dagblog - Comments for "Do PhDs Expire?"

Yep, I know what you mean. I

Pathfinder — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:20:31 +0000

Yep, I know what you mean. I received my MA in Cognitive Psychology in the late 1990's - am still ABD, with no intention of finishing, and teach people how to fly on the flying trapeze. From the academic circus to the real circus. Not as much of a leap as some might think. Be Well!

Well, I've already made it to

Doctor Cleveland — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:57:22 +0000

In reply to As an escapee from another

Well, I've already made it to the lifeboat. It's the generation just after mine I worry about.

And yes, as in journalism, this is an enormous loss, not just for the young professionals left without a job but for the quality of the work we do and the quality of the education students receive. There's really no upside to this.

The professional landscape

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:56:20 +0000

In reply to Do PhDs Expire?

The professional landscape sucks, directly reflecting the cultural landscape.

But the true point of an advanced degree is learning and scholarship, not a career. I taught at a third rate school for ten years after receiving my MS from a second rate school, enjoyed it, and I believe I was a good teacher. My biggest criticism of the changes I saw in the college environment was the shift in the motivation of students, a shift promoted and encouraged by the administration, toward "getting rich" instead of learning. It seems that most of the "future leaders" of our society will have four year business degrees which included a total of two undergraduate history courses and one undergraduate political science degree. We are going to be led by the illiterate. But they'll be good bean counters.

Almost every state has dozens of community colleges which would love to have PhDs teaching their undergraduates, and there are plenty of secondary schools that would fall all over themselves to employ a PhD, no matter her/his record of recent publication. Granted, our culture has changed to make those positions both low income (relatively - you'd still be above the median income) and low prestige, but it's important and honorable work.

It's not a formal licensing

Doctor Cleveland — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:55:33 +0000

In reply to This is more than interesting

It's not a formal licensing system, as with law or medicine, but the informal market-based system is pretty powerful. It's impossible to get a new job if you've let your research credibility lapse.

Research requires professors to keep up with their field, and to keep actively learning about their field. That's not the only reason that research is so important in an academic's career, but it's the best reason.

As for politics being involved: publishing generally involves double-blind peer review, i.e., anonymous experts vetting manuscripts whose authors they don't know. This does not eliminate all bias or error from the process, but it's a big help.

I think I've blogged about

Doctor Cleveland — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:48:00 +0000

In reply to I think its odd to explore

I think I've blogged about those issues in the past, and will again. For example, in the first post that I linked in *this* post.

To my personal knowledge

jollyroger — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:13:38 +0000

In reply to Do PhDs Expire?

To my personal knowledge there is at least one history PhD ( OK, OK, A.(ll) B.(ut) D.(issertation) working as a stripper and I hear there are 5,000 working as janitors.

I think its odd to explore

Dan Kervick — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:04:04 +0000

In reply to Do PhDs Expire?

I think its odd to explore this subject as though it were a purely personal career issue, utterly unrelated to the changing landscape of higher education, intellectual culture and general prosperity in America.

I knew this physics professor

cmaukonen — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 03:55:20 +0000

In reply to Do PhDs Expire?

I knew this physics professor at the University I used to work at. A really nice guy. He was teaching a couple of courses in micro processor interfacing techniques.

It was his main interest. I asked him how he got into it and he told me he when got his PHD in physics, he was to for most authority in this one particular area. Published a ton of papers concerning it. He later found out that nobody else gave a wet slap about the subject.

So he went into microprocessors instead.

True story.

Unfortunately he died from complications of diabetes a few years later.

It's true. I've never used my

tmccarthy0 — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 03:09:35 +0000

In reply to Do PhDs Expire?

It's true. I've never used my M.E.S., nope so it is kind of expired. I had high hopes though when I was slogging through that!

This is more than interesting

Richard Day — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 01:19:54 +0000

In reply to Do PhDs Expire?

This is more than interesting to me.

I had no idea.

I mean lawyers and doctors and a host of other 'professionals' need to complete credits given at seminars and such every couple of years; but I had no idea there were standards for PhD's.

Publishing I would think involves politics besides research and hard work.

So now you are just Doctor Cleveland and not Doctor Doctor Cleveland?