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Understand that a PhD is an apprenticeship to become a researcher. You are not expected to do career defining work as a PhD student, and indeed that is unlikely
by noelwelsh 2y ago
Understand that a PhD is an apprenticeship to become a researcher. You are not expected to do career defining work as a PhD student, and indeed that is unlikely.
Your relationship with your advisor is very important. It seems like you already have that sorted out.
Most successful PhDs (in CS) involve tackling a relatlively small and easy project, usually suggested by your advisor, early on, and then expanding and iterating on this. Once you make some progress on a topic you'll easily find more directions to take it.
Working with other people is one of the easiest ways to increase your productivity. All the great groups I saw had a lot of collaboration. Don't fall into the "lone scholar locked in the library" stereotype.
Avoid bad people. Avoid getting stuck in your own head. Realize a PhD is a project like many others. It doesn't define you. You start it, you work consistently on it, you finish it.
Doing a research Masters is usually a waste of time. Doing a taught Masters is a lot of fun, but something quite different to a PhD.
- InkCanon 2y agoThanks for the reply! >A PhD is an apprenticeship to become a researcher That's a good way to look at it. I suspect one of the biggest possible benefits of a PhD is that you're put in an environment structured to and pressuring you to develop something new, which is the opposite of most other human work. >Start a relatively small and easy project and collaborate Sound advice, it's the general approach I've taken for my undergrad thesis. >A research masters is a waste of time, a coursework masters isn't Really? It looks the opposite to me. A research masters let's you collaborate with different people and work on new things. A coursework masters is taking advanced classes.
- noelwelsh 2y agoAt least in the UK, a PhD takes one year more than a MRes and it lets you become a university lecturer. It also should be funded, whilst you might have to pay your own way for an MRes. Hence I don't see the point of doing an MRes when you can stay an extra year and have more opportunities afterwards. MRes are usually a consolation prize for people who drop out of their PhD, IME.
- InkCanon 2y agoIn my side of the world I think it's more similar to the USA where a masters is two years and a PhD is four. And it's fifty fifty whether a PhD has a masters or comes straight from undergrad. I'm leaning towards masters because I don't particularly care about the prestige and I don't want to over commit. I don't think the title is important to the impact I have