tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32530498570528069392024-03-26T23:38:23.698-07:00PhD Program Success and Survival TipsAre you thinking about applying to a PhD program? Are you already a doctoral student? PhD is a huge investment of time and money. So make sure you spend 15 minutes of your time reading this blog devoted to PhD program success and survival tips. I'm confident that these tips can save up to 10 years of your life, up to $1,000,000 of your money, and, most importantly, your physical and emotional health.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-26034717510164011422010-03-03T10:46:00.000-08:002010-03-03T10:59:48.086-08:00Finding Yourself<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 21.6pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Many people go into grad school because they don't know what to do after they get their bachelor's degree. They think that grad school will help them to figure out who they are, what they are good at, and where they should work. They believe that a graduate degree (especially a PhD) will also help them to work anywhere they choose. Unfortunately, these hopes may not materialize. Many professors went to grad school for the same reason: they were smart but didn't know what to (or didn't want to do anything in the real world). These people will not help you out where you should go with your life. Moreover, a graduate degree is not a pass to employment of your choice. Just think about this: if you were a business owner thinking about hiring someone to develop a software for your business, who would you hire - someone with a PhD in Computer Science or someone who has successfully developed similar software solutions in the past?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 21.6pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 21.6pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">I propose a less expensive and time consuming way of figuring out your interests, abilities, and possible path in life. Think about the time when you were a kid. At that time you obviously were not burdened (hopefully) by any economic and social pressures. You went with your natural instincts. So what did you like to do when you were a child? What were your hobbies? What were you good at? What did you dream about? After answering these questions, try to project that picture of yourself into some modern-day career.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 21.6pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 21.6pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">For example, my brother has been crazy about bikes, motorcycles, and cars since he was a child (and I think he still is). I know he could have become a great car mechanic or a car salesman. But instead he went into finance. I think he still considers transitioning into the automotive industry although now he has years of successful experience in finance. </p></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-103006155023346942010-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:002010-02-26T08:13:18.755-08:00You need to go out!Many PhD students decide to abandon their social life at least at some points of their program. For me it was the time before my prelims. I didn't go out almost two months. The second period was during dissertation stage. I would probably go out no more than once every month. I always felt - how can I go out and have fun when I have prelims/dissertation proposal/dissertation defense coming up soon?<br /><br />Now that I look back I think this was the most serious mistake I made as a PhD student. PhD program is a marathon. For most people the marathon lasts more than 4 years. If you deprive yourself of social life at any point, you may be more productive for a week or two. But this will hurt your motivation and emotional health in the long run. Here's why. First, you have to take your mind off your work regularly. This is the most obvious reason for not isolating oneself for more than a week. Secondly, if you don't go out for too long, you may lose your relationships with friends. And then when you are ready to go out, there will be no one to go out with. Everyone would move on with their lives and you will be on your own. Not only this will deprive you of fun, it will also deliver a serious psychological blow. You will start thinking "I've lost everything because of the program: time, money, friends!".<br /><br />So don't make this mistake. By the way, I've known quite a few people who survived through their programs in spite of everything being against them simply by getting drunk like a pig every week. Although you have to be careful with this, as you well know.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-7704308714225338162010-02-23T23:09:00.000-08:002010-02-23T23:14:16.217-08:00Academic ElitismEconomist Dan Klein shows that the worldwide top-35 economics departments pull 76 percent of their faculty from their own graduates. He argues that the academic culture is pyramidal, not polycentric, and resembles a closed and genteel social circle. Meanwhile it draws on resources from taxpayers, foundations, endowments, and tuition payers, and it judges the social service delivered. <strong>The result is a self-organizing and self-validating circle</strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Source: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_elitism"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_elitism</span></a>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-49764828899635754372010-02-14T21:48:00.000-08:002010-02-14T22:33:26.245-08:00The Myth of Freedom in AcademiaBright, inquisitive, and free-spirited minds are often lured into academia by the promise of intellectual freedom they will enjoy. Starting my first year in my PhD program I began noticing that censorship in academia is even more rampant than in the corporate world.<br /><br />I've seen quite a few cases of someone in the corporate world telling his or her boss that he is an idiot and slamming the door in front of his nose. I think this is largely due to the fact that employment is much more fluid and dynamic in the corporate world. If you are a good specialist, you can always find a job in your field no matter where you live. The boss does not control the entire industry. Moreover, a few years from now he may not be a top dog anymore.<br /><br />But I've never seen an academic doing anything of this sort. Academics are afraid to criticize senior scholars and administrators. Even criticizing a well-established theory may be impossible due to the fact that people to assigned to review these papers are often the ones who build their careers around it. This is due to the fact that even a good professor may have to spend years and relocate to another part of the world to change his or her job. Another factor is that senior scholars stick around for decades. And they are the ones controlling the publication processes - the backbone of any academic career. Once you get on their bad side, you will have to wait for 20 or 30 years for them to leave the field so that they are of no threat to you.<br /><br />Those at odds with the system feel like they are not just losing their jobs in this specific school. They are ending their careers. I knew a professor who was threatened by his dean with the following words: "Finance is a small field. If you don't do X, I will make sure you will never find another job in finance!". And I'm sure he could do this if he wanted to. That's why shooting sprees are so common in academia. People feel like their life and career is over once they get into an argument with the system.<br /><br />I started to think about this today after reading a few articles from the Chronicles of Higher Education website. I was surprised to see so many people writing under pseudonyms. And I suspect that many of those authors writing under pseudonyms actually have tenure.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-8458082047542424902009-11-04T23:03:00.000-08:002009-11-04T23:05:16.803-08:00Stability of Employment in AcademiaOur dean once told us that it's good to be in academia because of employment stability. "Even if you are an adjunct, you can't be fired in the middle of a semester", he said. Yes, but if you do get fired, then you may have to spend at least a semester looking for another job (at least a year if you are looking for a tenure track job).Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-17790332029992740262009-10-27T23:45:00.000-07:002009-10-27T23:50:54.878-07:00PhD students are not trained to be good teachers!Even in top research schools professors spend a considerable portion of their working time teaching classes. Yet, from what I know, PhD programs typically do not require their students to take any courses on pedagogy. This seems to be a bit strange. But we all know why, right? Nobody cares about teaching in research schools - it's all about publishing. But students are paying big bucks for tuition. Don't they deserve to be taught by people who are well-trained on how to teach?Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-86493185536746893672009-10-27T23:40:00.000-07:002009-10-27T23:45:03.280-07:00The circus is coming to town again!Friends, the circus is is coming to town again!! I took a long summer vocation to clear my mind out of all that PhD crap. Then I moved to another country, taking on a challanging but very high paying job. Haven't had much time to write anything. If you are still following this blog, please leave a comment below. Thanks!Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-10388115659865227222009-07-11T18:48:00.000-07:002009-07-11T18:51:37.676-07:00Selling my carI've been trying to sell my Honda Civic. Posted an ad on craigslist. I've been contacted by approximately 10 people. And 7 or 8 of them were Indian graduate students. What's so special about Honda Civic that makes it so attractive to Indian graduate students? Any ideas?Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-89860019037299168012009-07-08T16:24:00.000-07:002009-07-08T16:48:43.917-07:00Poor AcademicsI've noticed that society is quite accepting and often sympathetic towards graduate students and academics who can barely make ends meet. I think that the reason behind the sympathy is that people think that academics are involved in something that that is beyond monetary reward:<br /><br /><ol><li>Academics contribute to the society by creating valuable knowledge</li><li>Academics help students to improve their lives through education.</li></ol><br />Having spent in academia many years I see how flawed these arguments are.<br /><br />First of all, academia is no better than any other field. In fact, it can be much worse in terms of positive societal impact compared to other fields. While 1% of academics do push the boundaries of knowledge and help the society to solve its nascent problems, 99% are engaged in useless and trivial research and irrelevant teaching. Moreover, many high-impact inventions come from outside of academia: aspirin (Bayer), cars (Ford), copiers (Xerox), etc. Heck, even if we are talking about purely intellectual products, such as influential books, we see that many of those books were written by people without PhDs. So I just don't see how academia is somehow better in terms of its contribution to the society.<br /><br />Secondly, professors are not providing education for free. Schools charge ridiculous amounts for tuition. The reason that many educators generally receive less money compared to the industry is due to the fact that education system is often very wasteful and has to pay less in order to compensate for the waste. Moreover, students often discover that the time and money spent is <a href="http://phdtips.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-college-degree-worthless.html">largely a waste and does not lead to any better lifestyle</a>.<br /><br />So, again, I don't see how the act of committing one's life to educating the young is more heroic than, let's say, committing your life to providing people with good food. Being sympathetic to a struggling academic is like being sympathetic to a store owner who doesn't sell anything that people are willing to buy.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-20867928976424143202009-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:002009-07-06T20:59:12.214-07:00Is a College Degree Worthless?<cite style="font-style: italic;"> By Jack Hough, SmartMoney<br /></cite><cite style="font-style: italic;"></cite><a href="http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/CutCollegeCosts/is-a-college-degree-worthless.aspx?page=1"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/CutCollegeCosts/is-a-college-degree-worthless.aspx?page=1">College degrees bring higher income, but at today's cost they can't make up the savings they consume and the debt they add early in the life of a typical student.</a><br /><br /><br /></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-83074539232510738032009-07-03T20:04:00.000-07:002009-07-03T20:26:29.352-07:00Don't Jump into a Hot FieldMany prospective PhD students are lured into PhD programs, at least in part, as a result of them thinking that their field is very hot right now and there are plenty of employment opportunities inside and outside academia.<br /><br />For example, when I was thinking about joining our PhD program, I was told by a PhD program coordinator that in 4 years I will have a six-figure job. This prediction was based on some of the recent graduates getting several offers well-above $100K.<br /><br />Another example is my professor, who told me that one of the reasons he decided to join a PhD program was because a PhD student he knew got a $95K job offer at a very good school.<br /><br />But here's the trick. Even if these numbers are accurate, you have to keep in mind that it will take you 4-6 years to get your PhD. The fact that your field is so hot right now is most likely a sign that a peak has been reached and decline is on the horizon. So it may be too late to exploit this opportunity. By the time you get your PhD, the market will be saturated and you will have great difficulties finding ANY employment, unless you are in the top 5%.<br /><br />Another interesting implication of that theory is that students who fail to complete their PhD programs are usually the winners. They may find industry employment with a masters in that hot field and enjoy at least a couple of years of good earnings. When the market cools off, they will either keep working at their jobs or have enough savings sail through the decline.<br /><br />So don't go into a field just because it is hot right now. It may be very cold in a few years from now.<br /><br />In my personal experience, some of the most successful professors jumped on board when a field was not hot - it was in an emerging state. Because the field was so immature, they published a lot of low-quality papers in newly created journals in the field. After several years, the field reached its peak and these journals became top-journals. So they were the ones to exploit the opportunity, and not the students who decided to enter the field at that time. Their success may be a combination of insight and luck, with luck probably playing a much greater role than insight.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-91892608767757584282009-07-02T13:00:00.000-07:002009-07-02T13:09:31.115-07:00Academic AltruismYesterday I talked to one of my advisers about the state of economy as a whole and our school's financial situation in particular. He told me, with pride, that, despite the global economic turmoil, the school is expecting to raise professors' pay by a few percent this year. And just a few days earlier I saw an article where it was announced that our school, once again, raises tuition. I asked him how he felt about struggling families being forced to pay even more despite that many of them are struggling financially. His response was like: "Well, this school is going to lose its top-notch faculty members if they stop paying well. For example, I constantly get good offers from other schools and if I the pay I get here doesn't satisfy me I may leave".<br /><br />And then they tell doctoral students that people who decide to pursue PhD are not interested in money...Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-11589664617107418862009-06-28T20:42:00.000-07:002009-06-30T11:26:47.919-07:00Disgusting ProfessorsI consider myself to be an intellectual. I read heavily since the age of 6. I'm fluent in three languages. Based on my standardized test scores, I can say that I have above average intelligence. I've always liked studying and have been a great student.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I've always had a certain level of disgust towards professors. I think the disgust is on the physiological level. I don't like how most of them look and act. I don't like their haircuts. I don't like their body built. I don't like the kind of clothing they wear. I don't like their nerdy humor.<br /><br />Sometimes I think that physiologically I'm just not one of them. I'm 6.0 and well-built. I don't wear glasses - I have a perfect eyesight despite years of reading. No one ever picked on me at school - I look like a person who can fight back. At conferences I always feel like I don't belong there, although I'm an outgoing person. I prefer to hang out at bars with local people rather than participate in those boring conference events. Sometimes I think me being physically different from most academics produces a bit of mutual antipathy between me and male professors.<br /><br />There was a professor in our department who resigned a few years before I joined the program (he got a better offer from a better school). This guy is not the nerdy type either. He is tall, athletic, and very handsome. To make things even worse, he is rich and well-known outside of the academic community. When he came to our school to give a talk, I just couldn't help noticing how much he bothered our professors. I had heard them saying things like "he is not a real researcher" (although he has a publication record comparable to that of many top professors in our department), "he is a clown" (he has a great sense of humor), "he is only interested in money" (his books sold very well), etc. At the same time, these professors would never say anything bad about a nerdy, top 10 professor - they would be all over him or her, making compliments, and joking around.<br /><br />Well, I guess in order to be a part of academia, you have to be one of them both mentally and physically.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-32224278088469723252009-06-28T16:17:00.000-07:002009-06-28T20:35:41.077-07:00Thank you, Walmart!Business school professors like to talk crap about Walmart. But Walmart helped me and numerous other slaves of academia to survive over all these years. When shopping at Walmart late at night, I ran into so many PhD students, postdocs, or even assistant professors from our school. Many of them acted like they didn't see me, LOL :)Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-26884857146678784692009-06-26T22:16:00.000-07:002009-06-27T19:18:41.141-07:00Minimum Wage Work = Success ?From the Chronicle of Higher Education Forum:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Well, I don't know if it counts as a success or not, but I did manage to land some academic piecework for the coming year. My job hunt as an ABD only managed to accumulate (if I was fortunate) a collection of rejection letters, but mostly silence. Wal-mart was looking to be the serious contender. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Three days after I defend, the department chair offers me a lecturer slot (2/2) at graduate assistant wages per course. Plus, these are frackin huge sections -- more students than many SLACs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Did the math: worked out to be slave wages, but I jumped at the job. Like I had any reasonable alternative -- and it is a teaching job at a research university. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Even so, that wouldn't pay the bills. I ran into a friend who was teaching a DL graduate course for a federal agency, and got a contact. It turned out that they needed some guest help, and my mix of experience and new PhD was just the ticket. So now I have an on-line job as well (and not at a for-profit school).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As I said up front, I don't know if this counts as success -- it's probably more accurate to describe it as a way station. Hopefully I'll be able to chisel out enough time to get something from my dissertation published, and that plus PhD in hand may slightly up my chances. Not that I'm expecting the market to get any better next time around, but any ray of light at this point is a good thing. </span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-55961412843119216802009-06-26T11:24:00.000-07:002009-06-26T11:27:45.204-07:00Conversation with my AdvisorsI had a conversation with two of my advisers today. They kept telling me that the best thing to do in my situation is not to look for any job. Instead, I should live off my parents and work on papers with them. They said I should not look for ANY jobs until I have at least one paper published with 2 others in the pipeline. They told me that getting a job will distract me from my research.<br /><br />The only thing they forgot to tell me was how to live on zero money. But they don't see this as a problem.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-26269110682542258562009-06-24T15:17:00.000-07:002009-06-24T15:33:18.493-07:00PhDs in Philosophy Make Zero MoneyI've noticed that someone came to my blog by googling something like "how much do PhDs in philosophy make". Dude, there are virtually no jobs in this field. I think this degree is even less valuable than a PhD in English (and a PhD in English is often not worth the paper it is printed on). At least, I can see some ways of making money outside of academia with an English degree. But I just don't see why would anyone hire a philosopher. So here's the answer: PhDs in philosophy make close to zero US dollars per year. So you should pursue the degree only if your love for philosophy is so great that you are willing to live in poverty your whole life.<br /><br />But here's a tip for you that may be a somewhat better compromise between your interests and the sad reality where people cannot live without money. Think about majoring in Management/Business Ethics. I think this area is becoming hotter and hotter. <span style="font-weight: bold;">But hear me loud and clear:</span> this may be a better, but by no means a good idea. I doubt the employment prospects for those with a PhD in Management are very bright, although they are definitely better than those with doctoral degrees in humanities. Moreover, it may be easier to get a non-academic job with this degree. But make sure you go into a business school for your degree, and not to a Psychology/Sociology department.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-67063888083684472272009-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:002009-06-24T11:06:28.765-07:00The Best Way to Quit a PhD Program: Taking a Leave of AbsenceThe best way to quit a PhD program is to take a one-year leave of absence. During the year, you can try to put your life back on non-academic track. If, after one year, you want to come back - you are legally entitled to do so. Quite a few PhD students in our program took a leave of absence and came back to finish their degrees.<br /><br />There are a few things you need to know in relation to taking a leave of absence:<br /><br /><ul><li>When you request one, don't burn the bridges by saying that you are sick of the program. Cite personal issues instead: health, the need to take care of your family member, financial situation, etc.<br /></li><li>Make sure you know the rules associated with leave of absence. For example, you need to find out whether you will lose one year of funding if you decide to do so</li><li>Don't come back into the program because you haven't succeeded in finding a decent non-academic job. If you think that hiding out from real life for a few more years will solve the problem of figuring out your place in life, you are up for some serious problems in the future. You should only return when you are hundred percent sure you want to continue your academic career<br /></li></ul>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-21606399434044294362009-06-23T21:27:00.000-07:002009-06-23T21:59:48.512-07:00The Power of Long-TermBelow are a few things I've learned as a result of my PhD studies. I call them "the power of long-term":<br /><br /><ul><li>You don't complete your dissertation by pulling a few all nighters. Only incremental work will get it done. Not years of hard work (it will kill you), but years of a couple (a few) hours a day<br /></li><li>You don't ruin your health overnight. It takes months of do a significant damage to your health. And it doesn't have to be months of heavy drinking or drug abuse. Just months of, let's say, bad sleeping habits.<br /></li><li>You don't get your health back overnight. It takes months of work to get it back. Again, I'm not talking about months of hard work, just months of doing little things right.<br /></li><li>You don't land a job by sending out a few resumes. It takes months of consistent search to find a job.<br /></li></ul>I think my undergraduate habits (the ones that made me so successful in my undergraduate program) played against me in my graduate program. By my senior year as an undergrad, I became so good in taking exams (yes, taking exams, not being an expert in my field) that all it took me was one day of studies to go over several textbook chapters and get an A on a multiple choice exam. I attended classes only to figure out what's going to be on an exam and not to learn the material.<br /><br />But a PhD program is a marathon. Sprinters always lose in a PhD program. You shouldn't try to spring with anything in a PhD program (e.g. comprehensive exams, dissertation). Those things are done incrementally. Again, not by working intensively, but by working consistently.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-91943825392209936972009-06-23T19:59:00.000-07:002009-06-24T11:08:40.993-07:00Searching for a Job Outside of AcademiaSearching for a job outside of academia when you have a PhD can create a dissonance inside your head because of the following contradictions:<br /><br /><ul><li>The emotional part of your brain (left side?) tells you that your education, intelligence, and persistence qualifies you for a high-level high-paying job</li><li>At the same time, the rational part of your brain tells you that your skills and experience qualify you only for an entry-level job<br /></li></ul>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-2167818094224726592009-06-23T19:34:00.000-07:002009-06-24T11:13:56.613-07:00When to Quit your Doctoral Program IIHere's one thing you need to understand in relation PhD experience. Having ups and downs during your PhD program (and especially during your dissertation stage) is absolutely normal. However, if one or more of the following is true, then you probably need to quit:<br /><br /><ol><li>You suffer from depression (inability to concentrate, insomnia, feeling sad all the time, having no energy when you wake up in the morning, constant feeling of fear and anxiety, etc) for more than a few month</li><li>You did thorough research on the amount of time, money, and energy it will take to get a PhD and you think that, given the employment prospects, it's simply not worth it</li><li>You don't think you want to be a professor. Again, every researcher, no matter how successful he or she is, has some periods when he or she feels like quitting. However, if your attitude towards the profession doesn't change for more than a few months, then you should consider quitting.</li><li>You feel your work has an irreversible negative impact on your health. Trust me, losing your health to be a professor is not worth it. This career is not that lucrative and important to justify the sacrifice.<br /></li></ol><br />When deciding on whether to quit your PhD program, here are a few things I think you need to avoid:<br /><br /><ol><li>Don't listen to your friends and family. Don't continue your PhD program simply because you feel obligated to them to get the degree. Despite having your best interest in mind, these people often have no clue what academia is really like. They are as naive as you were when you started your PhD program. They think that a PhD is a ticket to wealth and status, BUT IT'S NOT! I often meet quite intelligent people from outside of academia who think that a person with a PhD can land any high paying job he or she wants.</li><li>Don't be stubborn. I think most people who come into a PhD program are of the type who don't give up easily. They are used to finish everything they started despite all kinds of hardship. The thing is that you stubbornness may lead you to the same state of despair years and thousands dollars later. I would applaud a person who year after year keeps trying to become a millionaire, discover a drug against AIDS, or pursues some other big dream. But I would think that a person who is doing the same thing to get a hard, low-paying job of an English teacher is simply crazy.<br /></li></ol>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-11999752642293610922009-06-17T18:47:00.000-07:002009-06-17T18:59:05.130-07:00Corruption in AcademiaI applied for two academic jobs for which I was clearly qualified. In both cases they were looking for a person with exactly my research/teaching interests. A few words on my qualifications:<br /><br /><ul><li>I've managed to publish 12 papers during my PhD program</li><li>I have exceptionally high teaching evaluations</li><li>I have experience developing new courses</li><li>My adviser is a top 10 professor in my field<br /></li></ul>School one is a decent school. Well, they didn't even invite me for an interview. The school hired a PhD student of a professor who was a buddy of the school's department chair.<br /><br />School two is a crappy teaching place. I have better qualifications than most of their existing faculty members. They did invite me for an interview. Immediately, it was clear that they were just wasting my time. The department chair kept saying things like "well, this is going to be a good practice for you in your job search". Guess who they hired? A son of one the school's administrators. Interestingly, one of his sons is already working for the department. Now they hired his second son.<br /><br />So if you think that academics are not like the evil corporate types, your are being naive. Corruption in academia is even more rampant than in the corporate world. When I see discussions on ethics on our field's mailing list, I just want to tell those hypocrites to shut the fuck up.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-32203001777267099002009-06-11T13:22:00.000-07:002009-06-11T13:31:24.570-07:00Chains of HabitI have a friend who graduated from our PhD program almost a year ago. He is still unemployed. He travels from thousand miles away to see his advisers every few months since he is still working on some papers with them. Yesterday, he was telling us he needs to go to another state for personal reasons. And then he said: "Oh, I need to tell my adviser that I won't be available for a while". One of my friends said: "Dude, you graduated a year ago. They are not paying you any money. And you still feel like you need permission from your adviser to be gone for a month". That's some crazy shit indeed.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-4278625678768616092009-06-07T15:18:00.001-07:002009-06-07T15:56:55.671-07:00Grad School as an Escape from RealityThis blog already talked about some of the <a href="http://phdtips.blogspot.com/2009/04/wrong-reasons-for-getting-phd.html">wrong reasons for getting a PhD</a>. It occurred to me today that there is another dangerous rationale for deciding to pursue graduate education. I think that many people decide to attend grad school because they want to escape the reality.<br /><br />Here's a case in point for you. One of my friends was a double major in his undergraduate program. He got a bachelors degree in political science and biology. After getting his bachelors degree, he decided to go into a law school to get a JD. After he got his JD, he worked as a lawyer for a couple of months and then decided that being a lawyer "is not his cup of tea". So he went into a business school to get his MBA. After getting his MBA, he went into a PhD program in business. It took him almost seven years to get a PhD. After he got his PhD, he couldn't find employment in academia and, being 40 years of age, started looking for other jobs. During all those years his parents had been proud of him. They had been very pleased with their son's passion for knowledge and education and proud of his academic success. Now that I think about him it occurs to me that placing him into a drug rehabilitation facility instead of supporting him could had been a much wiser choice. This guy was addicted to education. He was using education as a means to escape the reality.<br /><br />Discovering your strength and weaknesses, finding your passion, setting your life and career goals and taking the responsibility for those decisions is often an exhausting and nerve-wrecking experience. Some people decide to postpone the time when those choices have to be made by going into a grad school. Graduate schools serve as a safe psychological harbor for those who are not brave enough to face those choices at the present moment. Society looks down on those who remain unemployed for prolonged periods of time, change jobs often, and fail regularly at their endeavors. At the same time, the society looks at those who decide to continue their education in grad school with approval. Thus, graduate schools often serve as a drug that lets one escape the real life for a few years. I think this addiction has, at least, caused an irreversible damage to his life.<br /><br />But the truth is that while graduate schools will let you escape the real life for a few years, it may not solve your problem of figuring our who you are and what you are good for. Professors won't help you with this, since they are the people who opted out of real life. Once the drug effect wears out, you will be faced with the same kind of problem, yet you will be older and beating around the bush to find answers to those questions may be even harder psychologically. By the time you graduate, at least some of your friends may be done with the period of soul searching and pursuing their dreams. And you will be among the group who is still struggling with those questions.<br /><br />Finding your own path in life instead of going into graduate school may be a much better route. You cannot become successful simply by getting a Masters or a PhD. Who do you think will look as a more attractive employee - someone who got his or her masters degree in marketing or someone who has sold millions of dollars worth of cars? Just like drugs, graduate education may give you a mere illusion that your are growing and finding yourself in life. In many cases, the drug effect will wear out and you will see that you are still standing where you left years ago.Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253049857052806939.post-24538695469432458662009-06-05T13:36:00.000-07:002009-06-05T13:41:53.893-07:00Professor of DesperationIf you want to pursue a doctoral degree in humanities, there's a big chance that you will end up in a situation similar to Larissa Tracy's. Make sure you read this article before applying to a PhD program in humanities.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Professor of Desperation </span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A15182-2002Jul16?language=printer"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bad pay, zero job security, no benefits, endless commutes. Is this any way to treat PhDs responsible for teaching a generation of college students? </span></a><span style=""><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Eric L. Wee</span><br /></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802668065567312309noreply@blogger.com4