From: XYZ Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 4:21 PM To: 'ABC@RST.nl' Cc: 'IJK@DEF.de' Subject: Why PhD? >>> Hi, >>> >>> Why should one do PhD? >>> Obvious answer: he has research interests >> >> right >> >>> but apart from that how would his career go on? >>> Will he have to be only in the university teaching? >> >> when he has research interests, he will not think about this >> question! >> >> >>> VS >>> Member of Technical Staff, >>> 123 Labs Hi, Here is a story. There was this guy who used to read a lot about scientists and their inventions and their Nobel prizes etc., when he was in middle school. He was brought up by telling that it is a gift of God to be a scientist, etc. So he was very enthusiastic about studying, discovering, teaching and talking about his inventions. We shall call him Mr. Enthu. Mr. Enthu went to high school and studied science (any subject for that matter). He used to talk/brag about all that he knew about the nature, even a slightest of new observation that his friends didn't know! He finished his high school and went to a pre-university college. Then he was exposed to the laboratories. He played with chemicals and did many experiments! He was always fascinated by the results of experiments and calculations, etc. Because of this as well as competition from other students he went onto get a good percentage of marks. The obvious pull was to do Engineering. However, he felt like doing science! For the sake of inventions and discoveries that he could possibly make! However, he got into engineering studies. He completed Engineering without even noticing what he is studying since, the system is full of exams and tests and exams. There is no learning involved! It is only exams every 6 months! Lo! Mr. Enthu finished his Engineering degree, without even experiencing what he is going through. Then came the question, what next?! He had no ideas of his own! His parents told get a good job! Settle down in life. Marry a nice girl. But Mr. Enthu could not accept it just like that. He was supposed to discover and invent something for the mankind, isn't it?! He said he would study further! Do masters and learn. He wanted to make up for what he didn't during the four years of Bachelor of Engineering studies. Many of his friends were intelligent, they grabbed the immediate opportunity and went onto earn a lot of money. They even made sure that they would get 50% hike in their take-home package by jumping from one company to other. Our Mr. Enthu started studying GRE, TOEFL, CAT, RAT, MAT, COW, SHEEP, etc. He started thinking that he would become a master of all those subjects which he could lay hands on. He got admissions for his Masters' studies. It was a two year course and he again got into the Exam, Holidays, Exam, routine. He did a very nice project and at the end he explained what he has achieved with his project. He was happy that he contributed something. He presented his work to the examiners. Some of them slept during the presentation and some barely understood what he said. Ultimately, there was no one who said that he had done a wonderful work! Thus his work was not a monumental and useful one! But still he felt that he did study well and he has not become the master of THE SUBJECTS that he studied. Many of his friends at the masters' level said enough of this wild goose chase and they started their career. Mr. Enthu didn't stop here. He said that he would become a master of at least some of the subjects he studie d. So the only way is to continue his studies. So? PhD, what else? Our Mr. Enthu started looking for universities that are "Very Good"; he started searching for rankings, scholarships, and above all professors who are 'Well Known'. He got admission into one of the university. He started enthusiastically what he thought his golden chance to discover/invent. He started looking into research papers. He tried to discuss with his professor. After one or two meetings, appointment with his professor was hard to come by. His professor was always busy with some meeting or busy writing a project proposal or busy in conducting the examination or preparing a key note lecture by clubbing all his students' presentations. Above all his professor was busy with the university meetings, and many committees he was chairing or a part of. His professor told Mr. Enthu to find a right topic for research. Mr. Enthu was advised to find a problem that i s current. Mr. Enthu was wondering about what is meant by 'research'? Why the topic should be a current topic? Why not a problem like 'what is the contribution of the academia to this country?' He asked his professor how to find a current topic? He got the reply that he should search in IEEE/ACM proceedings and pick out 3-4 papers that he likes and come back. He came back and said he didn't like anything! His professor told him that he is wasting time. Professor also told him that Mr. Enthu himself should find a topic since after he becomes a faculty member he should be guiding his students. Mr. Enthu took some papers and started simulating the ideas there! His simulation matched with that of some papers. He was excited! He changed a parameter in his simulation program. He was very happy that his new program/algorithm was better than the one that was in the paper. He continued his work of improving a few papers which he could touch. He started publishing results in each page of his log book in different conferences. His professor was very happy that Mr. Enthu is publishing! Thus at the end of 5 years Mr. Enthu was holding 10 papers in his name. He was asked to write his thesis. He started to write his thesis. He found many of his papers could be put into one single chapter! Also, he could not find ultimately what his thesis all about?! He was searching where to start his thesis? How to make five chapters? There are so many questions? He asked his professor, and got the answer that he should start writing the core chapters where his contributions are concentrated. And later he can write introduction and literature survey! Mr. Enthu was confused as ever! He didn't know on what points he should concentrate on! He was thinking without knowing what he is going to talk about, how to write the core chapters? Somehow he started his thesis writing in bits and pieces! He took 6 mon ths to write his thesis. Later he wrote the introduction to his thesis! He had a feeling that his thesis is just a kichadi of many things that he touched in his 5.5 years of 'research' work. He was not satisfied. His thesis manuscript went through 4 rounds of corrections. He was afraid of corrections because his professor used to cut some lines/paragraphs that Mr. Enthu thought as the important part of his thesis. He used to retain those lines in some way or other. Every time some lines were deleted. Mr. Enthu started thinking that his thesis could become half of what he had written. Ultimately, his professor, tired of correcting again and again, approved his thesis to be printed and submitted. As usual the thesis went to different universities. Mr. Enthu was worried about the outcome of the review. He was just waiting for 5 months. At last he got some reviews that he could not see! His professor told him that he got good reviews ! His professor told that the first reviewer had written that this thesis is path breaking! It is very useful for all the researchers in this field. The second reviewer had written that the thesis is an average one and is good for service providers and has a lot of practical importance! The third and fourth said "accept" as is. There were some corrections suggested by the second reviewer but they were all typographical. After submitting the thesis Mr. Enthu found many errors, spelling, sentences, and above all some of his equations were completely wrong. He was really scared till he got the reviews. However, he found ultimately, that the reviewers have not really comprehended what is there in the thesis. One reviewer thinks it is very good for researchers and the other thinks it is for practitioners! Though a thesis can contain both, the reviewers have missed on that aspect. They were tangential in thinking. He had to defend his thesis in front of some 15-20 people, some of them were his friends and family and many were his colleagues from his department. He got his PhD degree! Mr. Enthu's assessment of his thesis is USELESS. He still felt that he has not done any research! He thinks his 6 years is just a waste of time doing something which will not be read by anyone! Now he realized that no one is, really, interested in research. They are all running behind some papers, and projects! He realized that the research is a lifelong commitment which is neither for papers nor for getting projects! It is nothing but learning whatever you do, and understand whatever you read and do. The deep understanding of what we do, see, smell, sense and touch is the research. He also learnt that, it is not only him who is ignorant of the domain knowledge but also so many who are working in that field for so many years. Now, Mr. Enthu thinks that his deg ree is not a waste. He deserves it, not for the thesis but for the above realization! NOTE: All the characters here are fictitious any resemblance is just a coincidence. All coincidences are regretted! With Regards, xyz