To start with, I recommend text: The Ph.D. Grind, A Ph.D. Student Memoir http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm. The good thing a

To start with, I recommend text: The Ph.D. Grind, A Ph.D. Student Memoir http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm. The good thing about it is that it contains rather report, than merely a conclusion. Plus, it is written in a neutral way, leaving judgement to the reader. When it comes to anecdotical evidence (both the linked article + most of stories in this thread are one data point) also http://www.phdcomics.com/ http://www.phdcomics.com/ (in short, equating PhD with stress, procrastination and frustration) is popular for a reason. Among my friends, ones doing their PhD are lot more depressive than programers. The "funny" thing is that (according to my observation) burnout and crisis hits the most the most creative and ambitious ones (and often - talented). If one starts with a world changer approach but then discovers that "you are free as long as it contains keywords from the grant + will result in a popular publication on a fashionable topic" is devastating. My friends who had approach "OK, I don't have ambition to do anything beyond what my advisor says" do much better, at least - psychologically. One thing is that "the world is changed" - and no longer academia is the place for the smartest and the most creative. There are other possibilities. And I wish I had known that before. Caveat: I'm in the middle of my PhD. Then going to data science or software engineering, after finishing PhD... or instead of it.