PhD or no PhD?
I 32 years old with MS in CS and with 8 years of work experience. I have been recently inclining towards going back to school and do 3 year PhD program offered at couple of schools. Mainly to boost my career even more and also to get phD under my belt. I am pretty serious about finishing it off once I start. What is everyone’s opinion on that?
Getting your PhD could be a fun and rewarding experience. However, I also think it will most likely not benefit your career. You should only do it if you really love the research.
“Getting your PhD could be a fun and rewarding experience,” said no one who actually got a PhD ever
I have a PhD. Hardest thing I ever did in my life. But also most rewarding. I’d dare say it was even fun at times. Career wise, it won’t help much. But if you enjoy the field, you’ll look back on it fondly.
No. Unless you do or intend do to research as a part of your job.
Which programs are these?
PhD is good for those who wish to delve deeper into research. Not sure that will help advance career much unless u work at a university
Depends on what you want. Most people without one will tell you it’s a waste of time (mainly because they don’t know what it entails), but I really enjoyed mine and think the skills benefit me daily relative to others. On the other hand, financially it probably wouldn’t make up for the not working/earning appreciable income in the meanwhile. Do it if you really want to spent a lot of time thinking deeply about a specific research area, or if you want to move more into research as opposed to engineering. Example being research scientist vs SWE at Google, or even take a shot at academia. If you still want to do engineering afterwards, there aren’t too many advantages, professionally.
Perfect answer. I don't have mine and regret it every day.
Are you research scientist at Google?
Here's what everyone will say. There is some opportunity cost to stopping work and pursuing a PhD. Life is about more than just TC and career. If you find a PhD would be enriching, a way to push your career towards research, or are interested in doing analysis at a level that can't be done in industry I say go for it. Only time in your life you'll get paid to write a proof, probably.
If you want to pivot your career (work in a new/specialized area), go for it. It is a weird feeling to be back in school surrounded by students much younger and less experienced than you
Also there is usually (at least in US schools) no specific time set for Phd. You might not finish in : years; in fact, I have rarely seen people finishing in 3 years.
I'd totally recommend it. It can be a great hobby if mom and dad have cash to burn.
No PhD. It will not boost your career in any way.