This is exactly why I viewed my PhD as a 3 year graduate scheme and a jon that just so happened to let me call myself a doctor at the end of it. I know PhDs tak

This is exactly why I viewed my PhD as a 3 year graduate scheme and a jon that just so happened to let me call myself a doctor at the end of it. I know PhDs take longer in the US than here in the UK so maybe this method wouldn't translate well, but I treated my PhD as a job on a three year fixed term contract, during which time I had a series of tasks to complete and some milestones to hit with a big report at the end of it. I knew I never wanted to be an academic when I started, if opportunities arose to change my mind then fine but given that the majority of PhDs do not get academic positions I think it is important to look at a PhD like a graduate job rather than the first step on the academic ladder. I did electronics though so I guess my view point is different from the case studies in the article.