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What the article doesn't mention at all is that many people pursue a PhD not for financial reasons but because it (often) provides an opportunity to work on ver
by ThePhysicist 11y ago
What the article doesn't mention at all is that many people pursue a PhD not for financial reasons but because it (often) provides an opportunity to work on very interesting problems with very smart people, something which is just not possible in most industry jobs. And I don't mean this in a derogatory way, it's just that (non-applied) Academic research is something that is fundamentally different from company research/work because it is (usually) not money-driven and has a very long-term focus.
Not everything in life is about the money, otherwise all people would try to become investment bankers.
- thaumasiotes 11y ago> Not everything in life is about the money, otherwise all people would try to become investment bankers. This doesn't follow at all. Most people aren't capable of becoming investment bankers and wisely make no effort in that direction. There's no reason that would change even if they all really wanted to be investment bankers as an end in itself.
- morgante 11y agoWhile some people certainly are motivated by interest in doing pure research, I don't think that's the dominant factor. From my anecdotal experience, far more are turning to PhDs simply as a way to avoid the brutal job market. They're choosing it for financial reasons, even though their reasons are backed by faulty information.