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However, computer science is also one of the fields with the largest need for professors partially because of the competition with industry jobs. My experience

However, computer science is also one of the fields with the largest need for professors partially because of the competition with industry jobs. My experience from a Canadian perspective was that computer science PhDs also tend to be better funded than those in the social sciences so the overall risk is much lower.

barry-cotter 7y ago
The risk may be lower but the forgone income is a lot greater. The median admit to a CS Ph.D. programme, even the worst ones in the US, can probably get a job at Google and can definitely get a job programming for a living if they have the right to live in the US. If they’re from a less developed country a Ph.D. stipend and the possibility of staying afterwards probably looks pretty great.
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  > The median admit to a CS Ph.D. programme, even the worst ones in the US, can probably get a job at Google Hah I think the hiring bar for Google is higher than the bar for a PhD viva!
  - barry-cotter 7y ago
    For real? Because people have been hired directly from Lambda School and App Academy to Google and one would get the impression that https://elementsofprogramminginterviews.com/ https://elementsofprogramminginterviews.com/ and leetcode would do, which is maybe six month’s work from a standing start.
    - chrisseaton 7y ago
      Well I know a lot of people with PhDs who couldn't pass a Google interview. Of course it's harder to tell how many can pass a Google interview but can't pass a PhD, because people don't tend to simply 'fail' a PhD except in extreme circumstances, and people who drop out of a PhD weren't necessarily going to fail. I have a PhD and I don't think I could pass the famous Google interview! I'm just not that good.
- michaelmior 7y ago
  This is very true about income. Although I think it's safe to say that the lifetime earnings of a PhD graduate in CS are likely to be well above average across the whole population even if significantly lower than those who skipped the PhD.

barry-cotter 7y ago

The risk may be lower but the forgone income is a lot greater. The median admit to a CS Ph.D. programme, even the worst ones in the US, can probably get a job at Google and can definitely get a job programming for a living if they have the right to live in the US. If they’re from a less developed country a Ph.D. stipend and the possibility of staying afterwards probably looks pretty great.

chrisseaton 7y ago
> The median admit to a CS Ph.D. programme, even the worst ones in the US, can probably get a job at Google Hah I think the hiring bar for Google is higher than the bar for a PhD viva!
- barry-cotter 7y ago
  For real? Because people have been hired directly from Lambda School and App Academy to Google and one would get the impression that https://elementsofprogramminginterviews.com/ https://elementsofprogramminginterviews.com/ and leetcode would do, which is maybe six month’s work from a standing start.
  - chrisseaton 7y ago
    Well I know a lot of people with PhDs who couldn't pass a Google interview. Of course it's harder to tell how many can pass a Google interview but can't pass a PhD, because people don't tend to simply 'fail' a PhD except in extreme circumstances, and people who drop out of a PhD weren't necessarily going to fail. I have a PhD and I don't think I could pass the famous Google interview! I'm just not that good.
michaelmior 7y ago
This is very true about income. Although I think it's safe to say that the lifetime earnings of a PhD graduate in CS are likely to be well above average across the whole population even if significantly lower than those who skipped the PhD.