It isn't a "how-to" book, but a memoir. Perhaps it will be helpful to someone. Philip Guo - Ph.D. Memoirs - The Ph.D. Grind
I started to read some and I love this - If you are not going to become a professor, then why even bother pur- suing a Ph.D.? This frequently-asked question is important because most Ph.D. graduates aren't able to get the same jobs as their univer- sity mentors and role models|tenure-track professors. There simply aren't enough available faculty positions, so most Ph.D. students are directly training for a job that they will never get. (Imagine how dis- concerting it would be if medical or law school graduates couldn't get jobs as doctors or lawyers, respectively.) So why would anyone spend six or more years doing a Ph.D. when they aren't going to become professors? Everyone has di erent mo- tivations, but one possible answer is that a Ph.D. program provides a safe environment for certain types of people to push themselves far beyond their mental limits and then emerge stronger as a result. For example, my six years of Ph.D. training have made me wiser, savvier, grittier, and more steely, focused, creative, eloquent, perceptive, and professionally e ective than I was as a fresh college graduate. (Two ob- vious caveats: Not every Ph.D. student received these bene ts|many grew jaded and burned-out from their struggles. Also, lots of people cultivate these positive traits without going through a Ph.D. program.) Here is an imperfect analogy: Why would anyone spend years train- ing to excel in a sport such as the Ironman Triathlon|a grueling race consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run|when they aren't going to become professional athletes? In short, this experience pushes people far beyond their physical limits and en- ables them to emerge stronger as a result. In some ways, doing a Ph.D. is the intellectual equivalent of intense athletic training.
It's fine to love the passage for the message it tries to set, but to be fair it's complete BS that someone would tell themselves after spending six years of their life getting something to qualify for positions that they can't get; in order to feel better about themselves for doing it. If you want to train your intellect some combination of intense study, crossword puzzles, sudoku and free coursework to broaden your knowledge base is sufficient. Critical thinking is something most people should be able to pick up by end of college or a sufficiently rigorous masters. Doctoral programs are for those who can pursue a job where it's needed (research/high level consulting/medicine) or carries some other benefit, (such as pay scale increases or promotion). Otherwise you're just poking yourself in the head with a highly expensive stick.
Well, it's a long road, and your reasons for starting a doctorate (such as advancement) may end up being very different than your reasons for finishing it (stubbornness comes to mind). I think it is very valid to want a mental workout that meets some gold standard of effort. As for the money, I know people who spend more on a car. It's a matter of your own personal priorities, and nobody can really speak for anyone else's experience.
Oh, and no doubt I argued that backwards - LOL. Your reasons for finishing may end up being different than your reasons for starting... Whatever, I'm done, and I'm tired!
Why would anyone spend years train- ing to excel in a sport such as the Ironman Triathlon|a grueling race consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run|when they aren't going to become professional athletes? Umm, No. There are MANY MANY MANY folks that do it because they want to. They are not professionals. They are wanting to do it because it is a bucket list item or a chance to improve health. Do not believe me, go to beginnertriathlete.com. Tons of stories of folks that have completed the Ironman ( not just Kona) and are not professional athletes.
I am about half way into reading this and the author has not mentioned taking courses or writing comprehensive exams. Is the Stanford computer science PhD research only?
I disagree. People climb Everest just for the accomplishment. It takes many years of training and a great deal of money to prepare. It's a grueling and life-threatening experience that will yield no benefit other than the satisfaction of having faced it down and conquered it. There is satisfaction in proving to yourself and to others that you can do it. I would say that getting a doctorate is similar. It takes many years and a great deal of money to prepare. It's a grueling endeavor that sucks up almost all of one's life for many years and many understand that they will not see a good ROI on their time or money. However, there is still the satisfaction of proving to yourself and others that you can do it. Why do people climb mountains? Why do people get doctorates? Maybe the motivation is similar.
Professorships are only one of many things a PhD can do in life. The PhD is valuable in countless ways. I knew a couple of PhD police officers from top programs who were very important to their departments because they were really smart and could research and present important information. One is the go-to guy for every difficult question and his opinions are often the final words on an issue. The bosses will cry when he retires! If you were useful and used your talents then you did your part in life.
Keep a few things in mind. This is a guy getting a fully funded PhD from a top school in a field (computer science) where a PhD from a top school has TONs of options outside of academia. For example, a lot of CS PhDs are working on wall street. I have seen multiple ads requiring PhDs in CS, Math, Physics etc from top schools for the position. These guys are doing heavy duty quantitative finance/algorithmic trading. Even with all of that, he still states in the prologue: That certainly is an interesting perspective.
You have to love when someone posts an option and it is labeled as BS. Not everyone sees the world through the same lense and has the same motivators. I started with reason X and finished with reason Y after my 6 year PhD journey (by the way, now I am on reason Z).
The above comments reminds me of the German-American anthropologist Franz Boas (1858-1942),who described the culture as a set of "cultural glasses lens" that provide us with a means for perceiving the world around us. The concept expressed by Boas at the early stage of the social anthropologic studies has been then echoed later by many scholars, in other words in order to make sense of situations biased by our own assumptions, it is necessary to take a cultural perspective, learning to see the world through “cultural lens”. Moreover, as already mentioned, PhD's and Professional Doctorates have a lot of options to work outside the Academia, depending on the specialization. There are a lot of PhD's working in the oil & gas industry, for instance.
Not to say the author didn't work hard to deserve it, but he is also priviledged to have the opportunity to earn his education (MIT BS/MS, Stanford PhD). I am guessing he is in his early 30s, he is way ahead of where I was at his age and it's up to him to maximize the return of his education in any occupational sector. PhD is no longer just for research in academia, and I think he already recognizes this and should have a pretty good career working for high tech companies. Good article though.
