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Isn't that enough? Well, yes, it can be. During my PhD studies I met a couple people who could be considered "lifers" who were clearly very happy doing graduat
by Lewisham 13y ago
Isn't that enough?
Well, yes, it can be. During my PhD studies I met a couple people who could be considered "lifers" who were clearly very happy doing graduate-level research work. Maybe you are one of them. Their optimal career path would be a cushy postdoc job so they continue to keep doing what they are doing but without paying tuition fees.
I'm sure you know, but for others reading, there are reasons why most people don't do this.
1. There is a strong psychological toll on doing original research. It's liberating and exciting, but also intensely frustrating and isolating. Writing papers, and their inevitable rejection, is a very disheartening venture that can't be accurately described without doing it.
2. If you're in the sciences, which I assume most people reading here are, you stand to make significantly more in industry research than post-doc research.
3. Research takes over your mind, you can't turn it off. When I was doing my PhD, I was essentially "on" all the time, it can never be a 9 to 5 job. Despite your best efforts, research will always have a toll on your family.
So if these things aren't a problem for you, then it certainly is enough. Research is a uniquely rewarding career path. But your mentor uses that line as a way of helping/warning others. You aren't the stereotypical PhD student, and PhD students are already skewed all the way down the spectrum of "normal". The majority of the population, and most PhD researchers, struggle with these problems. If you're not committed to it for the long-haul, which is what your mentor is alluding to, it's not worth doing it.
EDIT: Now I've done my PhD, people often ask me "Do you think I should do one?" and the unsatisfyingly true answer is "I don't know, I'm not you" (and, perhaps even worse, is that you aren't you when you finish the PhD from when you started, you change and grow a lot, which affects your viewpoint dramatically). That's another reason why your mentor has that saying, it's more easily digestible by those who are unsure.
- andrewcooke 13y ago(1) is (only) your personal viewpoint - i certainly never felt that. (3) can apply to any interesting job, if you let it. only (2) is an impartial criticism of research.
- tellarin 13y agoOf course I can't claim that my personal experience is representative of all people. But you're the first person I hear say that did not feel any psychological effects of doing a PhD. Every single person I know that did a PhD (including myself) has mentioned feeling frustrated/isolated/depressed/etc at different stages in their PhDs. It is interesting to see that some people are actually not affected that much.
- burntsushi 13y agoI guess I'll just chime in and say that, going into my fourth year, I've never felt frustrated/isolated/depressed more than I thought was normal. (I mean, does getting frustrated with GHC count? :P) I'd actually say it's the opposite: the process of getting my PhD has been one of the more wonderful experiences of my life thus far. Although, I tend to believe that at least part of this is due in large part to one particularly awesome professor that I've worked closely with (and isn't my advisor).
- javert 13y agoI would say that 1 is a very likely outcome for many students, though of course certainly not universal. So it's something to consider.
- burntsushi 13y agoI think this is a really insightful reply, and I tend to agree with you. But it still doesn't help me be any less taken aback when people assert that PhD's should only be obtained when you want to do original research for your career. If you want to warn people, that's fine, but just do it instead of phrasing it as if you know the One True Reason for doing a PhD. I grant that some people might just be trying to be pithy, but I've seen too many people take it too seriously to just give the benefit of the doubt to everyone. > Now I've done my PhD, people often ask me "Do you think I should do one?" and the unsatisfyingly true answer is "I don't know, I'm not you" I wholeheartedly agree.