Thanks for the reply!
>A PhD is an apprenticeship to become a researcher That's a good way to look at it. I suspect one of the biggest possible benefits of a PhD is that you're put in an environment structured to and pressuring you to develop something new, which is the opposite of most other human work.
>Start a relatively small and easy project and collaborate Sound advice, it's the general approach I've taken for my undergrad thesis.
>A research masters is a waste of time, a coursework masters isn't Really? It looks the opposite to me. A research masters let's you collaborate with different people and work on new things. A coursework masters is taking advanced classes.
At least in the UK, a PhD takes one year more than a MRes and it lets you become a university lecturer. It also should be funded, whilst you might have to pay your own way for an MRes. Hence I don't see the point of doing an MRes when you can stay an extra year and have more opportunities afterwards. MRes are usually a consolation prize for people who drop out of their PhD, IME.
In my side of the world I think it's more similar to the USA where a masters is two years and a PhD is four. And it's fifty fifty whether a PhD has a masters or comes straight from undergrad. I'm leaning towards masters because I don't particularly care about the prestige and I don't want to over commit. I don't think the title is important to the impact I have
Your relationship with your advisor is very important. It seems like you already have that sorted out.
Most successful PhDs (in CS) involve tackling a relatlively small and easy project, usually suggested by your advisor, early on, and then expanding and iterating on this. Once you make some progress on a topic you'll easily find more directions to take it.
Working with other people is one of the easiest ways to increase your productivity. All the great groups I saw had a lot of collaboration. Don't fall into the "lone scholar locked in the library" stereotype.
Avoid bad people. Avoid getting stuck in your own head. Realize a PhD is a project like many others. It doesn't define you. You start it, you work consistently on it, you finish it.
Doing a research Masters is usually a waste of time. Doing a taught Masters is a lot of fun, but something quite different to a PhD.