To be or not to be (a grad student) November 13, 2006
Posted by Niels in : Graduate school, Personal , trackbackDo I really want to go back to grad school in the spring? Two years for a Ph.D. from Berkeley is hard to turn down, but more and more it’s starting to feel like grad school is taking me toward a destination I’m no longer interested in.
When I first got to grad school, I really liked the idea of being a professor. It’s still somewhat appealing, but not as exciting as it once was. At being at Berkeley has made it abundantly clear that I’m simply not smart enough to be a professor at a top-tier university.
But I still liked the idea of doing research, so I spent last summer doing an internship at Philips Research, getting a taste of what research in industry is like. Philips was great. I can’t imagine a more supportive, flexible environment, with nearly complete freedom for whatever topics of research I wanted to pursue. But I wasn’t happy.
I look around at my coworkers, and no one I’ve met in the tech world or academia really has the sort of lifestyle that I envy. If I don’t have any role models in my line of work, perhaps I’m in the wrong line of work?
What I’m really drawn toward now is entrepreneurship. I want to be in charge of my own life, my own time, and my own money. I’m excited by the high-risk, high-reward earning potential. Unfortunately, I don’t have any big ideas to run with in the near future.
Craig points out that this isn’t a bad thing. I shouldn’t be leaving grad school to pursue some business idea, because that idea is probably going to go under. Not possibly, but probably, if the statistics have anything to say about it. The right reason to leave is realizing that I’m simply not on the right path anymore. That’s the only way to have future projects fail without secondguessing myself and my decision.
Comments»
I am not sure grad school is worth it. I also recently read this article (directed at women, but applicable to all) about the worth of a degree.
http://philip.greenspun.com/careers/women-in-science
Hi Niels,
It was a very enjoyable experience watching you in Beauty and the Geeks. I have a Ph.D. in Finance/Accounting and I understand the bitterness and sacrifice you made during your first two years of graduate school.
All I can advise you is to be happy and not have regrets in life. Nobody better than yourself knows what is better for your life. You are someone with potential and intelligence. You can succeed in different ways by using differently your abilities.
Best of luck for the future.
Thierry
Hi Niels,
When you were doing your master’s, did you ever have any problems with your supervisor? If so, how did you deal with them? I’m having trouble dealing with mine because my supervisor (among other things) treats me and everyone else like a slave. Also, the average period for a PhD is 8 years and Masters is 4 years, which IMHO is BS. I’m so close to quitting sometimes. Sigh, why are the incompetent people always at the top?!
Thanks,
Angry Grad. Student