2 ms·
Mostly true, but I think it makes a big difference whether you leave as a 23-year-old PhD student or as a 42-year-old assistant professor.
by hugh 19y ago
Mostly true, but I think it makes a big difference whether you leave as a 23-year-old PhD student or as a 42-year-old assistant professor.
- timr 19y agoProblem is, leaving after a couple of years of a PhD program is the academic equivalent of chewing your own leg off, and most people won't do it -- even if it's the right decision. You have to be exceptionally mentally strong to leave that culture without grabbing the brass ring, and even then, it can haunt you with feelings of failure and inadequacy for years (people like Jerry, Larry and Sergey are the obvious exceptions.)