triple_r wrote:

> I've heard time and time again and have seen first firsthand that raw
> intelligence, while useful to a point, is not the driving force behind a PhD.
> Desire is what'll get you through it.
> 
> You are obviously quite capable of picking up material, learning it, and
> communicating it.  Now you just need to transfer that skill from wikipedia to
> google scholar.  Based on what you post here, if you had a hard time before, it
> was probably because you were spending time learning what you really wanted to
> be learning.

The whole module on project management *was* pretty boring, to be honest...

>>  No one should have to pay for a PhD. Find funding options.
> 
> Indeed.  The way to go about this is not just to apply to random schools you
> like or think you can get into, but to contact faculty you like or think you
> could work with.  The web makes this very easy.  Go to random schools'
> websites.  Look at what the faculty does.  If something looks interesting, find
> out anything you can about the subject.  If possible, look up papers or topics
> the person has worked on recently.  (If you really want to work in this area,
> you should be genuinely interested, not just a sycophant.)  Then email or call
> the person.  They'll probably tell you to get lost, but if they don't then
> you're in luck.  If you convince them you could do a good job and they want you
> there, then the application process is a formality.  This could possibly be more
> true if your marks aren't as high, so that you can convince them from the start
> that you're more than capable.  It's also possible to apply, get accepted, and
> try to find something that interests you once you're there, but you might not
> find what you're looking for.  Trust me.

Thus far, I haven't seen anything remotely interesting-looking.

On the other hand, it's not like I'm doing to do a PhD on the LZW 
algorithm. That's neither new nor innovative. The requirement that you 
have to do something "new" seems pretty hard to meet; almost everything 
has been done already. (Everything worth doing, anyway.) But we'll see. 
Maybe if I search around I'd find something...

>>> 4. It is *highly* unlikely that having a PhD will make any kind of
>>> positive change to my employment situation.
> 
> Researching, innovating, writing papers, giving talks...  Seems that would look
> great even if a job had little to do with your field of study.  Seems highly
> *likely* to me.

 From what I can tell, "most" employers won't look at it like that. I 
mean, you could argue that I spent an entire 6 years of my life in 
higher education, and that demonstrates a great deal of commitment (I 
didn't give up) and reliability (I didn't fail). But nobody appears to 
give a ****. They just want to know whether you have skill X. If you do 
not have skill X, not interested. Goodbye.

On that basis, I don't think it would make a difference. (Although I did 
manage to find *one* job that required a PhD. But that was working for a 
bank, which is obviously absurd.)

> I think you're looking at what difference a PhD would make in
> your current job.

Oh, I don't *care* about my current job. I'm just itching to find a way 
to get rid of it!

> I've been told that while a PhD may close some doors, it
> will open up a completely different set of opportunities.

Mm'kay...

> Yes, and on the contrary, if you discover it doesn't interest you, you'll move
> right along.  Of course I would NOT
> recommend Monte Carlo sampling of grad school programs;

LOL! What a way to live... Monte Carlo sampling of all possible fields 
of human exploration until you hit upon something interesting. :-D

Sorry, it has to be done now: http://www.xkcd.com/507/

> Not many people say, "Should I get a PhD?  I'm not sure, but I don't think so."
> If you get that far, you should at least talk to people, apply, and consider
> your options, even if you ultimately decide against it.

Heh. I'm only asking because everybody *else* seems to think I should! :-P

Still, I guess it merits further attention...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
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