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I have an undergraduate degree in an unrelated field (from software engineering, which is what I do). I have never really wanted to go on because the income opp

I have an undergraduate degree in an unrelated field (from software engineering, which is what I do). I have never really wanted to go on because the income opportunity loss was too great. But I once thought if I were independently wealthy I would go back. I recently had a chance to do a graduate-level coursework for my job. It was a real shock to remember that "getting the right answer" was more important than learning anything or making something. So if it's about learning something, I think there are better things you can do than get a degree. Especially now that education has become such a business and totally employment-oriented.

borisqd 13y ago
Getting the right answer on known problems is a prerequisite to getting the right answer on unknown ones. At least, if you can't get the right answer it's very unlikely you can solve ones where the answer is unknown. Also, there's a good chance you didn't really learn the material. Having taught courses at all levels I would say it's relatively rare to assign problems that are truly hard. Most just are testing your understanding of definitions and if you can't get the right answer you probably didn't understand something. Getting a PhD isn't just about "learning" but also how to create/discover new knowledge. If all you want is to learn something get a second undergraduate degree or read on your own.