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OTOH, I've interviewed folks with CS PhD's that literally could not write fizzbuzz. And that's given a head-start with a template program in an IDE, where all t

OTOH, I've interviewed folks with CS PhD's that literally could not write fizzbuzz. And that's given a head-start with a template program in an IDE, where all they needed to do was flesh out the core algorithm. Not necessarily to disagree with your overall point. But having a PhD is maybe not always as significant as we think it is. Getting a PhD (usually) means extreme specialization in a (possibly highly niche) area, and may well leave someone without a lot of basic skills you might expect them to have.

Matthyze 2y ago
Right. My point isn't that doctors are particularly good at programming (they're probably not). I mean that some people have skills, or raw talent, that allow them to do what others simply cannot at all.
- mindcrime 2y ago
  Fair enough!
NoMoreNicksLeft 2y ago
I don't have a PhD, so I'm hesitant to comment, but I've always had the impression that it was more like grinding in some video game than it was anything truly intellectual. Then at the final boss battle, can you or can you not have ready answers for ridiculous questions.
- snowfarthing 2y ago
  I recall a psychologist or psychiatrist who challenged the notion of "defiant personality disorder" by observing two things: (1) Many of these "defiant" people merely didn't trust credentials -- they were perfectly fine with authority who earned deference by virtue of proving they really do know what they are doing, and (2) That the psychology/psychiatry profession in general, consisting of people who have their Masters and PhDs, have to "suck up" to a lot of credentialed authority, without question, to get their degrees -- and thus it's only natural for them to expect everyone to unconditionally respect credentials! (For the record, I have a PhD, but it's in pure math, which is possibly simultaniously both the least practical and most practical thing you could possibly learn -- but as such, I'm tangential to engineering and physics -- and I'm pretty sure that all three of these fields have a certain "fine, you have a credential, but can you really walk the walk?" element to them.)

Matthyze 2y ago

Right. My point isn't that doctors are particularly good at programming (they're probably not). I mean that some people have skills, or raw talent, that allow them to do what others simply cannot at all.

mindcrime 2y ago
Fair enough!

NoMoreNicksLeft 2y ago

I don't have a PhD, so I'm hesitant to comment, but I've always had the impression that it was more like grinding in some video game than it was anything truly intellectual. Then at the final boss battle, can you or can you not have ready answers for ridiculous questions.

snowfarthing 2y ago
I recall a psychologist or psychiatrist who challenged the notion of "defiant personality disorder" by observing two things: (1) Many of these "defiant" people merely didn't trust credentials -- they were perfectly fine with authority who earned deference by virtue of proving they really do know what they are doing, and (2) That the psychology/psychiatry profession in general, consisting of people who have their Masters and PhDs, have to "suck up" to a lot of credentialed authority, without question, to get their degrees -- and thus it's only natural for them to expect everyone to unconditionally respect credentials! (For the record, I have a PhD, but it's in pure math, which is possibly simultaniously both the least practical and most practical thing you could possibly learn -- but as such, I'm tangential to engineering and physics -- and I'm pretty sure that all three of these fields have a certain "fine, you have a credential, but can you really walk the walk?" element to them.)