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It's a shame how going through the hassle and politics of getting PhD (from a reputable school) is now almost a requirement for the cutting edge. Getting a PhD

by davemp 9y ago

It's a shame how going through the hassle and politics of getting PhD (from a reputable school) is now almost a requirement for the cutting edge. Getting a PhD is honestly such a bad deal financially and socially. I'm sure the prospect of sinking ~5yrs into some laser focused sub-field for garbage pay scares away a lot of potential--not including academia's useless bureaucracy cough GRE.

geezerjay 9y ago
> It's a shame how going through the hassle and politics of getting PhD (from a reputable school) is now almost a requirement for the cutting edge. Nowadays, a PhD is literally dedicated to carry out original research, which normally entails a curricular part that serves to help a candidate get up to date on the state of the art. Conducting original research is a natural requirement to be on the cutting edge of any scientific or technical field.
- davemp 9y ago
  > a PhD is literally dedicated to carry out original research *for ~$30k/yr for five years > Conducting original research is a natural requirement to be on the cutting edge of any scientific or technical field. I'm not saying that a PhD won't prepare you. Just that it's inefficient in terms of stress/time/money.
  - geezerjay 9y ago
    > *for ~$30k/yr for five years Perhaps that's a US thing. In most european countries (if not all), not only are the costs significantly lower but each state sets up research programs where PhD candidates are actually paid to pursue their studies. Those PhD positions are limited and in some places the pay tends to be somewhat low, but still PhD candidates do get paid for their work. There are also programs where private companies can participate in PhD programs as part of their R&D investment, and enable their employees to pursuit PhDs while working for them.
    - jtmcmc 9y ago
      I believe the OP is saying that you get paid ~30k/yr for five years which is pretty on the nose with that being the case in the US/Can and european countries as well. At least for STEM PhDs
itissid 9y ago
Depends on the field though. Although a good school they will pay for your Phd tuition and give you a small stipend(~1500K), which is not great. But there are ways for making up for the lost pay; I do know of a few Data Science Managers who earlier dropped out of their Phd and earned good sums. Some began consulting. Also the big tech firms are recruiting studying Phds to do research for them.
- davemp 9y ago
  Losing out on an early five years of investing is huge. A ~$30k/yr stipend is not going to be enough to do anything with. > But there are ways for making up for the lost pay; I do know of a few Data Science Managers who earlier dropped out of their Phd and earned good sums. Isn't this supporting my claim that a PhD is a bad deal, if people decide they are better off completing the program? I've also heard the story so many times. Once people have a good idea they realize that completing a PhD is just getting in the way. Instead of researching and studying for ~5yrs they leave and start a company/building a product.

by davemp 9y ago

geezerjay 9y ago

> It's a shame how going through the hassle and politics of getting PhD (from a reputable school) is now almost a requirement for the cutting edge. Nowadays, a PhD is literally dedicated to carry out original research, which normally entails a curricular part that serves to help a candidate get up to date on the state of the art. Conducting original research is a natural requirement to be on the cutting edge of any scientific or technical field.

davemp 9y ago
> a PhD is literally dedicated to carry out original research *for ~$30k/yr for five years > Conducting original research is a natural requirement to be on the cutting edge of any scientific or technical field. I'm not saying that a PhD won't prepare you. Just that it's inefficient in terms of stress/time/money.
- geezerjay 9y ago
  > *for ~$30k/yr for five years Perhaps that's a US thing. In most european countries (if not all), not only are the costs significantly lower but each state sets up research programs where PhD candidates are actually paid to pursue their studies. Those PhD positions are limited and in some places the pay tends to be somewhat low, but still PhD candidates do get paid for their work. There are also programs where private companies can participate in PhD programs as part of their R&D investment, and enable their employees to pursuit PhDs while working for them.
  - jtmcmc 9y ago
    I believe the OP is saying that you get paid ~30k/yr for five years which is pretty on the nose with that being the case in the US/Can and european countries as well. At least for STEM PhDs

itissid 9y ago

Depends on the field though. Although a good school they will pay for your Phd tuition and give you a small stipend(~1500K), which is not great. But there are ways for making up for the lost pay; I do know of a few Data Science Managers who earlier dropped out of their Phd and earned good sums. Some began consulting. Also the big tech firms are recruiting studying Phds to do research for them.

davemp 9y ago
Losing out on an early five years of investing is huge. A ~$30k/yr stipend is not going to be enough to do anything with. > But there are ways for making up for the lost pay; I do know of a few Data Science Managers who earlier dropped out of their Phd and earned good sums. Isn't this supporting my claim that a PhD is a bad deal, if people decide they are better off completing the program? I've also heard the story so many times. Once people have a good idea they realize that completing a PhD is just getting in the way. Instead of researching and studying for ~5yrs they leave and start a company/building a product.