Is PhD Now for Chasing Academic Kudos?
PhD is the highest degree of a university that aims to discover something new on the planet for improving the society. However, if you look at stats, you will conclude that the fundamental system of PhD is badly broken. More than one-third of PhD candidates are suffering from depression. Almost 50% of PhD scholars leave graduate school in the middle of their courses. Many academics enter PhD for chasing citations and prepare an impeccable thesis to get the degree. The academy incentivises scholars to chase citations instead of improving society. PhDs have been designed to win kudos to ace in the academia instead of discovering something new, especially useful for the society. As a scholar, you should go into the field and talk to practitioners from the day one of your research instead of locking yourself in a library reading academic literature. You will be able to emanate thesis with the support of your supervisor as well as practitioners of the field. The broken structure of PhD can be amended if scholars work differently. However, this brings forth another question if you should do PhD. According to recent research, the academia is one of the worst careers of the stress leading to depression and other mental health condition, but despite the fact that many people are looking forward to being the part of the academia. This is because academic can be one of the best jobs. You might want to push the boundaries of your knowledge, work with international teams, and produce work with social impact. In most of the countries, PhD is considered an essential qualification for a diverse range of careers, but in some countries, this is not treated essentially for jobs. So if you are going to do a PhD, choose wisely as most of the time scholars find themselves disheartened, depressed and defeated. Make sure that you choose the right supervisor for the right reasons. Try to ask other scholars about their supervisors. Their real experience will help you decide on the supervisor. You have to spend three to four years almost in a PhD that are too long. Therefore, it is crucial that you choose a subject in which you have a keen interest. You should be motivated and passionate about your research area. PhD is a herculean task. It is paramount that you are mental, emotionally and physically prepared to start your...
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