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The real question is "What's the research for?" If it's to advance the state of the art in academia, or to push an academic career, the Phd really is required.
by mathattack 13y ago
The real question is "What's the research for?"
If it's to advance the state of the art in academia, or to push an academic career, the Phd really is required. (Much of it is the habits and network too)
If it's art for art's sake, the Phd is not required.
If it's to advance a professional (non-academic) agenda, the Phd isn't required either.
In the latter two cases, it can help, but it's an expensive degree when you factor in opportunity cost.
- mtdewcmu 13y agoIf you find a topic interesting, then you will enjoy reading the papers on it. You will enjoy thinking it through, just to get a strong grasp of the research that's already been done. In the course of turning it over in your head, you may have an idea and want to follow up on it. It might work and actually be novel. That's research. It's probably not the kind that fundamentally alters the field, or could win best paper awards, but if it hasn't been done before and it sheds new light on something that matters in any amount, it's real. In some fields you can post things to newsgroups and web boards where bona fide experts will see it, in lieu of publishing in a journal or conference. You don't have to set out to achieve something worthy of research. If you learn about something you're interested in, and you have an inquisitive mind, you might incidentally have an idea that hasn't been thought of. I think it helps to at least have a B.S. in the subject, preferably at a strong research school where you can see research up close and even do some as an undergrad. Undergrads can take PhD courses as long as the professor approves it, or at least that was true for me.