tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post4582502865659706555..comments2024-03-24T21:12:27.165-07:00Comments on 100 Reasons NOT to Go to Graduate School: 98. Your family pays a price.100 Reasonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13655155303350793785noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-41488291164270777002024-03-16T04:17:51.852-07:002024-03-16T04:17:51.852-07:00Oh my, maybe you should read more slowly instead o...Oh my, maybe you should read more slowly instead of jumping to conclusions. "You know nothing at all" - well, I happen to do. I also did a PhD in humanities and found myself in the same position as the author. And I also agree that the system is deeply flawed and the universities are profiting from the warped perception people have of the PhD degrees. <br /><br />But I knew what was waiting for me after the PhD and knew it would be hard (it was). There simply was enough information available in the 2010s. You cannot blame your decisions on a window sheet from the 1970s and claim that you are clever enough to do a PhD, but unable to do basic research about your job prospects before embarking on such a programme.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06416850957041673276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-38582828341516897762024-02-13T17:50:34.947-08:002024-02-13T17:50:34.947-08:00AnonymousFebruary 2, 2020 at 11:19 PM
Thanks!AnonymousFebruary 2, 2020 at 11:19 PM<br />Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-69966899802942282532024-02-12T14:57:25.728-08:002024-02-12T14:57:25.728-08:00Martin August 30, 2022
“My point is...”
You have n...Martin August 30, 2022<br />“My point is...”<br />You have no point. You are one of two substantial groups of commenters here. One is pc to the bone, but can’t understand what happened to them. The other is typified by you. You know nothing at all about the antiversity, yet you condemn people who have been screwed over by it for not being omniscient.<br />When I was a teenager during the 1970s, at some school I attended, I recall seeing a sheet on the window of the administration’s office, showing the additional earnings one would accrue, based on how many years one attended college beyond high school.<br />What “research” was one supposed to conduct? The experts all concurred: More education equals more money.<br />Know-nothings like you always swoop down on the wounded and gloat, “You should have known better. It’s your own fault!”<br />It doesn't matter what the context is; you live for such opportunities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-13899698546140015092023-12-26T15:32:48.107-08:002023-12-26T15:32:48.107-08:00The author last posted on August 6, 2018. The Cov...The author last posted on August 6, 2018. The Covid vaccine came out in the spring of 2021, approximately two and a half years later. The author's last few posts indicates one new post about once per year. Consequently, one could reasonably expect new posts for 2019 and 2020, well before the vaccine became available.<br /><br />Perhaps your comment was made in jest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-91258052985139875252023-12-26T07:47:23.017-08:002023-12-26T07:47:23.017-08:00It is concluded that the author of this blog has p...It is concluded that the author of this blog has passed due to myocarditis as a result of the COVID vaccine Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-45056782243888975162023-09-09T17:32:54.030-07:002023-09-09T17:32:54.030-07:00Well bully for you, bucko! Was your thesis on the...Well bully for you, bucko! Was your thesis on the performative aspects of internet trolling?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-23854401633629703452023-09-01T02:15:05.630-07:002023-09-01T02:15:05.630-07:00I did PhD part-time while working full time. In al...I did PhD part-time while working full time. In all honesty, this was a great choice for me. I still earned decent money and did not lose years of salary. I did my PhD through a highly respected European university and completed it in 3.5 years. I am now earning 150,000 AUD in my related industry which is education and literature.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-87113184930371769332023-08-22T04:08:38.822-07:002023-08-22T04:08:38.822-07:00This blog is a great work (opus magnum).This blog is a great work (opus magnum).Lawrence Ozehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11886508227542057192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-71798010579937170422023-01-03T12:37:12.305-08:002023-01-03T12:37:12.305-08:00I think that's an excellent suggestion for #10...I think that's an excellent suggestion for #100. You did it to yourself. Everyone thinks that he or she will be the exception. Few are. There's way too much information out now about how working on a PhD is tantamount to throwing away years of your life.Lorenzo Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-82003361941037240382022-12-29T19:19:40.003-08:002022-12-29T19:19:40.003-08:00At least we are seeing a decline in liberal arts a...At least we are seeing a decline in liberal arts and humanities PhD recipients over time. Probably could see that number drop to 0 and have no noticeable effect on the economy for a generation (when the old professors start to retire). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-37597033259070605672022-12-29T19:14:36.890-08:002022-12-29T19:14:36.890-08:00That’s just wild that we have so many people (I as...That’s just wild that we have so many people (I assume it’s mostly women, but I doubt unstable employment and student debt is good for a man’s reproductive capacity either) willing to essentially sign their life away in order to teach school. How many adjunct professors go home at night thinking that a bachelors degree and teaching job would’ve been a far better option?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-2209195331822367662022-09-22T09:46:44.094-07:002022-09-22T09:46:44.094-07:00Excellent blog. Suggestion for reason #100: You...Excellent blog. Suggestion for reason #100: You'll have no one to blame but yourself. If you decided to pursue a Ph.D. after reading this blog, after listening to your advisors (many of whom have probably told you about the dire state of employment for PhDs), and after reading the by-now widespread news reports of adjuncts living in poverty, well, then, you'll have no one to blame but yourself when you find many of the conditions described in this blog to be very true for yourself.<br /><br />Good luck, all, and a word from someone (me) who made the very tough transition from Ph.D. program to industry: it can be done, and you'll secure a decent retirement and be able to start a family if you make the effort. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-43544246391372466952022-09-05T07:22:44.739-07:002022-09-05T07:22:44.739-07:00@April W - Very classy and succinct response. The ...@April W - Very classy and succinct response. The system is too bloated and too broken. People considering grad school in the humanities should really do something else. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-66406604987333636932022-09-02T07:09:42.667-07:002022-09-02T07:09:42.667-07:00“All animals are equal, but some animals are more ...“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” - George Orwell, "Animal Farm"Lorenzo Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-66542178555477523632022-08-30T09:54:50.647-07:002022-08-30T09:54:50.647-07:00My point is, if you are clever enough to be in a g...My point is, if you are clever enough to be in a grad school, you are clever enough to do your research and see your options for what they really are. Blue-collar background or not. Let's be honest with ourselves, for many of us grad school was a way of postponing the entrance into the adult world. But there's a price to pay. Rejecting responsibility for this personal decision and blaming the university stems from the same attitude. You assume university should treat you as a family member with a stake in your well-being, and not as a mere employee. Remember that only you are responsible for your happiness. I wish you the best of luck with your life!Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-24920095217067927862022-08-30T09:41:17.261-07:002022-08-30T09:41:17.261-07:00Thank you for your thoughtful comment, you've ...Thank you for your thoughtful comment, you've put it better than I could ever have. I also had a very good time doing my PhD in Philosophy and I ended up landing a wonderful job (albeit outside academia), but I know my experience is far from universal. I think understanding that your personal perspective is an unreliable source of generalisations is the main takeaway from humanities. This in turn makes me suspicious of the alleged success of the author of the previous comment.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-91993572009762396252022-08-30T09:18:54.676-07:002022-08-30T09:18:54.676-07:00"Some Animals are more equal than others"..."Some Animals are more equal than others" that's racistAnonymous Cowardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03954344465675900013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-41294997703686981442022-08-30T09:17:41.785-07:002022-08-30T09:17:41.785-07:00An evidence that the federal government is bloated...An evidence that the federal government is bloatedAnonymous Cowardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03954344465675900013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-8271542936009321852022-05-05T06:11:24.760-07:002022-05-05T06:11:24.760-07:00It certainly started with "the anxieties, ins...It certainly started with "the anxieties, insecurities, and limitations of the author," but it's perfectly obvious that his/her experiences have been mirrored by those of many other people over the course of the blog's existence. Your 5-year PhD was extraordinarily short, and would have been so even forty years ago. (Even back then, nine or ten years for a humanities PhD was considered normal.) Landing such a great job right out of the chute is also exceptional. I'm happy you've had such a positive experience, but please realize that you're in a very small minority. Most graduate students in the humanities and social sciences, no matter how talented and devoted they might be, cannot hope to duplicate your good fortune.April W.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-74798796755514997552022-05-04T07:56:18.576-07:002022-05-04T07:56:18.576-07:00Taking so long to finish this list I can see why t...Taking so long to finish this list I can see why the (anonymous) author struggled so much with grad school. In any case, I completed a PhD in History in 5 awesome years at a public university, have a good federal gov job related to higher education (will be retired at 58) and have two lovely children, a boy and a girl. I was just able to take 12 weeks paid leave for the second child. I wonder to what extent this blog reflects the anxieties, insecurities, and limitations of the author more than anything else?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-67186945437881873122022-04-11T04:51:16.926-07:002022-04-11T04:51:16.926-07:00I was just talking to one of my colleagues about t...I was just talking to one of my colleagues about this very subject. I can only repeat my comments of August 6, 2018 (with one small typo corrected):<br /><br />"I spent seven and a quarter years in grad school, six years in postdocs, and a couple of years in temporary jobs; by the time I found a permanent position (outside of academe) and was able to get married, I was 40. Now that I'm at an age when my friends who did not go to grad school are retiring, I still have teenagers at home. I'm living far away from my aged parents and extended family. My children will never know their cousins as well as I knew mine. But you should see my list of publications! If I had it to do over again I would not go the same route."<br /><br />Oh, how I wish I had known then what I know now. It was a path to near-poverty and isolation (physical and social) that I had not anticipated. And in job searches, well, let's just say, "some animals are more equal than others," and leave it at that.Lorenzo Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-67639737716693652722022-04-09T07:15:46.581-07:002022-04-09T07:15:46.581-07:00Same, I've been following this for years since...Same, I've been following this for years since I graduated high school. I did end up going to grad school, but I wish I didn't - I just didn't like the long hours and being underpaid compared to other industries. Plus most employers wouldn't even count graduate school as experience, they'd take people who have work experience first over someone with more schooling, etc. The "family pays a price" was really true for me, even though I don't have kids because my parents were sacrificing a lot to help me get through graduate school and I was barely making any income to contribute. In fact, my supervisor was in his 60's and just had a kid which is insane to me. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-87401297601003011532022-04-07T11:22:25.680-07:002022-04-07T11:22:25.680-07:00I have been following this blog with great interes...I have been following this blog with great interest (and some affection for the topic) since late 2010. I was fortunate to complete my doctorate in 2012. In the final slog, this blog (along with PhD Comics) provided me with a small haven of sanity. Every now & then I return here in the hope that maybe one more reason has been posted. An article in today's NYT seems to sum up where many of us are today: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/us/ucla-adjunct-professor-salary.html Best wishes to any and all grad students who are working hard to finish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-11421219656207988262022-02-17T04:56:51.340-08:002022-02-17T04:56:51.340-08:00Maybe I should have written, "ABC - All But C...Maybe I should have written, "ABC - All But Completed" or "ABT - All But Two."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276812992911002375.post-58486584678388651382022-02-16T04:54:36.128-08:002022-02-16T04:54:36.128-08:00I was trying to make a joke - ABF as a joking refe...I was trying to make a joke - ABF as a joking reference to ABD. Obviously I failed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com