Re:"How's your PhD going?" A study on mental health
by senel on Tuesday July 04, 2023 @09:31PM
(#36594572)
I started my PhD last year and was interested in working with this PI in his lab. My bad maybe but I never contacted anyone in his lab about their experience.
When I got here I realized the members of the lab are almost all petite white women. A common reason why they’re doing their PhD in this lab? The PI saw something in them and thought they were special.
To top it off, most of them are doing projects predetermined by the PI for their dissertation.
Goes without saying, I intend to work with another professor but still very disheartening to see.
Re:"How's your PhD going?" A study on mental health
by Fomite on Tuesday July 04, 2023 @11:05PM
(#36595099)
I did my PhD directly after my bachelors (technically I had a semester between them but close enough), and I was given a huge amount of freedom and independence in crafting my research topic, and my career is, by and large, indistinguishable from my colleagues who had more experience before coming in.
I went back to do my PhD after more than 20 years in industry. Being an independent researcher gave me the freedom to pursue a topic that I saw a need for in industry. Of course, I'm biased by my experiences, but I do think we would make more practical contributions to industry if all PhD candidates had to gain industry experience before enrolling in their research program.