Hey #academia friends.
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@Ethan_Landes
Fair point! -
@neilturner
I do worry that the part-time aspect might make it drag on too long. I did my MSc that way.
Thanks for the tips! -
Probably "giving up your job".
Doing my masters part time was easy. Dead easy.
Doing my PhD part time, alongside running our own business, was unachievable for me.
I gave up, and wish I had done so sooner.
I might still do a PhD, but not while I am working.
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@neil yup. I want to be doing it full time.
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@Edent Find an advisor who's interested in the field you want to explore. Make sure they're okay with the way you want to work on the PhD (full/half-time, present/hybrid/remote). At the stage of your career, make sure you're clear you're doing it for yourself, and yourself alone—this won't give you a salary bump, neither in your old job if you stay working or arrange for an unpaid educational leave, nor in a new job if you switch. Finally, find areas where you can dig a 1m wide, 100m deep hole.
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@Edent If you decide to work out some sort of agreement with your current employer, see my lesson from my PhD: https://blog.tomayac.com/2021/10/02/14-years-at-google/#the-phd-time-2010-2014. This may or may not affect you mentally: prepare for rejection, and prepare for being the oldest PhD student (by a distance) in the room when you submit to conferences. Oh, in Computer Science submit to conferences; submitting to journals means you won't interact with others in person, and that's the most meaningful, fulfilling part. If you can afford it, do it!
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@tomayac
Thanks, that's useful. I'll probably try to do it without an employer TBH. -
@Edent borrow/buy How to get a PhD by Philips & Pugh and have a read, it’s not long. Not everything in there will apply to you but understanding the challenges different people face will let you understand yours more clearly and set up for success. Speak to potential advisors, and arrange chats with their current post grads, you’ll learn a lot. The right supervisor can help you get funding.
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@the_accidental cheers. I'll check it out.