Posted by
Sir Aenorlux on Monday, July 31, 2006 2:16:17
When I was applying to and interviewing at graduate schools around the country, everyone gave me the same "brouchure" answer that it would take 4-6 years to get out with my Ph.D. I've been in grad school for a year already and one thing I've learned (I've actually learned a lot, though the most important discoveries are neither acedmic nor scientific in nature) is that they should say, 4-6 years
after your first 1-2 years.
The first year, of course, is exciting: "Wow, I'm so totally happy I got into this fantastic institution and I will be doing this fantastic research to make a difference and cure diseases and I'm gonna do fabulous things and I'm gonna graduate in 3-4 years! Woo-hoo!" and so on.
I've read some things referring to the cynicism some graduate students usually acquire in years 3-4 regarding the real value of their research, the worthiness of the whole grad school endeavor and the actual intelligence of their mentor...for me, this has happened at the beginning of year 2......6 more to go *sigh. (see graph at http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=125 )
There are some days when I drive 1hr to and 1.5hrs from something I have to do in lab that may require 10 MINUTES worth of work! By the same token, there are days when I stay a very long time in lab but the combustion of my precious gasoline at $3.30/gal seems justified in those instances.
I think that earning a Ph.D may require a level of devotion and deciation that I am not willing to give to anything that isn't my . In my mind, a good grad student sacrifices his entire life on the altar of science. F- that...that's for the birds. Besides, I know I've lost faith in the mystique of the degree. I've met my share of schmucks who with a Ph.D.
So...to stay or to stay not. There is a substantial vote in the congress of varying opinions that resides in my head, that it is very important to get a real job and carry on with my life. However, my "plan" is not to fax 50 resumes while the boss is at lunch today and give notice on Monday. For the moment, I'm thinking about sticking around long enough (one or two more years) to get a Master's degree
then faxing 50 resumes while the boss is at lunch.