Re:Should I Get a Ph.D.?
by collyw on Tuesday December 09, 2014 @05:23AM
(#8722015)
Not got a PhD here, though I do work in academia, so I am surrounded by them.
While I wouldn't recommend it unless you are really into your field of study (basically I see academia like a ponzi scheme at the moment with far more PhD's than future PI positions). I would say that describing it as having "real risks to your mental and physical health" is a bit over the top. Sure anyone can take their job so seriously that they are stressed out and are damaging their health, but that's not a requirement of doing a PhD and not specific to it either. Plenty of PhDs seem to take things easy around here and most seem to have a decent life until the last year when they have to knuckle down.
While I wouldn't recommend it unless you are really into your field of study (basically I see academia like a ponzi scheme at the moment with far more PhD's than future PI positions). I would say that describing it as having "real risks to your mental and physical health" is a bit over the top. Sure anyone can take their job so seriously that they are stressed out and are damaging their health, but that's not a requirement of doing a PhD and not specific to it either. Plenty of PhDs seem to take things easy around here and most seem to have a decent life until the last year when they have to knuckle down.