PHD's What are the good for?

[Hans Tucker]

A rather amusing story in the news today of a woman with a PhD believing she has a right to issue Vaccine exemption certificates even though her PhD is not in Medicine.

This made me recall a conversation with a work colleague whom mentioned to me that his family was pressuring him to complete a Doctorate .. apparently he is the only one in his family whom hasn't completed one and doesn't have the title of 'Dr' but he sees no real need to .. he is employed in a well paid job in the field he loves.

Soooo ... any IIS members here have completed a Doctorate ... if so why and has it opened up any promotion or extended positions your Bachelors Degree couldn't or hasn't?

Lets keep this a fun discussion ... its not about COVID or Vaccines.

[jahnpahwa]

Maybe your colleague's family know the great feeling that comes from completing a body of work like that?
Maybe they see him as someone who hasn't extended or tested himself fully yet and know the satisfaction he will get from it.

Maybe they're a bunch of superficial jerks who are embarrassed of his super basic prefix.

Hard to tell, especially since I don't know them, but families can be a good source of both aggravation and truth when it comes to their members.

One thing is for sure... not everyone has the goal of a better job, promotion, etc when going to uni for a higher degree. Its a personal thing.

A minor quibble, since I love a quibble, is that a PhD and a doctorate, in Australia at least, are two different things.

[JA]

OK here's another . (Sorry Hans, I couldn't resist :D) ....
https://youtu.be/9UZWfMgjqAs

Best
JA

[Hans Tucker]

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I will see your Spies Like Us and Raise you a Big Bang Theory

https://youtu.be/Q-c4iS454WA

[JA]

Nice One Hans. I hadn't seen that one before. It seemed as though it was going to go along the same lines as the Spies Like Us, but took at turn - Excellent all the same :thumbsup::D:D:D

Best
JA

[RB]

:lol: :lol:

Okay Hans, I call....
I have a pair...

[Hans Tucker]

:D I have the same pair but I raise you a Zeiss APO Binoviewer.

[RB]

I fold...

:lol:

[Hans Tucker]

RB ...Feels more like an Arms Race

https://9gag.com/gag/anjz3Vq

[leon]

Wow, you boys have a nice pair. I would like to use either of them :scared3::whistle::whistle: just saying.

Leon :thumbsup:

[Spidy]

Man, this thread took a wrong turn.:confused2:

[leon]

It did Phil, :sadeyes: sorry, just getting back a RB, ;) he usually sticks it up me, don't ya Andrew. :)

Leon :thumbsup:

[Spidy]

All good Leon.


Never miss an opportunity to return fire.:lol:

[RB]

:lol: :thumbsup:



:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Hans Tucker]

Yes ... yes it did

https://comb.io/XRPcp4

[LewisM]

PHD is good for guiding :P

I have a PHD in Dumbarseology

[Hans Tucker]

Your Thesis must have been an interesting read.

[LewisM]

It was quite sh!tty actually. Crappy writing, foul grammar, and p!$$ poor referencing. I was accused of plagiarism, but that was just a fart in a bathtub.

[AstralTraveller]

Excuse me if I try to answer this seriously. :P One distinction I have heard between an undergrad degree (or coursework masters) and a research degree is that one involves reading books while the other involves writing them.

A PhD is a prerequisite for some jobs and a great advantage in others. To get a job as a academic you will need a PhD, a solid publication record, probably a period as a post-doctoral researcher and a record of winning competitive funding grants. These days a PhD is a distinct advantage even to get a jobs as a general staff. These jobs won't use the PhD knowledge directly but it gives the applicant a great advantage. It proves that you are a organised, efficient and effective person who can tackle and master new challenges.

I also know graduates who work for Geoscience Australia, CSIRO , the Australia Museum, one who is head geologist for a mining company and another who was. Any company that undertakes technological research will employ PhD graduates, in fact they will often fund PhD scholarships for specific research topics. I know two geologist who were funded by resource companies and the support they had would turn a uni-based student green. One even had his own workforce to do the leg work for him. Sadly this type of support is less common in Australia than it should be :(, but that's another discussion.

[alpal]

A PhD can also be a handicap in finding work.
There are not too many jobs for such people and
sometimes they are short term gigs -
till the research money runs out.

[DarkArts]

Oh, indeed. :rofl:

So, ladies, what do you get for the man with a nice pair ...

You'll have to read the article to find out (https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/sex/male-contraceptive-bath-device-wins-dyson-award/news-story/8a0e4cbc6a80dad774ac9331ee56430a)

[JA]

Hi Hans,

They can be useful for:

gaining or retaining a job in academia,
work in research & development settings,
sometimes as a means of facilitating admission into other highly competitive fields of study and
like all study, as a mechanism for personal or professional development in an area of interest.




We have two in the family currently engaged in their PhDs, one in BioMed/Physiology, who interestingly has already authored a few papers, one even in the area of potential COVID treatment and the other PhD is in the Psych field. In both cases I can see that they are currently of benefit and indeed will be of future benefit to their prospects, beyond what their Bachelor's degrees would have provided.

Best
JA