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Also, professors are so often in no position to offer genuine advice. They often have massive conflicts of interest which they do not disclose: funding sources,

Also, professors are so often in no position to offer genuine advice. They often have massive conflicts of interest which they do not disclose: funding sources, requirements, and plans.

chaosbutters314 8y ago
this. They don't mention to students, who are too inexperienced, to understand funding and how it works. Professors want the prestige of having tons of students which isn't always in the best interest of the student. The professor's plan can also be "vague" in order to always hold the carrot in front of the horse's mouth. Endlessly chasing something it will never reach.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
pishpash 8y ago
Money is the source of evil when it comes to corrupting graduate school programs. This has been especially acute since the late 2000's.
klodolph 8y ago
In my own personal experience, professors and academic advisers have consistently given me the worst advice (about choosing a path or personal development) when I have asked for it. It takes a certain temperament to become a professor. There are a couple exceptions, but most of the professors and academic advisers I talked to seemed to be unable or unwilling to connect with people who were not there for academia qua academia, and very few had enough experience outside academia to give any kind of credible comparison. Find someone who got a PhD and works in industry, or who got a PhD and works in an unrelated field, or someone who didn't finish their PhD. More viewpoints will give you a better picture.
- UncleMeat 8y ago
  I'm the inverse, and so are most people I know. Every faculty member I spoke to in undergrad told me very clearly that a PhD was bad for my career, enormously stressful and risky, and led to a faculty job search that was likely to fail. I was told not to pursue it unless I desperately wanted to be a faculty member. The most common advice I got was "don't do it". This wasn't because I was a shitty candidate. I was accepted to four of the top five schools. It's a mixed bag whether you will get good advice I guess.
  - mikec3010 8y ago
    That could also be gate keeping. The fewer people who want a slice of the pie the better.
    - obmelvin 8y ago
      That seems overly cynical to me. What GP was told is the honest truth. Even in STEM fields finding a faculty position is quite difficult.
qqn 8y ago
This. This describes my entire undergrad experience.

Also, professors are so often in no position to offer genuine advice. They often have massive conflicts of interest which they do not disclose: funding sources, requirements, and plans.

chaosbutters314 8y ago

this. They don't mention to students, who are too inexperienced, to understand funding and how it works. Professors want the prestige of having tons of students which isn't always in the best interest of the student. The professor's plan can also be "vague" in order to always hold the carrot in front of the horse's mouth. Endlessly chasing something it will never reach.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

pishpash 8y ago

Money is the source of evil when it comes to corrupting graduate school programs. This has been especially acute since the late 2000's.

klodolph 8y ago

In my own personal experience, professors and academic advisers have consistently given me the worst advice (about choosing a path or personal development) when I have asked for it. It takes a certain temperament to become a professor. There are a couple exceptions, but most of the professors and academic advisers I talked to seemed to be unable or unwilling to connect with people who were not there for academia qua academia, and very few had enough experience outside academia to give any kind of credible comparison. Find someone who got a PhD and works in industry, or who got a PhD and works in an unrelated field, or someone who didn't finish their PhD. More viewpoints will give you a better picture.

UncleMeat 8y ago
I'm the inverse, and so are most people I know. Every faculty member I spoke to in undergrad told me very clearly that a PhD was bad for my career, enormously stressful and risky, and led to a faculty job search that was likely to fail. I was told not to pursue it unless I desperately wanted to be a faculty member. The most common advice I got was "don't do it". This wasn't because I was a shitty candidate. I was accepted to four of the top five schools. It's a mixed bag whether you will get good advice I guess.
- mikec3010 8y ago
  That could also be gate keeping. The fewer people who want a slice of the pie the better.
  - obmelvin 8y ago
    That seems overly cynical to me. What GP was told is the honest truth. Even in STEM fields finding a faculty position is quite difficult.

qqn 8y ago

This. This describes my entire undergrad experience.