COLLOQUY

THE QUESTION

RESPONSES

BACKGROUND

Then, I made the mistake of going for a Ph.D. at a top 3 research institution. My advisor was the epitome of total academic detachment. While I always had funding, it was either for teaching or a project going nowhere. His response - "you can do anything you want." My office-mate stopped going into meetings with him, because every time she came out, she had a new dissertation project. He tried to have me TA an introductory class of 70 with no help - weekly review sessions, weekly (long) homework assignments, office hours, etc. The previous TA had to deal with 50 students, and that was ridiculous enough. I put my foot down, documenting the time spent and I got a grader to help out. His worst trait, though, was selective memory loss.

I thought it was me, but then I found out that others - even his "stars" - had experienced the same BS. Two other faculty counseled me, and they would have been great advisors, but I was stuck because my guy was the only one in my particular sub-field!

I also found that:

1) although I was told going in that it would take longer than four years to graduate, I assumed it was due to the top-notch research required. Rather, it basically boiled down to having to put in your time (the requirement was 7 years) and then write something up and get your degree.

2) computer modeling is the way to go. I've seen it in industry, too - those who use computers the least are dazzled by it the most. The modeling dissertations I saw may have qualified for a computer science degree, but certainly not the engineering degree they were used for.

3) people on the verge of finally getting their Ph.D. were never elated, as I would have expected. Rather, they were just relieved to have finished and looked forward to getting on with their lives, putting the ordeal behind them.

Finally, with respect to a previous comment about teaching without a Ph.D. - I applied for a full-time position with the California State University system - the same CSU system where over one-half the students need remedial classes. The letter I got back said they wouldn't even look at me without a Ph.D., but if I was interested in a part-time lecturer position, give them a call! I subsequently taught one semester at another CSU school and found that the professors there, while possessing their Ph.D.s, couldn't communicate well and were definitely not the sharpest blades in the drawer! In an introductory statics course, I covered the entire textbook (as would be expected) and then found out that the regular faculty member only covers half the material, while failing half the class mainly because they couldn't understand him!

I'm content teaching working adults part time at community colleges. I couldn't recommend a Ph.D. to anyone.

-- Jeff, Real-World Engineer & Part-Time CC Instructor (posted 11/13, 11:04 a.m., E.S.T.)

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