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'A PhD can "cost you time that might be spent developing a career?"  Is that REALLY all our lives are about.  What happened to living?'

What about being able to afford to live in the first place?

'I find it rather sad that you can't see anything outside of the sphere of work.'

Good intentions alone are not enough.

"The words "passion" and "fulfilment" seemingly have no importance to you at all."

As opposed to unemployment, homelessness and - my personal favourite - malnutrition?

"What you're basically saying is that most people taking a PhD won't get the job they want at the end of it - so they should forfeit the PhD altogether and develop a career doing a different job they don't want to do."

Was your thesis on strawmen?

"BUT, I'm sure nearly everyone who takes a PhD (whether they get a related job or not) look back on those three or four years as some of the happiest and/or most fulfilling of their lives."

Judging by all the stress, nervous breakdowns, general drama, poverty, and random disasters - not to mention poverty and poor job prospects - that I've seen befall other PhD students, I'm not sure 'happy' and 'fulfilling' are the words I'd use. It's not an extended sabbatical for dossers and dilettantes. It's hard work with little reward and often a lot of heartbreak.

"And that alone makes it worth the effort for most."

Citations?


On 13 November 2014 20:18, Shane Brown (AMA) <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

A PhD can "cost you time that might be spent developing a career?"  Is that REALLY all our lives are about.  What happened to living?  I find it rather sad that you can't see anything outside of the sphere of work.  The words "passion" and "fulfilment" seemingly have no importance to you at all.

 

What you're basically saying is that most people taking a PhD won't get the job they want at the end of it - so they should forfeit the PhD altogether and develop a career doing a different job they don't want to do.  If this truly is a lose/lose scenario as you suggest, why not do the PhD and give yourself a fighting chance of the job you want and three years researching something you're passionate about to boot?

 

I'll agree with you though, the odds of getting an academic job after a PhD are probably slimmer now than they ever were.  BUT, I'm sure nearly everyone who takes a PhD (whether they get a related job or not) look back on those three or four years as some of the happiest and/or most fulfilling of their lives.  And that alone makes it worth the effort for most.

 

Shane Brown

@shanebrown74


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