3 ms·

#1 is also pretty achievable. For example, if you get a Ph.D. studying how to implement compilers and virtual machines, you basically have your choice of which

#1 is also pretty achievable. For example, if you get a Ph.D. studying how to implement compilers and virtual machines, you basically have your choice of which place that implements compiler or VMs to work at (source: I am about to defend my Ph.D. in implementing compilers and VMs).

seanmcdirmid 14y ago
But how many places are there that do that? You have google, Microsoft, maybe intel, a few companies in the valley. PhDs are very specialized, and so they really can be at the mercy of their hot skill. And even google...might tell you to go work on ads with your hot VM/compiler skills. Disclosure: I'm a PL PhD who got out of the vm/compiler area to focus on PL design, which is even more esoteric.
- tsiki 14y ago
  I know of quite a few data analytics companies that hire mainly PhD's for their research positions. Many traditional companies do so too, to get on the big data trend.
  - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
    Yes, but they are hiring PhDs in systems, PL (for some reason, we are good at MapReduce), database, and some data mining fields. Its not like you want to hire an HCI researcher to do big data.
- larsberg 14y ago
  I don't know about google - all the PL people I know who went to google no longer work on PL stuff, though I don't know if that's because of working at offices where PL work is not supported rather than a lack of company-wide freedom. From conversations with hiring managers at each, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, NVidia, and Adobe all have far more positions than they can fill for people with PhD-level VM/compiler writing skills. Heck, we can't turn out experienced _undergrads_ fast enough for their tastes. I assume there would also be stuff in embedded systems, particularly FPGA compiler-related, though I don't personally know hiring managers at the big firms in that area.
  - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
    Google has found PL PhDs very versatile I guess. Many of their top people are in PL, so it could also just be a top down hiring bias. I'd be weary taking just any job in VM/compilers, much of it is quite tedious and boring for a PhD. Intel used to have compiler groups filled with PhDs, Sun also. Them there are smaller companies like coverity.

seanmcdirmid 14y ago

But how many places are there that do that? You have google, Microsoft, maybe intel, a few companies in the valley. PhDs are very specialized, and so they really can be at the mercy of their hot skill. And even google...might tell you to go work on ads with your hot VM/compiler skills. Disclosure: I'm a PL PhD who got out of the vm/compiler area to focus on PL design, which is even more esoteric.

tsiki 14y ago
I know of quite a few data analytics companies that hire mainly PhD's for their research positions. Many traditional companies do so too, to get on the big data trend.
- seanmcdirmid 14y ago
  Yes, but they are hiring PhDs in systems, PL (for some reason, we are good at MapReduce), database, and some data mining fields. Its not like you want to hire an HCI researcher to do big data.
larsberg 14y ago
I don't know about google - all the PL people I know who went to google no longer work on PL stuff, though I don't know if that's because of working at offices where PL work is not supported rather than a lack of company-wide freedom. From conversations with hiring managers at each, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, NVidia, and Adobe all have far more positions than they can fill for people with PhD-level VM/compiler writing skills. Heck, we can't turn out experienced _undergrads_ fast enough for their tastes. I assume there would also be stuff in embedded systems, particularly FPGA compiler-related, though I don't personally know hiring managers at the big firms in that area.
- seanmcdirmid 14y ago
  Google has found PL PhDs very versatile I guess. Many of their top people are in PL, so it could also just be a top down hiring bias. I'd be weary taking just any job in VM/compilers, much of it is quite tedious and boring for a PhD. Intel used to have compiler groups filled with PhDs, Sun also. Them there are smaller companies like coverity.