关于PH.D的思考

A few warnings: 警告： Students sometimes enroll in a Ph.D. program for the wrong reasons. After a while, such students find that the requirements overwhelm them. Before starting one should realize that a Ph.D. is not: 学生常常因为错误的理由决定读博。不久这些学生就会发现自己不能满足要求。开始之前，你必须知道，博士学位不是： Prestigious in itself Almost everyone who has obtained a Ph.D. is proud of their efforts and the result. However, you should understand that once you graduate, you will work among a group of scientists who each hold a Ph.D. degree. (One faculty member used to chide arrogant graduate students by saying, ``I don't see why you think it's such a great accomplishment -- all my friends have a Ph.D!''). 自身就很有声望的： 每个博士都为自己的努力和成果而骄傲。但是你必须理解，你 一旦毕业，你将在一群人人都有博士学问的科学家中间工作。一个教员常常这样责骂 自大的毕业生：我看不出你有什么理由觉得自己有什么大本事:我的朋友都是博士！ A guarantee of respect for all your opinions Many students believe that once they earn a Ph.D. people will automatically respect all their opinions. You will learn, however, that few people assume a Ph.D. in one subject automatically makes you an authority on others. It is especially true in the science communicaty; respect must be earned. 所有的意见都被尊敬的保证： 许多学生相信一旦当了博士，大家会自动尊敬自己的意见。但是你会明白，没人以为博士学位会自动带给你在业内的权威地位。特别是在科学界，尊敬必须靠自己争取。 A goal in itself A Ph.D. degree prepares you for research. If all you want is a diploma to hang on the wall, there are much easier ways to obtain one. After you graduate, you will have occasion to compare your record of accomplishment to those of other scientists. You will realize that what counts is the research work accumulated after a scientist finishes their formal education. 本身就是目标： 博士学位是为你的研究做准备的。如果你的目标只是个墙上的文凭，这个很容易得到。毕业以后你就会有机会和其他的科学家比比成就。你会意识到，一个科学家在完成了正规教育之后的研究积累才算数。 A job guarantee When an economy slows, everyone can suffer. In fact, some companies reduce research before they reduce production, making Ph.D.s especially vulnerable. Furthermore, once a person earns a Ph.D., many companies will not hire that person for a non-research position. As in most professions, continued employment depends on continued performance. 工作的保证： 当经济发展变慢，每个人都会倒霉。实际上，一些公司首先削减研究，之后才是生产。博士因此特别容易倒霉。更糟糕的，一旦你成了博士，很多公司就不会雇你做非研究的工作了。多数行业里，持续的业绩才能带来持续的就业。 A practical way to impress your family or friends Your mother may be proud and excited when you enroll in a Ph.D. program. After all, she imagines that she will soon be able to brag about her child, ``the doctor.'' However, a desire to impress others is insufficient motivation for the effort required. 打动家人和朋友的实际途径： 拿了博士，你妈会很骄傲和激动。因为她起码认为她很快就可以拿她儿子吹牛“博士！ 但是吓人这样的动机，是不足以支撑读博所需付出的努力的。 Something you can ``try'' to find out how smart you are Sorry, but it just doesn't work that way. Unless you make a total commitment, you will fail. You will need to work long hours, face many disappointments, stretch your mental capabilities, and learn to find order among apparently chaotic facts. Unless you have adopted the long-range goal of becoming a researcher, the day-to-day demands will wear you down. Standards will seem unnecessary high; rigor will seem unwarranted. If you only consider it a test, you will eventually walk away. 有时候你可以试着看看自己有多聪明： 不好意思，但是不是这么回事。除非你作出彻底承诺，否则必定失败。你要长时间工作， 面对许多失望，延伸你的心智能力，学习从混乱的事实中找到秩序。除非你已经决定长期目标为搞研究，否则日复一日的要求会把你磨倒。标准会显得没必要的高，严格程度也会显得没道理。如果你只是把读博当成一种测试，你最后会走开的。 The only research topic you will ever pursue Many students make the mistake of viewing their Ph.D. topic as a research area for life. They assume each researcher only works in one area, always pursues the same topic within that area, and always uses the same tools and approaches. Experienced researchers know that new questions arise constantly, and that old questions can become less interesting as time passes or new facts are discovered. The best people change topics and areas. It keeps them fresh and stimulates thinking. Plan to move on; prepare for change. 只追求一个研究课题： 许多学生误以为博士课题就是一生的研究目标。他们以为研究者只在一个领域里工作，只研究领域里的同一个主题，用同一个工具和方法。有经验的研究者知道新的问题总是持续出现，而旧问题会变得无趣，随着时间推移和新的事实被发现。最优秀的人会改变 主题和领域。这让他们鲜活而且能刺激思考。计划继续前进，准备改变。 Easier than entering the work force You will find that the path to successful completion of a Ph.D. becomes much steeper after you begin. The faculty impose constraints on your study, and do not permit unproductive students to remain in the program. 比加入就业大军容易： 一旦开始，你会发现成功完成博士学位的道路变得更艰难了。教员会约束你的学习， 并且不让干不出活来的学生继续呆在项目里。 Better than the alternatives For many students, a Ph.D. can be a curse. They must choose between being at the top among people who hold a Masters degree or being a mediocre researcher. The faculty sometimes advise students that they must choose between being ``captain of the B team'' or a ``benchwarmer'' on the A team. Everyone must decide what they want, and which profession will stimulate them most. But students should be realistic about their capabilities. If you really cannot determine where you stand, ask faculty members. 比另一个选择好： 对于许多学生，博士学位是个魔咒。他们必须选择：成为硕士中的顶级人才，还是研究者 中的中等人。教员有时候建议学生，他们必须在B队的队长和A队的板凳队员之间选择。 每个人决定他想要的，和最能刺激他的。但是学生应该了解自己的能力。如果你不能自己 判断，问问教员。 A way to make more money While we haven't heard any statistics for the past couple of years, graduate students used to estimate the ``payoff'' using the starting salaries of Ph.D. and M.S. positions, the average time required to obtain a Ph.D., the value of stock options, and current return on investments. For a period of at least five years that we know, the payoff was clearly negative. Suffice it to say that one must choose research because one loves it; a Ph.D. is not the optimum road to wealth. 挣更多钱的方法路子： 当我们还不知道过去几年的统计数据，毕业生通常用博士和硕士的起步薪水，获得博士学 位所需的平均时间，股权价值，当前投资回报来评估盈利。据我们所知，至少五年内， 盈利显然是负的。可以说一个人选择研究，必须是基于热爱，博士不是发财的最佳途径。 The good news: 好消息： Despite all our warnings, we are proud that we earned Ph.D. degrees and proud of our research accomplishments. If you have the capability and interest, a research career can bring rewards unequaled in any other profession. You will meet and work with some of the brightest people on the planet. You will reach for ideas beyond your grasp, and in so doing extend your intellectual capabilities. You will solve problems that have not been solved before. You will explore concepts that have not been explored. You will uncover principles that change the way people use computers. 虽然有这些警告，我们还是为我们获得的博士学位和研究成果而骄傲。如果你有能力和兴趣，一个研究职位能带来其他任何职业不能比的回报。你将遇到这个星球上最聪明的人并且和他们合作。你将接触倒超过你所掌握的想法，极大的扩展你的智力水平。你将解 决从来没有被解决过的问题。你将探索从来没被探索过的概念。你会发现改变人们使用 计算机的方式的规律。 The joy of research: A colleague summed up the way many researchers feel about their profession. When asked why he spent so many hours in the lab, he noted that the alternatives were to go home, where he would do the same things that millions of others were doing, or to work in his lab, where he could discover things that no other human had ever discovered. The smile on his face told the story: for him, working on research was sheer joy. 研究的乐趣： 一个同事总结了很多研究者对自己行业的感受。当被问及为什么他花这么多时间在实验室里，他说他还有一个选择就是回家，但那是数百万其他人都在做的。而在实验室，他能发现没有其他人发现过的东西。他脸上的微笑说明：对他来说，搞研究是纯粹的乐趣。