Ph.D. vs Other Stuff

Questions

• BS, MS, MBA, or PhD?• Graduate school right after BS graduation?• Where should I go to graduate school?

Approximate Time

• BS– 4 years– New Associates

• MS– 1-2 years after BS– New Bachelors

• MBA– 2 years after BS– Usually work for a couple of years first

• Ph.D.– Less predictable– About 4-6 years after BS– Not just for Professors anymore

B.S. and M.S.What will I be doing?

• You’ll be an engineer!– Work as part of a product or design team– Work in test or quality assurance– Work in support– Potentially work your way into management of technical teams

• Excellent option if:– Enjoy solving problems that others put to you– You don’t enjoy the methodical and sometimes slow world of research– Your ego isn’t wrapped up in wanting to define product or design

strategy at a high level– You want to have a decent salary quickly, and are sick of school

B.S. and M.S.What will I make?

• Starting salary of $55 - $75K• 18-year salary of $90 - $130K• Unless you go into management, or are one of the lucky few

to transition into higher-level research/strategy positions without a Ph.D. ...

B.S. and M.S.Lifestyle

• Typically quite predictable• Often a fair amount of travel (to visit suppliers, collaborators,

etc.)• Crunch periods of intense work near product deadlines• Typically a decent work/life balance

What is a Ph.D. all about?

• Exclusivity: The highest academic degree anyone can earn (less than 1% of the population attains the degree)

• Mastering a Subject• Extending Knowledge

– Explore, investigate, contemplate– Research

• Industry? Relationship to products?– Sometimes research leads to new products or improvements, startups,

patents, licensing deals, etc.– Not typically the measure of success for your work

http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.phd.html

Questions to ask yourself

• Do you want a research career?• Do you want to direct scientific research and set the agenda

for scientific studies?• Do you want an academic position?• Do you have what it takes?

– Intelligence– Time– Creativity– Adaptability– Self-motivation– Competitiveness– Maturity

Some potentially wrong reasons to start a Ph.D.

•• Prestige: Don’t think it’s such a great accomplishment. Once you get a Ph.D., all of your friends will have one too... :)

• A goal in itself• A job guarantee• Trying it out to see how it goes: Ph.D. requires total

commitment• Easier than entering the work force: Opinions vary on

this, but in general this is a *strong* function of advisor.• Better than the alternatives: Will you be at the top of MS

students, or a mediocre researcher?• Wealth: While most science and engineering Ph.D.s make

very good livings, there are other more secure and optimal paths to wealth.

What can you do with a Ph.D.?(In your area of study)

• Research position at a corporation (large or small)– Intel, Micron, Microsoft, National Semiconductor, HP, Agilent, GE,

Siemens, Philips, Toshiba, etc.– Start-up

• Research position at a National Lab– Los Alamos, Sandia, Berkeley, Livermore, INL, NRL, etc.

• Academic position– Professor– Teaching Professor– Research Professor– Staff Scientist

What can you do with a Ph.D.?(Outside your area of study)

• Consulting– In your area of expertise– Management consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Monitor, Accenture)

• • Finance/Banking– Investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, etc.)– Hedge funds– Asset management

• Management

What does it pay?

• Research position at a corporation (large or small)– Starting cash compensation range: $90 - $110K– 18-year compensation range: $130 - $200K

• Research position at a National Lab– Starting cash compensation range: $85 - $105K– 18-year compensation range: $120 - $180K

• Academic position (engineering)– Professor: Starting academic year (9 month): $75 - $95K 18-year:

$110-$150K– Teaching Professor: Lower– Research Professor: Full year: $90-110K 18-year: $130 - $180K

What does it pay?

• Consulting– In your area of expertise: $0 - $400K (high end is extreme success, low

end is much more common)• Management consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Monitor,

Accenture)– Start: $120 - $160K 18-year: $400K - $2.5M

• Finance/Banking– Investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, etc.)– Hedge funds– Asset management– Start: $110-$160K 18-year: $400K - $4M

When should you go to Graduate School?

• Immediately after completing BS– Best option– You are use to working long hours and being poor

• After working– Sometimes companies will pay for graduate school– Much harder and take longer

Financing Your Education

• Education is worth some debt

• Most Electrical Engineering Ph.D. programs – Pay your tuition– Pay a stipend

• BYU $18k - $24k/year

WHERE TO GO

• Can depend on whether you are interested in academia

Your Repution After Grad School

School ReputationAdvisor ReputationDissertation TopicPublication Record

BYU VS. SOMEWHERE ELSE

Reasons to go to BYU1. Head start – can

finish faster2. Social reasons –

love it here, still looking for spouse

3. Like advisor, project you are involved in

Reasons to go elsewhere1. Other schools have

better reputations2. Broaden your

technical network3. Diversity important for

academic jobs4. Other schools are

doing specific research you like

YOUR ADVISOR

• Choice of research topics happens before graduate school

• You choose your school and advisor

• Advisor is often locked into long research cycles dictated by money and momentum