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Is the awful side of PhD-dom really that secret? I haven't been to graduate school, but I know tons of people who hated (and a few who really loved) getting the

Is the awful side of PhD-dom really that secret? I haven't been to graduate school, but I know tons of people who hated (and a few who really loved) getting their doctorates. And I had professors who openly warn some of my peers. I'm just not clear if I'm lucky, or your opening is a bit hyperbolic.

analog31 12y ago
I would say yes and no. What we don't really know are probability and severity. And any of us can imagine that those things don't apply to us because we're exceptional in some way, especially when we really want to rationalize getting the degree. Probability? Dropout rates are published, but only in aggregate form. That doesn't reveal what actually happens to people. Situations involving faculty misconduct are likely to be un-reported, and it's probably easy to blame the student. Severity? What's the actual impact of dropping out from a PhD program? You don't get to be a professor? Most PhDs will never get to be professors. Opportunity cost? Sure. I won't downplay that. The psychological toll? I would take it seriously, at whatever rate it's actually happening. Grad school isn't just a job. It's like working for an extended period, for a lump sum payment, while absorbing 100% of the risk. The controversy over graduate education, while justified, may have the effect of further raising the stakes, if Professor and Failure are widely believed to be the only two possible outcomes. Disclaimer: I enjoyed grad school, though I took 6 years and came very close to quitting. When it's good, it's great. It can be the kind of "good work" that many of us prefer, even if it's stressful, over easy work that's boring. If I were to compare it to anything, it would be like starting a small business, i.e., lots of risk, opportunity cost, and massively deferred reward, with a similar implied psychological pressure: Millionaire or Failure.

analog31 12y ago

I would say yes and no. What we don't really know are probability and severity. And any of us can imagine that those things don't apply to us because we're exceptional in some way, especially when we really want to rationalize getting the degree. Probability? Dropout rates are published, but only in aggregate form. That doesn't reveal what actually happens to people. Situations involving faculty misconduct are likely to be un-reported, and it's probably easy to blame the student. Severity? What's the actual impact of dropping out from a PhD program? You don't get to be a professor? Most PhDs will never get to be professors. Opportunity cost? Sure. I won't downplay that. The psychological toll? I would take it seriously, at whatever rate it's actually happening. Grad school isn't just a job. It's like working for an extended period, for a lump sum payment, while absorbing 100% of the risk. The controversy over graduate education, while justified, may have the effect of further raising the stakes, if Professor and Failure are widely believed to be the only two possible outcomes. Disclaimer: I enjoyed grad school, though I took 6 years and came very close to quitting. When it's good, it's great. It can be the kind of "good work" that many of us prefer, even if it's stressful, over easy work that's boring. If I were to compare it to anything, it would be like starting a small business, i.e., lots of risk, opportunity cost, and massively deferred reward, with a similar implied psychological pressure: Millionaire or Failure.