Funny this article shows up right at the time when I was considering if I should go for a PhD. Excellent and super simplified article. Great work!
FYI, I do love what I am studying and I love studying it. My problem however is that I love studying too many things at the same time. That’s not a good PhD fit, or so I gather.
It depends. Being interested in a wide range of things isn't a reason not to do a PhD. You just need to be content applying your time and resources toward digging into one primary topic for an extended period of time. You'll still learn plenty of other things related to your research.
I resonate with this. As a current undergrad, I've been wrestling with the idea of pursuing a PhD in my field of interest, but I am feeling conflicted. I know I love AI and want to contribute to the forwarding of the field in ethical ways, but the main point of contention is the time commitment required.
I know some students do internships while completing their PhD, but I haven't seen avenues for people who want to continue working in industry alongside working toward a PhD. How could a PhD student strike a balance between industry experience with academic research in a way that allows them to continue developing their career? I would appreciate any advice you have to offer regarding this.
The best way to balance industry experience while doing a PhD is internships at companies while completing your degree. I personally would never do a PhD while working as it'll take away from both experiences.
I think it's because there are two avenues I am currently considering. If I went into industry immediately after my Bachelor's, I could probably work my way into higher managerial and leadership roles where I'd have a great impact. At the same time, I could work toward a PhD that would give me heavily specialized knowledge and allow me to explore new applications of AI, but with this path I was feeling uncertain about how I could establish a strong presence in the companies I’d want to work for while being removed from the demands of industry for several years.
The main reason I would want to continue working in industry is to build the critical leadership and management skills necessary to take on roles with greater responsibilities. Additionally, I would want to focus on projects aligned with industry needs, which would require some form of industry experience.
As such, I was wondering if there was a way for me to meet both of these goals at once? PhD internships would help supplement my industry knowledge, but I also want to develop my managerial capabilities as well. That's my main concern with the time commitment.
All good considerations. I'll add: the skills you listed as wanted to learn in industry can also be learned while doing a PhD. I also wouldn't worry about being removed from industry for a few more years.
I'm always baffled by these studies because they're so far from my own experience and that of those close to me! Maybe it's a US thing, I did my PhD in Europe (Spain) and while it was the most intellectually challenging period of my life it wasn't at all what people in Twitter say their PhDs where. I was also super lucky to have really caring mentors, I was able to travel a lot and meet lots of people, I mean, it was the time of my life that I grew the most.
So while I agree with your article, all the good and bad reasons you list are indeed good and bad reasons, I'd add that every place is different and don't let yourself be deterred from following your dream (if that's what the PhD means to you) because of generic statistics. Go and check the actual human beings that live and work in the institution where you're applying, have lunch with other post grad students there, get a feel for the vibe of the place, and please, if you can, absolutely do meet your future mentors well in advance of applying. The mentor will make all the difference.
Excellent advice! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to add a section clarifying a few things because I realize I came across a bit too negative which wasn't my intent. I was really fortunate to have an excellent advisor and coworkers when I was doing research which make it an excellent and really valuable experience. PhD experiences can vary wildly in the US and I want to make sure students know what they're getting themselves into.
The most important advice of all, I think, is that you should get into it fully aware of all the implications. It's a huge investment in terms of time and in terms of opportunity cost, and it can definitely backfire if you're not looking for exactly that. So all information we can put out there is helpful.
Funny this article shows up right at the time when I was considering if I should go for a PhD. Excellent and super simplified article. Great work!
FYI, I do love what I am studying and I love studying it. My problem however is that I love studying too many things at the same time. That’s not a good PhD fit, or so I gather.
It depends. Being interested in a wide range of things isn't a reason not to do a PhD. You just need to be content applying your time and resources toward digging into one primary topic for an extended period of time. You'll still learn plenty of other things related to your research.
I resonate with this. As a current undergrad, I've been wrestling with the idea of pursuing a PhD in my field of interest, but I am feeling conflicted. I know I love AI and want to contribute to the forwarding of the field in ethical ways, but the main point of contention is the time commitment required.
I know some students do internships while completing their PhD, but I haven't seen avenues for people who want to continue working in industry alongside working toward a PhD. How could a PhD student strike a balance between industry experience with academic research in a way that allows them to continue developing their career? I would appreciate any advice you have to offer regarding this.
Why is the time commitment an issue?
The best way to balance industry experience while doing a PhD is internships at companies while completing your degree. I personally would never do a PhD while working as it'll take away from both experiences.
I think it's because there are two avenues I am currently considering. If I went into industry immediately after my Bachelor's, I could probably work my way into higher managerial and leadership roles where I'd have a great impact. At the same time, I could work toward a PhD that would give me heavily specialized knowledge and allow me to explore new applications of AI, but with this path I was feeling uncertain about how I could establish a strong presence in the companies I’d want to work for while being removed from the demands of industry for several years.
The main reason I would want to continue working in industry is to build the critical leadership and management skills necessary to take on roles with greater responsibilities. Additionally, I would want to focus on projects aligned with industry needs, which would require some form of industry experience.
As such, I was wondering if there was a way for me to meet both of these goals at once? PhD internships would help supplement my industry knowledge, but I also want to develop my managerial capabilities as well. That's my main concern with the time commitment.
All good considerations. I'll add: the skills you listed as wanted to learn in industry can also be learned while doing a PhD. I also wouldn't worry about being removed from industry for a few more years.
I'm always baffled by these studies because they're so far from my own experience and that of those close to me! Maybe it's a US thing, I did my PhD in Europe (Spain) and while it was the most intellectually challenging period of my life it wasn't at all what people in Twitter say their PhDs where. I was also super lucky to have really caring mentors, I was able to travel a lot and meet lots of people, I mean, it was the time of my life that I grew the most.
So while I agree with your article, all the good and bad reasons you list are indeed good and bad reasons, I'd add that every place is different and don't let yourself be deterred from following your dream (if that's what the PhD means to you) because of generic statistics. Go and check the actual human beings that live and work in the institution where you're applying, have lunch with other post grad students there, get a feel for the vibe of the place, and please, if you can, absolutely do meet your future mentors well in advance of applying. The mentor will make all the difference.
Just my two cents.
Excellent advice! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to add a section clarifying a few things because I realize I came across a bit too negative which wasn't my intent. I was really fortunate to have an excellent advisor and coworkers when I was doing research which make it an excellent and really valuable experience. PhD experiences can vary wildly in the US and I want to make sure students know what they're getting themselves into.
The most important advice of all, I think, is that you should get into it fully aware of all the implications. It's a huge investment in terms of time and in terms of opportunity cost, and it can definitely backfire if you're not looking for exactly that. So all information we can put out there is helpful.