A few former PhD students are now professionals after their doctorate degrees. Some have good number of publications and some also have good citation records. A few of them (now faculty or scientist) struggle to do independent research leading to publications. The major complaint is that they they could not learn much during PhD time as guides often ask for papers. Of course, research guides will look for publications while ideal PhDs MUST look for solving tough or toughest problem for their satisfaction. Often, PhD students worry to get degree fast to settle in life. True, the settled life vs research innovation is an optimization problem based on priority. I remember, I took toughest problem in my PhD days, even my guide opined .... I did not even know that I will be successful after spending 4 years of my PhD. Finally, I created 100s of easier problems out of that toughest problem. My publication record in PhD was not that great (low citations). However, I learnt tons in my PhD as I have been solving fundamental problems in more than 2 decades. My citation record is not too bad now based on Google Scholar. One must love to do PhD and love means love for innovation. We should not get confused the PhD as a degree -high qualification. True, high qualification with innovation is an ornament, without innovation??????
Tanmay, in every profession today there is lack of innovation and depth of knowledge. The reasons may be multiple. Earning is given more importance than learning. The dilution of the value of degree is well visible as there is no proper vision. Now the critical question is who to blame. Is it the system? policy? competition? merge of business and education?.......
Ankit Garg
4d
So in short, There are 2 types of guides. One of them will always ask for papers and another one will leave you free to break a problem in many small chunks of that problem. After all those smaller chunks will result in papers? So you're ending up doing multiple papers. Maybe I'm not getting you, pls guide me. One more question, does the position of a guide matter 'a lot'? should one take it into account before choosing? And How does this parameter affect changes in both cases, India and outside India? How does it affect the post-PhD life of a scholar?
While passion is crucial, a well-defined and achievable scope is also essential for a successful PhD experience, allowing for demonstrable progress and learning within a reasonable timeframe, regardless of funding status. Striking a balance between ambition and pragmatism is key to turning passion into tangible outcomes.
True sir
Researcher, Vibration & Structural Mechanics @ Bosch Research
1wHowever, one important point is overlooked here- the duration of the PhD. A Ph.D. problem, no matter how challenging, must be solved within a reasonable and respectful time frame (typically around five years, as scholarships for doctoral students are generally limited to this period). If a chosen problem proves too complex and does not converge toward a solution within a reasonable time frame, it is wise to set aside ego and redefine the problem into a more tractable form that can be solved within the planned duration. Knowing when to simplify or narrow the scope is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is a mark of maturity and good research judgment. (Note: This opinion represents my personal perspective as a researcher, not that of my institute or employer.)