8 ms·

Hmm, (this is from word-of-mouth), note that 34's also the average age people get their PhDs. I doubt there's a correlation between degrees and entrepreneurshi

Hmm, (this is from word-of-mouth), note that 34's also the average age people get their PhDs. I doubt there's a correlation between degrees and entrepreneurship, but there's something about that age that seems interesting.

yummyfajitas 17y ago
At least in the US, I'm pretty sure the average age of a PhD (at least in the sciences) is closer to 27 than 34. 27 = 18 + 4 years undergrad + 5 years grad school.
- Retric 17y ago
  The problem with that is all the outliers. Such as my mom just finished her second PHD at 58. Also, lot's of people only finish their dissertation at the 10 year deadline before they need to take more classes.
  - Periodic 17y ago
    Exactly, 27 is sort of the practical lower bound, and probably a median. I believe very few people complete a PhD before 27, but many complete one after. Years in industry, years off, taking an extra year here or there, it adds up. This means the average will be significantly higher than the "optimal" or even "median" solution.
    - adw 17y ago
      Actually, it's not that remarkable to have a PhD by 24 in the UK. Our university system's much more intensive than the American one; three years to your bachelors', three years of flat-out research for the PhD. (We don't do quals.) I was slower; I was 26, which was pretty typical. Four year undergrad because I did a Masters, four year PhD because I overran a bit and started my postdoc before I'd finished writing up.
      - jojo79 17y ago
        UK PhD's are not as intensive or valuable as American PhD's. The lack of a qualifier and the relatively lax criteria on which a PhD is awarded are two reasons for this.
        adw 17y ago
        Got a source for that? I'm pretty sure that the institution I went to you (hint: it's got more Nobel Prizes than yours) would disagree.
        jojo79 17y ago
        Here you go: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=404928 http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=40...
      - deleted 17y ago
        [deleted]

yummyfajitas 17y ago

At least in the US, I'm pretty sure the average age of a PhD (at least in the sciences) is closer to 27 than 34. 27 = 18 + 4 years undergrad + 5 years grad school.

Retric 17y ago
The problem with that is all the outliers. Such as my mom just finished her second PHD at 58. Also, lot's of people only finish their dissertation at the 10 year deadline before they need to take more classes.
- Periodic 17y ago
  Exactly, 27 is sort of the practical lower bound, and probably a median. I believe very few people complete a PhD before 27, but many complete one after. Years in industry, years off, taking an extra year here or there, it adds up. This means the average will be significantly higher than the "optimal" or even "median" solution.
  - adw 17y ago
    Actually, it's not that remarkable to have a PhD by 24 in the UK. Our university system's much more intensive than the American one; three years to your bachelors', three years of flat-out research for the PhD. (We don't do quals.) I was slower; I was 26, which was pretty typical. Four year undergrad because I did a Masters, four year PhD because I overran a bit and started my postdoc before I'd finished writing up.
    - jojo79 17y ago
      UK PhD's are not as intensive or valuable as American PhD's. The lack of a qualifier and the relatively lax criteria on which a PhD is awarded are two reasons for this.
      - adw 17y ago
        Got a source for that? I'm pretty sure that the institution I went to you (hint: it's got more Nobel Prizes than yours) would disagree.
        jojo79 17y ago
        Here you go: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=404928 http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=40...
    - deleted 17y ago
      [deleted]