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I just wrapped up a machine learning PhD at Caltech (now doing a postdoc in ML at Berkeley) and I disagree strongly with this article. What matters isn't knowin

I just wrapped up a machine learning PhD at Caltech (now doing a postdoc in ML at Berkeley) and I disagree strongly with this article. What matters isn't knowing a bunch of random stuff, but rather writing/speaking skills, a willingness to learn new things, perseverance in the face of setbacks, creativity, having enough EQ to navigate the advisor-advisee relationship and departmental politics, and most of all, an ability to follow through and actually get things done. These "intangible" skills are far more important than having any specific knowledge.

mi_lk 4y ago
This. The article is meh in terms of advices, and even serves more as a self-promotion (which apparently he is good at and that's something to learn). Maybe it somehow works for him and it's fine, but it's no more useful than a table of contents.
patrickkidger 4y ago
I think those are all things you need for life. But what you do need for specifically a PhD? I argue that "knowing stuff" is what is necessary -- and that indeed it's essentially the purpose of the whole academic institutiom.
- ModernMech 4y ago
  A Ph.D. isn't about knowing things, it's about doing research. Recipients of the degree are given the title "doctor" not for what they know, but because they are first and foremost teachers of knowledge (from the Latin docere, meaning to teach). "Knowing stuff" is enough to get you to the point where you can formulate a good research question, but being a good researcher is a much broader skillset than just knowing things. And consequently, just knowing things won't get you a Ph.D., because getting one requires you to talk about your research. A lot. Like, all the time. And after all, the last step in getting the Ph.D. is called a "defense", not an "examination", because you are not there to tell anyone what you know -- you are there to defend what you know, and that's a different skillset than gaining knowledge or even disseminating knowledge. I guess all that is to say, you could know everything in the world, but if you lack the skills to tell anyone else about that knowledge, you'll never get a Ph.D.
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j7ake 4y ago
These examples right here are the real skills to go beyond being stuck in purely technical roles. These communication skills are also much more emphasized in American phd programs than European. I have seen in general the American phd programs produce much more mature, well-rounded and broad scientists than Europe. It could also be because the blog poster is only 2.5 years into their post graduate years, while American PhDs can easily be double.

mi_lk 4y ago

This. The article is meh in terms of advices, and even serves more as a self-promotion (which apparently he is good at and that's something to learn). Maybe it somehow works for him and it's fine, but it's no more useful than a table of contents.

patrickkidger 4y ago

I think those are all things you need for life. But what you do need for specifically a PhD? I argue that "knowing stuff" is what is necessary -- and that indeed it's essentially the purpose of the whole academic institutiom.

ModernMech 4y ago
A Ph.D. isn't about knowing things, it's about doing research. Recipients of the degree are given the title "doctor" not for what they know, but because they are first and foremost teachers of knowledge (from the Latin docere, meaning to teach). "Knowing stuff" is enough to get you to the point where you can formulate a good research question, but being a good researcher is a much broader skillset than just knowing things. And consequently, just knowing things won't get you a Ph.D., because getting one requires you to talk about your research. A lot. Like, all the time. And after all, the last step in getting the Ph.D. is called a "defense", not an "examination", because you are not there to tell anyone what you know -- you are there to defend what you know, and that's a different skillset than gaining knowledge or even disseminating knowledge. I guess all that is to say, you could know everything in the world, but if you lack the skills to tell anyone else about that knowledge, you'll never get a Ph.D.

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j7ake 4y ago

These examples right here are the real skills to go beyond being stuck in purely technical roles. These communication skills are also much more emphasized in American phd programs than European. I have seen in general the American phd programs produce much more mature, well-rounded and broad scientists than Europe. It could also be because the blog poster is only 2.5 years into their post graduate years, while American PhDs can easily be double.