Getting what you came for

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1. chriskananMar 2024
   I read the book "Getting what you came for" before starting my PhD and took that to heart for graduating. It basically argued one does not need to do their best work during their PhD as that's the start of one's career. What made me sad was after I realized my area wasn't one anyone was hiring for faculty for (deep learning and AI by around 2011), and that the people who did get interviews had an astronomical number of papers (in AI generally but nobody cared about neural networks). I fortunately got a faculty job after applying to 30 universities in 2013 where I got one offer and was their third choice. I got lucky, deep learning exploded, and my career took off. Many people tried to steer me away from AI and especially neural nets, including some of my committee members for the latter.

   Regardless, another factor in my success was having a somewhat crazy officemate who would work 30 hours straight and then sleep 13 hours, 7 days per week (we are still good friends and he is now a well known deep learning theory professor). I couldn't do that, but the zeal with which he pushed himself motivated me a lot (although he also gave me imposter syndrome since we took some proof heavy courses where he would be done in a couple hours what would take me days to do the same assignments).

   I definitely don't recommend having kids during a PhD, as I've seen many students and peers struggle tremendously. A partner is great, especially if they are equally busy (mine was in medical school across the country), because one isn't going to really get a lot of nights and weekends if you are really pushing yourself. My advisor never pushed me, but I pushed myself very hard.

   Still, if one just wants a PhD, what one needs is a good advisor who can steer one towards problems that are tractable given the student's abilities, stable funding (most programs worth doing are reasonably stable), and not trying to think one must do the most amazing work of their lives during their PhDs. It is a lot of work, but a career in research and the privilege of cultivating the next generation is really what makes me feel self-actualized.

   I try to find low-hanging fruit research projects for my PhD students in their first few years to build up their confidence and then have them pursue harder problems, where if the harder ones don't work out they still hopefully have enough stuff to form a dissertation. I often find myself needing to be more of a cheerleader for my students nowadays, though, since my field exploded and reviewers seem much less competent. Rejected papers for good work hurts mental health.

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2. bcantrillDec 2014
   These are really solid interviews. For those considering a PhD, I would also recommend "Getting What You Came For"[1]. When my mother was considering getting her PhD, I bought it for her -- and also read it myself as someone who aspired to get a PhD. My mom loved the book (and did indeed get her PhD, a requirement in her field), but the book inspired me to consider non-PhD options. Once I started exploring those options, it was clear that they were a better fit for me -- and I have never felt the desire to return for a PhD. (Though given my genetic predisposition to late-in-life PhDs -- my grandfather, mother and aunt all earned their PhDs after the age of 50 -- I suppose I should say only that I haven't felt the desire yet.)

   [1] http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/460669.Getting_What_You_C...

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3. joshruleDec 2010
   I really appreciate guides like these, particularly because I'm preparing for graduate school myself.

   Another really helpful read was "Getting What You Came For" by Robert Peters. He walks through the entire Ph.D. process and describes a pipeline that can knock a 7 year program to 4 or 5 and a 5 year program to 3 or 4. That time saved would be incredibly valuable.

   I'm always on the hunt for good material like this. What other Ph.D./grad school/research guides have people found helpful?

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4. petercooperAug 2010
   I recently bought, read, and took detailed notes on what, on Amazon at least, appears to be the most respected book about getting a PhD and the reality of how hard it is: http://peterc.org/pedia/getting-what-you-came-for/ .. My notes will only inspire, it's a book well worth buying.
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5. petercooperSep 2010
   Anyone seriously interested in this line of enquiry might find my summary of "Getting What You Came For," one of the most popular "getting a PhD" guides, interesting: http://peterc.org/pedia/getting-what-you-came-for/
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