Are you trying to decide whether you should get a PhD? Applying to graduate school or applying to PhD programs specifically can be an important decision! This video covers reasons to get a PhD and reasons not to get a PhD. I've been heavily involved in the PhD admissions process for our program in Information Science (which is similar in many ways to a PhD in Computer Science), and after reading many personal statements and statements of purpose, one thing I always ask myself is: Are they doing this for the right reasons? (Or should you, for example, be getting a masters degree instead or just getting a higher paying job immediately?!)

Spoilers: Academic job market! How much money do PhDs make! How much academic writing do grad students do! How many words was your dissertation! What kinds of jobs can you get with a PhD! How is a PhD different than undergrad? Though these topics all just get touched on, so let me know where I should do deep dives. :)

00:00 Welcome!
01:26 Bad Reason #1 You're good at school.
02:36 Bad Reason #2 You don't know what else to do.
03:23 Bad Reason #3 You want to make money.
05:26 Bad Reason #4 You want prestige.
07:52 Good Reason #1 You want to be a professor.
09:12 Good Reason #2 You love academic writing.
10:27 Good Reason #3 You want to add new knowledge to the world.
11:15 Good Reason #4 You want a research career.

RELEVANT LINKS
+ Template for reaching out to potential advisors:   / 1301907707579031555  
+ Advice for new PhD students:    • Advice for New PhD Students | How to ...  
+ Blog post about academic job hunting:   / theacademicjobsearchitsnotyouitsthem  

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Thinking music courtesy of bensound.com ("Little Idea")