is harder to visualize. I get to put PhD after my name, but what else?

I actually really like the analogy. You are running a "business" of ideas. You are competing against a lot of other very smart people who are also trying to start their own ideas business and competing for a very limited pool of support (funding, postdocs, tenure-track jobs, etc.). The professors you are trying to impress in grad school are "investors" and having their imprimatur on your business will help in both advice and in obtaining more funding and convincing others that your business is worth supporting.

If you can run a successful ideas business for 10+ years in multiple locations and convince several gauntlets of committees to keep supporting you, then there's a great deal at the end for choosing this education route--your business gets a significant degree of permanent support and protection (tenure)! But to get to that point, you have to sell your ideas and develop a product that will get buy-in and support from others in your field.

There are no limits on how hard or how much you can work. There are also no guarantees that working hard will pay off either. There's a lot of luck and sometimes the market just isn't buying what you're selling at that time, even if your product is great.

Re: PhD Simulator

#198

Post by LASR »

I wanted to go all the way to a PhD. So did my classmates. We were going to change the whole world.

But after an internship at a FAANG during my 2nd year undergrad, the money was too good. Got some return offers and basically slacked off the rest of my undergrad, just waiting to graduate.

I was not born into wealth. I am a 1/2-generation immigrant. My parents struggled to keep me afloat during my undergrad years. Even my internship pay was more than my parents' income at the time. So really I had no choice but to sell out early.

Now 10 years after undergrad and a couple of FAANGs later, the baby crying in the other room at 3AM, parents retired and vacationing around, I think I made the only choice for me. But I cannot help wonder how life might have been different, and if I really did have a chance to change to world.

Re: PhD Simulator

#199

Post by klysm »

moab wrote: post #103
tibbon wrote: post #43

I find this highly unrealistic. Advisors do not notice nor care for your mental health. Breaks and rest are not offered nor advised. Back to the lab!

You had a terrible advisor. I'm sorry.

All too common it seems
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