All of OliverHayman's Comments + Replies

How often do people not do PhDs on the basis that they don't teach you to be a good researcher? Perhaps this is different in certain circles, but almost everyone I know doesn't want to do a PhD for personal reasons (and also timelines). 

The most common objections are the following:

  • PhDs are very depressing and not very well paid. 
  • Advisors do not have strong incentives to put much effort into training you and apparently often won't. This is pretty demotivating. 
  • A thing you seem to be advocating for is PhDs primarily at top programs. These are
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Whether a PhD is something someone will enjoy is so dependent on individual personality, advisor fit, etc that I don't feel I can offer good generalized advice. Generally I'd suggest people trying to gauge fit try doing some research in an academic environment (e.g. undergrad/MS thesis, or a brief RA stint after graduating) and talk to PhD students in their target schools. If after that you think you wouldn't enjoy a PhD then you're probably right!

Personally I enjoyed my PhD. I had smart & interesting colleagues, an advisor who wanted me to do high-qua... (read more)