Pete Fraser wrote:> "HardySpicer" <gyansorova@gmail.com> wrote in message > news:7d9db89a-7d4d-4f3c-94ae-9d050384bee8@q16g2000prf.googlegroups.com... > >>On Jul 16, 7:59 am, "Pete Fraser" <pfra...@covad.net> wrote: > > >>>I don't [regret not getting a PhD]. >>>I decided I could probably learn more in my first job >>>than I could by doing a PhD. I think that was the >>>correct decision. I think I lucked out with a great >>>first job though. > > >>Just remember that the majority of the work you guys do in industry is >>based not on the work of real engineers but by the theory produced by >>pure scientists and engineers who have Ph.Ds > > > I honestly believe that I did more and more interesting > work in my first five years with a real job, than I would have > done in a PhD program. > > >>People who do Ph.Ds are normally among the top in their class and >>could work in industry if they needed to (in the early years) so they >>aren't practically useless either. > > > There were a few folks with PhDs at my first job, but most just > had a BSc. They were the brightest bunch of folks I've ever > worked with, and did a load of original research. > > They used to say (only half joking) that if an applicant had a First in > maths or physics, knew how to solder, and had rebuilt a car engine, > they'd get the job.If that matters, I had rebuilt a car engine, too. VLV
can anyone help me define a PhD level problem?
Started by ●July 14, 2010
Reply by ●July 16, 20102010-07-16
Reply by ●July 16, 20102010-07-16
On Jul 15, 3:59�pm, "Pete Fraser" <pfra...@covad.net> wrote:> "Dirk Bell" <bellda2...@cox.net> wrote in message > > news:dc060ec2-6480-4ff2-af0e-f28655d4527a@i31g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... > > > I actually regret not getting [a PhD] > > I don't. > I decided I could probably learn more in my first job > than I could by doing a PhD. I think that was the > correct decision. I think I lucked out with a great > first job though. > > PeteI had the same experience at my first job, but in the long term a PhD would have had more cummulative benefits. You could still have had a job where you learned a lot after the PhD. Dirk
Reply by ●July 16, 20102010-07-16
On 7/16/2010 9:24 AM, Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote: ...> If that matters, I had rebuilt a car engine, too.It matters. It really does. I've worked with Ph.D.s who didn't know which end of a soldering iron to pick up -- they learn fast! -- and who thought that curved lines on a capacitor symbols were for artistic effect. That never happened with one who knew how to fix a flat tire. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●July 18, 20102010-07-18
>On Jul 15, 3:59=A0pm, "Pete Fraser" <pfra...@covad.net> wrote: >> "Dirk Bell" <bellda2...@cox.net> wrote in message >> >>news:dc060ec2-6480-4ff2-af0e-f28655d4527a@i31g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...>> >> > I actually regret not getting [a PhD] >> >> I don't. >> I decided I could probably learn more in my first job >> than I could by doing a PhD. I think that was the >> correct decision. I think I lucked out with a great >> first job though. >> >> Pete > >I had the same experience at my first job, but in the long term a PhD >would have had more cummulative benefits. You could still have had a >job where you learned a lot after the PhD.What cumulative benefit would a PhD have, unless you are an academic, where a PhD is a gating point for a job? For anything else it should become less significant with time, not more. If someone looks 25 you probably ask them about their education. If they look 45 you ask them what they have achieved in life. Steve
Reply by ●July 18, 20102010-07-18
steveu wrote:>>On Jul 15, 3:59=A0pm, "Pete Fraser" <pfra...@covad.net> wrote: >>>>I had the same experience at my first job, but in the long term a PhD >>would have had more cummulative benefits. You could still have had a >>job where you learned a lot after the PhD. > > What cumulative benefit would a PhD have, unless you are an academic, where > a PhD is a gating point for a job? For anything else it should become less > significant with time, not more. If someone looks 25 you probably ask them > about their education. If they look 45 you ask them what they have achieved > in life.HR has a schedule where they collect "points" for every employee. PhD counts as X points. The scored number of points determines upper bound of salary. VLV
Reply by ●July 18, 20102010-07-18
On Jul 14, 7:54�pm, "bharat pathak" <bharat@n_o_s_p_a_m.arithos.com> wrote:> Hello, > > � � I have background in DSP both theory as well > � � as practical. But I do not have much experience > � � in the area of wireless or digital communications. > > � � Could someone help me define a problem that > � � could be taken up as work towards successful > � � completion of PhD? > > � � I am looking for problems related to wireless/ofdm. > > Thanks, > BharatBharat, You may want to see the research work being proposed for LTE-Advanced: 1. http://www.3gpp.org/LTE-Advanced 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced Perhaps you could start with the topics mentioned there but I would think much would depend on who your advisor(s) is going to be and their research interests. Any research work on those topics would be relevant to industry too. Personally the way I look at Ph.D is that; Bachelor's is to initiate a person into a field that they chose, Master's is to attain some amount of mastery over what is learned in Bachelor's and Ph.D. is to extend or provide an alternate point of view to the existing body of knowledge. So it is in a way is like taking a different road and reminds me of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not taken": http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html. Talking of poems, another one of my favorites and I think is worth remembering and in case you haven't come across already is the old Indian fable about different points of view and which is beautifully captured by poet John Godfrey Saxe: http://www.wordinfo.info/Blind-Men-and-Elephant-crop.html. Just to be clear, I am not trying to tell you whether you should or should not do Ph.D. I am sure you are intelligent enough to make the decision on what is best for you on your own. I also think you are humble enough to ask for suggestions both of which I think will help you in future. All the best and enjoy the ride. Jitendra
Reply by ●July 18, 20102010-07-18
On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 23:12:50 -0700 (PDT), Jitendra Rayala <jrayala@hotmail.com> wrote: [Snipped by Lyons]> >You may want to see the research work being proposed for LTE-Advanced: > >1. http://www.3gpp.org/LTE-Advanced >2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced > >Perhaps you could start with the topics mentioned there but I would >think much would depend on who your advisor(s) is going to be and >their research interests. Any research work on those topics would be >relevant to industry too. > >Personally the way I look at Ph.D is that; Bachelor's is to initiate a >person into a field that they chose, Master's is to attain some amount >of mastery over what is learned in Bachelor's and Ph.D. is to extend >or provide an alternate point of view to the existing body of >knowledge. So it is in a way is like taking a different road and >reminds me of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not taken": >http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html. > >Talking of poems, another one of my favorites and I think is worth >remembering and in case you haven't come across already is the old >Indian fable about different points of view and which is beautifully >captured by poet John Godfrey Saxe: http://www.wordinfo.info/Blind-Men-and-Elephant-crop.html. > >Just to be clear, I am not trying to tell you whether you should or >should not do Ph.D. I am sure you are intelligent enough to make the >decision on what is best for you on your own. I also think you are >humble enough to ask for suggestions both of which I think will help >you in future. > >All the best and enjoy the ride. >JitendraHi Jitendra, Thanks for posting that poem's URL. [-Rick-]
