✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Choosing Between a PhD and Industry for New Computer Science Graduates

sh-reya.com · 2,161 words · saved by 1 readers

Many people ask me why I chose not to pursue a PhD directly after college. I figured I might as well centralize my thoughts in one place. This essay is for computer science or technical grads: As someone who deeply enjoys thinking about and coding solutions to open-ended research questions, I genuinely considered going to a PhD program. To come to a decision, I spent a while pondering why many students with research experience don’t pursue a PhD directly after undergrad. I think there are many reasons why people don’t go directly to PhD programs, including: I felt like I could put in the effort to apply and would enjoy a PhD program if I got in, but I still didn’t know what to do. Delaying the decision didn’t feel optimal either, since even if I worked in industry for a few years before going to a PhD program, I didn’t think I’d easily accustom to a large pay cut and working on problem sets again. Understandably, the PhD vs Industry decision caused me a lot of stress! Halfway through m

Many people ask me why I chose not to pursue a PhD directly after college. I figured I might as well centralize my thoughts in one place. This essay is for computer science or technical grads: Interested in machine learning Enjoy working on hard, unsolved technical challenges Possibly choosing between research or industry As someone who deeply enjoys thinking about and coding solutions to open-ended research questions, I genuinely considered going to a PhD program. To come to a decision, I spent a while pondering why many students with research experience don’t pursue a PhD directly after unde

Explore this link on the map →

related reading