Strong/Weak Reasons to Do a PhD in Computer Science

I'm biased here since I know Ray, but I thought this post was super informative & helpful! I love how short & sweet it is yet so chock full of meaningful points. Thanks Ray!

Great post, Ray!

I particularly like the mention that a CS PhD isn't about "novelty" or "freedom", and I've found this to be a common misconception that new CS PhD students make. Another common one I will bundle in there is "making an impact on the world"; I cringe when a new PhD student tells me they chose to do a PhD because they wanted to change the world. There are so many better ways....

This is a great point. There are many avenues where one can invest time+money to make a positive impact on the world, yet "doing a Ph.D" is unfairly held up on a pedestal, even though there is no hard science showing that grad school is a prudent way to attempt such an endeavor.

Edit: adding examples of ways that are less sexy, yet way more likely to be measurably impactful (in a positive way)

1. Teach high school,

2. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen (do it for 2 years -- less than half the time you'd spend in classes for quals),

3. Mentor an undergrad for a decade,

etc.

> if I wanted to do a career change and start working in computational biology, would I do another PhD? Of course not! I would read papers, find good mentors and colleagues in the field, and start doing work in the space.

I mean I’m sure that’s all good and fine for the author who if I understand correctly already has academic accomplishments and connections to lean into with.

But what if I or John Nobody wanted to work in computational biology? Am I supposed to just start reading and than reach out to randos working in the field and beg them to let me work for/with them?

Guilty of weak reason #2. This post puts things into perspective. Thanks!