> I wonder if this could be taught as a 6 month course instead of having to grind through 4+ years of your life researching something obscure impractical and la

> I wonder if this could be taught as a 6 month course instead of having to grind through 4+ years of your life researching something obscure impractical and largely driven by funding incentives. 4+ years of PhD (incl. a track record of solid publications) prove that you have the intellect, motivation and discipline to pull off a multi-year research project, similar to the ones employers expect you to work on when they hire you. It seems like an excellent filter for a research job.