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Most places have no time minimum for a Ph.D. For world record, a few geniuses finished them in a year. Fastest for someone I know personally: three years from

by blagie 5y ago

Most places have no time minimum for a Ph.D. For world record, a few geniuses finished them in a year. Fastest for someone I know personally: three years from one of the top universities in the US. This is realistic. Can't say they got much out of the program, though. All-in-all, it seemed like a waste of time. I spent a __long__ time in graduate school, taking interesting courses, travelling the world, and just on learning and intellectual exploration. If you want that, get a Ph.D. Just realize your advisor is just that -- an advisor, and not your boss. You don't need to do what they tell you to do. If you want a slip of paper, consider why you want it, and if you wouldn't be better served by an MBA, MS, or something else. A Ph.D is not all that important, career-wise. Rushing a BS makes complete sense to me. A Ph.D? Not so much.

dr_dshiv 5y ago
> Rushing a BS makes complete sense to me. A Ph.D? Not so much. Hmm, opposite feelings. I needed time in the bachelor to figure out what I wanted. For many scientific professionals, they might be publishing papers and could potentially even write a thesis on the side. This would enable them to get the degree and teach, should they want to.
- mattkrause 5y ago
  Are there many scientific professionals without PhDs though? My impression is that most people writing scientific papers are already somewhere in/through that pipeline.
  - dr_dshiv 5y ago
    Yes, there are. I know several.
- blagie 5y ago
  Figuring out what one wants makes a lot of sense, but I haven't seen an undergrad college education as a good context to do that. Most kids I know who did that came out with a squishy education, without real depth or substance. At the same time, an undergrad class looks nothing like real life. Working in different contexts -- jobs, internships, volunteering, etc. -- has tended to work a lot better for that -- especially when the job is structured as a learning experience and not a profit-maximizing one. For me, travel was magical for figuring out who I wanted to be, but I wasn't doing tourism. You have a lot more freedom to explore as a Ph.D than an undergrad too: - No timeline - You're not paying $40k per year, but getting a stipend - Few fixed requirements

by blagie 5y ago

dr_dshiv 5y ago

> Rushing a BS makes complete sense to me. A Ph.D? Not so much. Hmm, opposite feelings. I needed time in the bachelor to figure out what I wanted. For many scientific professionals, they might be publishing papers and could potentially even write a thesis on the side. This would enable them to get the degree and teach, should they want to.

mattkrause 5y ago
Are there many scientific professionals without PhDs though? My impression is that most people writing scientific papers are already somewhere in/through that pipeline.
- dr_dshiv 5y ago
  Yes, there are. I know several.
blagie 5y ago
Figuring out what one wants makes a lot of sense, but I haven't seen an undergrad college education as a good context to do that. Most kids I know who did that came out with a squishy education, without real depth or substance. At the same time, an undergrad class looks nothing like real life. Working in different contexts -- jobs, internships, volunteering, etc. -- has tended to work a lot better for that -- especially when the job is structured as a learning experience and not a profit-maximizing one. For me, travel was magical for figuring out who I wanted to be, but I wasn't doing tourism. You have a lot more freedom to explore as a Ph.D than an undergrad too: - No timeline - You're not paying $40k per year, but getting a stipend - Few fixed requirements