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> It's great for the PI if they have T-shaped students on their team, but they must make it clear to those highly talented people that academia is most likely n
by Topolomancer 5y ago
> It's great for the PI if they have T-shaped students on their team, but they must make it clear to those highly talented people that academia is most likely not for them. Which puts in question whether it makes sense for them to do a PhD at all.
(I replied to another comment of yours, but wanted to get this in as well) Yes, absolutely, and this is somewhat painful to me, because I think that a PhD can also be a period of tremendous joy for such people because they might use it to experiment broadly with their skill set. Academia loses out here :-(
- periheli0n 5y ago> a PhD can also be a period of tremendous joy for such people because they might use it to experiment broadly with their skill set. Definitely! But in the end they come out frustrated, because they get overtaken by their more focused peers on the career ladder. There are other opportunities aside from a PhD where talented people can hone their skills while earning comparably low salaries. Startups, for example.
- Topolomancer 5y agoYes, I wonder what would be the best course of action. Pointing out the dangers to them early on, maybe?
- periheli0n 5y agoI would go even a step further, and expose them to industry through collaborations as much as possible. That way they can not only make up their own mind whether academia or industry is for them, but also create a network that might help them find a job.
- Topolomancer 5y agoCertainly what I will try---I am building up some networks to provide them with more opportunities (e.g. internships).