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State at 25: Pursuing a PhD, in large parts because I won a non-negligible prize for my Masters thesis and the non-PhD billionaire prize-maker encouraged me to

by mkempe 8y ago

State at 25: Pursuing a PhD, in large parts because I won a non-negligible prize for my Masters thesis and the non-PhD billionaire prize-maker encouraged me to pursue academics instead of business; also, nobody in my family had ever pursued a PhD. Overall a waste of many, many years. Should have followed his example, not listened to his words. Advice: Don't waste your time with academics and the petty politics of university faculties. Go create; market and sell; make money. [added] Up to the end of college I had been writing code since high school, fully financing my studies with software sales and royalties.

hpcjoe 8y ago
This ^^. I got a masters at one U, and was ensconced at another U for the Ph.D. by then. Actually that was the year that I started at the new U, and they told me, 2 weeks before I started, that they expected me to take and pass the Ph.D. qual exam. Which was in 2 weeks. I did, but it was not a fun 2 weeks. That was ... er ... ah ... 28 years ago. I've used the Ph.D., outside of press releases and presentations, mebbe a few times since then. Has nothing to do with my career. My advice to people considering Ph.D.'s ... if you seriously want to be called Dr., then sure. If you want to pursue tenure track, have your head examined, and then sure. Just remember, similar odds to lottery games. If you want to do industrial research, sure. I actually wrote about this recently, with some observations about Ph.D.s in industry[1]. More seriously, I do occasionally reflect upon the opportunity cost, the lost earning time, lost wages, the later start to my family, ... [1] https://scalability.org/2018/07/typecasting-and-the-trust-us-factor/ https://scalability.org/2018/07/typecasting-and-the-trust-us...
rossboss 8y ago
What would you say to someone who is around that age working full time and halfway through a CS masters (struggling through it)?
- ss2003 8y ago
  I think a CS masters is very valuable career wise. Totally different than a PhD. Maybe you should consider transferring to another school.
- mkempe 8y ago
  Most crucially: why are you doing it? Second: what will it add to your life and to your business abilities?
  - rossboss 8y ago
    1: to learn. 2: saying I accomplished it & deeper cs knowledge, not sure if aligns with goals to be in management though. another note: I can't really afford an MBA without going into substantial debt. My CS masters is completely covered by my company
    - mkempe 8y ago
      Sounds good, if you enjoy it (if not, ask yourself why). Make sure you are proud of your acquired knowledge and related achievements. Worry about management goals as a later pursuit; you don't need MBA to learn management, only to enter select networks.

by mkempe 8y ago

hpcjoe 8y ago

This ^^. I got a masters at one U, and was ensconced at another U for the Ph.D. by then. Actually that was the year that I started at the new U, and they told me, 2 weeks before I started, that they expected me to take and pass the Ph.D. qual exam. Which was in 2 weeks. I did, but it was not a fun 2 weeks. That was ... er ... ah ... 28 years ago. I've used the Ph.D., outside of press releases and presentations, mebbe a few times since then. Has nothing to do with my career. My advice to people considering Ph.D.'s ... if you seriously want to be called Dr., then sure. If you want to pursue tenure track, have your head examined, and then sure. Just remember, similar odds to lottery games. If you want to do industrial research, sure. I actually wrote about this recently, with some observations about Ph.D.s in industry[1]. More seriously, I do occasionally reflect upon the opportunity cost, the lost earning time, lost wages, the later start to my family, ... [1] https://scalability.org/2018/07/typecasting-and-the-trust-us-factor/ https://scalability.org/2018/07/typecasting-and-the-trust-us...

rossboss 8y ago

What would you say to someone who is around that age working full time and halfway through a CS masters (struggling through it)?

ss2003 8y ago
I think a CS masters is very valuable career wise. Totally different than a PhD. Maybe you should consider transferring to another school.
mkempe 8y ago
Most crucially: why are you doing it? Second: what will it add to your life and to your business abilities?
- rossboss 8y ago
  1: to learn. 2: saying I accomplished it & deeper cs knowledge, not sure if aligns with goals to be in management though. another note: I can't really afford an MBA without going into substantial debt. My CS masters is completely covered by my company
  - mkempe 8y ago
    Sounds good, if you enjoy it (if not, ask yourself why). Make sure you are proud of your acquired knowledge and related achievements. Worry about management goals as a later pursuit; you don't need MBA to learn management, only to enter select networks.