An insightful letter without much technical details. Maybe on your next non technical letter, please write about cornering down a single area of interest and more into choosing a guide and research centers for PhD.
This was a great article, Vikram. I've got loads of thoughts and I'll try and summarize a few of them (from the viewpoint of someone who did a Master's and decided against a PhD).
- I totally agree, if you don't believe you will stay in academia, a PhD is probably not worth the time, tuition, and opportunity costs. You likely become over-trained in a small niche, and vastly under-trained in most other areas, and makes you not worth the salary you'd expect.
- As far as a Master's degree, I think I hold a slightly different view. Overall, I believe the extra schooling isn't worth getting unless you know the job you want (e.g., school principal) requires it. Most of the points you mention that made it worth it - communication, efficient work - I believe you can accomplish in a regular job. Arguably, efficient work and communication get better in a normal job I would believe.
- However, learning to learn I think is best done in a university setting where you have a low risk of messing up, and can explore topics or problems you want without much oversight from a boss. This environment is perfect for developing applicable problem-solving skills.
Thanks again for this article and the debate of grad school being worth it or not will always be a tough question for anyone considering it; I appreciate you sharing!
Thanks for your thoughts Jacob! Agree with your view on Masters too. There are also those who decide that working for someone else is not their style, and start businesses early on. Like Pieter Levels and others like him. They learn so much by trying and failing so much early in their careers that they eventually find success. Given the options out there today, I question whether graduate education still holds the importance it did even a decade ago!
That’s a good point. The world today is much different than it was a decade ago and that changes its importance. But it will be different for each person and their goals so I appreciated hearing your viewpoint!
Thank you so much for taking your valuable time to share with us your insights.
I found your point "Unless you plan on academia, a PhD program only makes sense if you can complete it with a reasonable span of time (4-5 years). The reality is that PhDs don't get paid all that much more compared to masters students who joined industry (exceptions apply). And you have 5 years of opportunity cost to recover, which in the field of engineering can mean half a million dollars at least in the US." is very perceptive.
It seems to me that to achieve that graduation goal, one may need to have a good communication and clear expectation with the supervisor. May I ask two follow-up questions on that point?
1- Could you please share with us your insight and advice how to have a good communication and clear expectation with the supervisor?
2- What is the difference when you communicate and set expectation as an engineer with your manager currently and as a PhD student with your supervisor back then? Any advice for us to improve our communication and set expectation skill?
1) Sometimes it's as simple as asking, "How many journal and conference papers do I need to publish?" You can also ask what the working style is in the group. Intense results-driven, or slow and purpose-driven. Many research groups function like startups these days, and it's good to know in advance.
2) Difference between school and professional setting is not all that much. It is still good to find out what projects you are expected to finish at work. Over-communicate with what your work needs are. Are you feeling motivated enough? Where do you want your career to go? How can your manager help you achieve them? If your supervisor knows what you want, then there is a chance that steps will be taken towards making its happen. Otherwise, its just the surprise/betrayal cycle all around.
Dear Vikram, this was an amazing read, anyone in wireless comm can resonate with your experience, though I had to stop with my MSc in signal processing, key was this proper risk-reward calculations based on your own life's circumstances
Love to jump into 1:1 in future when it opens up, cheers.
Happy to hear it resonates! I don't do well with calendars, so 1:1s were a bit stressful for me. I'm experimenting with a discord server for a community where we can use our collective intelligence. :)
Firstly, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule and writing engaging articles. I like the content of your newsletters. More importantly, I enjoy your simple and coherent explanation of tricky subject matters. It's amazing!
I am an analog IC design engineer. I never felt the need to educate myself on Machine Learning or AI until now. However, I get self-doubt now and then. Am I missing out on the next big technological revolution?!
I will be very interested to take your view on this. Is it necessary for an analog IC design engineer to learn about the fundamentals of Machine Learning and AI?!
Hi Bitan, glad you enjoy the articles! I never advocate following trends, but instead suggest you follow your curiosity.
Learning AI/ML is not necessary by any means. Take a short journey into the world of AI/ML if you feel like it and see what all the talk is about. It may be the next big thing or another hype cycle, one cannot really tell from here.
Once you check it out, at least you'll put the FOMO to rest once and for all.
An insightful letter without much technical details. Maybe on your next non technical letter, please write about cornering down a single area of interest and more into choosing a guide and research centers for PhD.
Great suggestion!
This was a great article, Vikram. I've got loads of thoughts and I'll try and summarize a few of them (from the viewpoint of someone who did a Master's and decided against a PhD).
- I totally agree, if you don't believe you will stay in academia, a PhD is probably not worth the time, tuition, and opportunity costs. You likely become over-trained in a small niche, and vastly under-trained in most other areas, and makes you not worth the salary you'd expect.
- As far as a Master's degree, I think I hold a slightly different view. Overall, I believe the extra schooling isn't worth getting unless you know the job you want (e.g., school principal) requires it. Most of the points you mention that made it worth it - communication, efficient work - I believe you can accomplish in a regular job. Arguably, efficient work and communication get better in a normal job I would believe.
- However, learning to learn I think is best done in a university setting where you have a low risk of messing up, and can explore topics or problems you want without much oversight from a boss. This environment is perfect for developing applicable problem-solving skills.
Thanks again for this article and the debate of grad school being worth it or not will always be a tough question for anyone considering it; I appreciate you sharing!
Thanks for your thoughts Jacob! Agree with your view on Masters too. There are also those who decide that working for someone else is not their style, and start businesses early on. Like Pieter Levels and others like him. They learn so much by trying and failing so much early in their careers that they eventually find success. Given the options out there today, I question whether graduate education still holds the importance it did even a decade ago!
That’s a good point. The world today is much different than it was a decade ago and that changes its importance. But it will be different for each person and their goals so I appreciated hearing your viewpoint!
Thanks Jacob!
Hi Vikram,
Thank you so much for taking your valuable time to share with us your insights.
I found your point "Unless you plan on academia, a PhD program only makes sense if you can complete it with a reasonable span of time (4-5 years). The reality is that PhDs don't get paid all that much more compared to masters students who joined industry (exceptions apply). And you have 5 years of opportunity cost to recover, which in the field of engineering can mean half a million dollars at least in the US." is very perceptive.
It seems to me that to achieve that graduation goal, one may need to have a good communication and clear expectation with the supervisor. May I ask two follow-up questions on that point?
1- Could you please share with us your insight and advice how to have a good communication and clear expectation with the supervisor?
2- What is the difference when you communicate and set expectation as an engineer with your manager currently and as a PhD student with your supervisor back then? Any advice for us to improve our communication and set expectation skill?
Thank you very much in advance.
Hi Long.
1) Sometimes it's as simple as asking, "How many journal and conference papers do I need to publish?" You can also ask what the working style is in the group. Intense results-driven, or slow and purpose-driven. Many research groups function like startups these days, and it's good to know in advance.
2) Difference between school and professional setting is not all that much. It is still good to find out what projects you are expected to finish at work. Over-communicate with what your work needs are. Are you feeling motivated enough? Where do you want your career to go? How can your manager help you achieve them? If your supervisor knows what you want, then there is a chance that steps will be taken towards making its happen. Otherwise, its just the surprise/betrayal cycle all around.
Got it. Really appreciate your insights and willingness to share with us.
Dear Vikram, this was an amazing read, anyone in wireless comm can resonate with your experience, though I had to stop with my MSc in signal processing, key was this proper risk-reward calculations based on your own life's circumstances
Love to jump into 1:1 in future when it opens up, cheers.
Happy to hear it resonates! I don't do well with calendars, so 1:1s were a bit stressful for me. I'm experimenting with a discord server for a community where we can use our collective intelligence. :)
Hi Vikram,
Firstly, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule and writing engaging articles. I like the content of your newsletters. More importantly, I enjoy your simple and coherent explanation of tricky subject matters. It's amazing!
I am an analog IC design engineer. I never felt the need to educate myself on Machine Learning or AI until now. However, I get self-doubt now and then. Am I missing out on the next big technological revolution?!
I will be very interested to take your view on this. Is it necessary for an analog IC design engineer to learn about the fundamentals of Machine Learning and AI?!
Thanks!
Hi Bitan, glad you enjoy the articles! I never advocate following trends, but instead suggest you follow your curiosity.
Learning AI/ML is not necessary by any means. Take a short journey into the world of AI/ML if you feel like it and see what all the talk is about. It may be the next big thing or another hype cycle, one cannot really tell from here.
Once you check it out, at least you'll put the FOMO to rest once and for all.