What do you think of those with PhD?

[whyyyyyisitmonddayy]

Particularly those in non-stem fields. Just curious!

They do a great job of keeping the middle aisle tidy!

My degree was not self-funded. There is no way I could have come up with that money. The school covered my tuition and paid me a salary. I worked as a research assistant to a professor to earn my keep.

I work in higher education, and come from an academic family. I’m one of the few people without one, lol. It’s not something I think about really. Why do you ask op?

The viva would easily expose extensive AI usage.

I have a PhD in microbiology, I also have a couple of friends with non-STEM PhDs like in history or English. I wouldn't think of myself (or my friends) as more intelligent, but highly knowledgeable on a specific research area, passionate and very hardworking.

🙄

I think their hats are cooler than mine at graduation ceremonies

true seems a business way for essay mills in the modern era etc

Impressed with the level of study deep into their topic and the sheer bloody mindedness to complete it. Have two family members with PhDs.

I’m not sure what you mean

i mean essay mills kinda got replaced by the invention of Ai chatgpt etc but because Ai is fairly easy to realise its been used et maybe now it gives the essay mills the advantage over Ai ?

What a weird question. What are you getting at OP? Obviously a PhD is a laudable achievement. Other than that, what are we supposed to think?

I don’t think about them at all

Incredibly impressed by their commitment and self discipline over several years. Their ability to keep going is as important as their intellectual abilities.

AI would be hopeless at writing a PhD. Its strength is in summarising existing material rather than creating new research. It might be useful for the literature review except it has a tendency to hallucinate sources and simply isn’t reliable enough to meet the rigorous standard you need to pass a PhD; you would have to check everything manually.
I suppose it could also help with the writing up if you struggled to put your thoughts into words but to get to the PhD level you would generally need to be capable of passing exams which means you can write.

Do you mean paying someone to write your thesis? Like paying for someone to write an undergrad essay?

it’s not possible. This is novel research. It’s not in books, not taught in classes. Only the PhD candidate knows the field.

there’s nobody else knows the subject. So you can’t pay someone to write a thesis on a topic that isn’t published.

apart from the fact PhD thesis take months, often years to write. There’d be no point in getting paid to write it, you might as well just get the PhD yourself.

Well, AI is an issue in universities and it’s getting harder to detect but a PhD involves a lengthy viva plus two progression vivas where a candidate is questioned extensively about their research and the process.
AI can’t do that!

I know 3 people with PhDs.

2 are horribly arrogant and look down on others.

1 (who has the most impressive PhD) is very down to earth and modest.

I’d think they must be very knowledgeable on their subject and have a lot of grit as I know it’s a bit of a slog.
A friend of mine has two STEM PhDs and she’s a brain box - I couldn’t even begin to compete!!
Adult
DS is probably capable academically of doing one in his STEM subject but mentally it’d do him in!

My brother and his wife met whilst working together helping develop drugs that fight cancer, both have PhD and are extremely intelligent. Both their daughters also work in medical research with an PhD and the men they married. DH has one I do not, my brother joked that I was lazy so married one.

@titchy I agree that education for everybody is hugely valuable. You’d be mad to not agree with that. I’m not sure that has much to do with PHDs. I think many PHDs are vanity projects. I’d go as far as saying maybe most. I find many shared personality traits across the people I know who have PHD’s!

So many stereotypes and misinformation on here ( along with plenty of correct stuff)
To reiterate
Prof is a job title not a qualification
PhD is not the highest qualification, that is a DSc ( if in STEM fields )
I know literally hundreds of people with PhDs, there are 3 in my immediate family, and 7 in my department at school. I only know one person with a DSc.
Stupid stereotypes about can’t tie a shoe lace are frankly insulting and ime wholly inaccurate. I have a PhD, a full time job, a family, a decent hobby, can wield a chainsaw with the best of them, replace a rocker switch on a shower etc etc
Nearly all the folk I know with PhD s are in STEM fields, the only stereotype I would agree with is those in non STEM subjects are even brighter as funding is harder to access.
And as for they must be rich comment, literally wtf, my stipend was generous as are many others, and easily equivalent to a decent salary, particularly if you pick up some undergrad teaching on top.

I am usually impressed at the level of interest they must have in their subject. I did very well at uni but had absolutely no interest in staying on!

<deleted because I misread the post I was responding to >

Just shows their ignorance.

”most PhD’s are vanity projects” indeed.

clearly has no idea of what a PhD entails.