[Fwd: Re: [ILUG] Phd/Masters or Job]

[KUDA DUBE]

Copy message below also meant for the list but forgot to CC.

-- 
KUDA DUBE <kd.gnu.linux at gmail.com>


-------- Forwarded Message --------
> From: KUDA DUBE <kd.gnu.linux at gmail.com>
> To: Christian Kortenhorst <namit at namit.org>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Phd/Masters or Job
> Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:04:31 +0000
> 
> Hi Christian,
> 
> I would think that it is precisely a desire to work for oneself that one
> should be motivated to do a PhD. The logic is that people who work for a
> company are not in as much need for a PhD as people who work for
> themselves. This is precisely because companies earn their trust and
> customer confidence by the presumption that they are already in
> compliance with all forms regulations and laws. This presumption is hard
> to apply to an individual who work for himself - hence need for
> membership of professional bodies as well as rigorous training of which
> a PhD could be a strong candidate.
> 
> If you work for yourself on contracted tech jobs that are upgradable to
> tech consultancy work, then a PhD may help boost your business by
> increasing customer trust, confidence and perceived technical capacity.
> The PhD is of immense value where you intend to continue in that line of
> business. 
> 
> Given two people (individual tech consultants with same level of
> experience) competing for a tech contract or consultancy, it would
> appear to be reasonable and in the interest of a company to give the
> contract to the one with a PhD. The primary reasoning would be expected
> to be that a PhD makes one into an individual who can go about
> addressing a new problem in a systematic way that dramatically increases
> the chances of developing a robust and lasting solution to this new
> problem.
> 
> I view PhD training as developing such a skill rather than merely
> developing an expert in a particular domain. Many people tend to think a
> PhD means enhanced tech skills in the area of expertise and nothing
> more. I would say PhD training produce domain experts and, in addition,
> also an open-minded investigator, thinker and systematic problem-solver
> who is able to communicate (orally and by the written word) both the
> problem, the solution as well as the method of arriving at the solution.
> I would think that such a skill is valuable and applicable to every
> problem in every domain!
> 
> If you get a chance to do a PhD I would advice that you do it and aim at
> completing it as fast as you can - so you can get back to doing what you
> want to do.
>