If You’re Complaining, Maybe It’s Time For A New Job
By Randy Eldridge
I recently came across an article in the Economist that argued that obtaining a Ph.D. was essentially a waste of time. Not to repeat the entire article, what the author bitterly (in my opinion) claims is that the university system “churns” out Ph.D.s at an exceedingly high rate and that there is an over supply of students. The author also claims that while obtaining your doctorate, you are basically slave labor to your advisors and work long hours for little reward, monetarily or otherwise. Finally, the author argues that obtaining a doctorate doesn’t pay off financially, so why bother.
The comments below the article weren’t much more positive. There were a few that argued as I feel, that obtaining a Ph.D. is a reward in and of itself (idealistic, I know), and that the pursuit of knowledge and discovering something new is reason enough to pursue the degree. However, there were more than few that agreed with the author. They had their PhDs and were miserable. They were treated so badly by their professors. They’re not making $4 billion a year with their degrees. People weren’t bowing to them as they walk into the room. You
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