Invisible wrote:
>>     Seriously. I think it's the best advice you've been given. You get
>> paid
>> to do all the fun geeky stuff your adviser wants you to do. And it's not
>> that rare that you'll also want to do it too! You'll be around smart
>> people (which *may* make you feel stupid for a while, but that'll go
>> away). And not sure about the UK and Europe, but (many) campuses in the
>> US have a good social environment. Lots of great speakers visit campus
>> and give talks - spanning the whole spectrum from science to politics.
> 
> Sounds positively utopian.

	There are downsides. Serendipity plays a role. Your adviser could suck.
Department policies can suck. Grading policies can suck. There is
variability. It's quite possible you may get stuck with a thesis topic
that doesn't interest you too much. And for most people, the first 0.5 -
1 years of doing research are quite dull. Reading papers in an area you
barely know anything about is depressing.

	But once you learn enough to grok them, that problem disappears.

	But that's how life is. Same issue with work. Except I'm almost certain
it's more likely to be dull.

> You'll excuse me if I'm a little skeptical... I was promised that
> college would be like this, and it wasn't. I was promised that
> university would be like this, and it wasn't.

	Depends on the university. I met exchange students from Denmark and
Belgium. At their universities, there were no social activities. It was
almost like work - except the actual work was more interesting. They
didn't have quite a few of the things that I mentioned (the people
didn't lack it, though - those events still occur in the city).

	At my most recent university in the US, we have 30-40K students. They
form lots of student organizations. You can bet there are lots and lots
of things going on. Everything I said occurs here. I can't speak for the
UK or Europe, but heck - Darren confirmed what I said as well.

	I also went to a smaller, unknown university. Not as much stuff going
on, but still quite a bit.

	The key to all of it is that you have to actively participate if you,
well, want to participate in those events. They put all kinds of notices
on bulletin boards, but you actually have to go to them ;-)

	But those were the perks. In terms of studies, what I said is also true
in the US. They generally are fairly flexible about you taking courses
from other departments.

	If you're unsure, the policies are outlined on their web sites. If it's
a pain to find, email the department secretary.

> You'll recall that I currently earn very little money. Am I likely to
> end up earning even less doing a PhD?

	I think that question has been answered for the UK. In the US, it
varies. It helps if you go to a university that's not in an expensive
city - and there are a number of good ones in those kinds of locations.

-- 
Ground yourself, THEN hug your motherboard!


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