Advices to Students learning Ph.D
A student wrote to me: “I graduate in Mathematics and got accepted into a doctoral program at a U.S. university. My parents want me to study Computer Science because it is easier to find a job there. I like Math, especially Statistics, but I do not know whether I can find a job after complete my education? All my friends told me that the only job for a Ph.D. in Math is teaching, but I do not like to teach. Are there other choices? Do you have any advice for a new doctoral student like me? Please advise.”
Answer: Congratulation on your acceptance into a doctoral program. There are several excellent careers for people with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. For example, one of the “Hot job” today is Big data analysts or Data scientist which involves a lot of math and statistics. Every Big Data companies need skilled statisticians, and the demand is high. Another high demand job is Actuary in Finance and Insurance industry. (I have written about this in the previous blog.) I can say that many jobs in business and technology industry require mathematic skills, so do not worry about your career.
For many years of teaching, I noticed that many international students have difficulty with reading. Some believe it is their English language deficiency, but the fact is reading is the skill that they do not have. In the doctoral program, you have to read a lot of research papers. You not only read more but also have to read fast. If not, you will be overwhelmed by the amount of reading. My advice is you need to develop the reading skill at the beginning of your educational training.
There are many excellent courses in the doctoral program, but some students only take the required courses and ignore others. They only do just enough to graduate rather than focus on the depth a doctoral program. Without a strong foundation, they never become a good researcher or be able to collaborate with others in different fields. Therefore, they limit their career strictly in one field. Today the key to success is “interdisciplinary research” where you collaborate with another researcher from other fields. You must develop the ability to understand and evaluate their work, be able to ask the right questions, review their research manuscripts, and offer constructive feedback. That is how you build your reputation in the scientific world.
A Doctorate (Ph.D.) is the highest degree in the academic world, but you should not stop there. You will need to continue doing more research, create more solutions, publish more research papers and innovations and apply to a “Post-doctorate” program in another school to build your reputation and knowledge. You need to develop a “Lifelong learning” skills as learning should never stop.
A typical doctoral program takes about five to seven years, but do not hurry to finish. My advice is to take your time to learn as much as you can and seek out other people who are better than you and learn from them. There are many things to learn in school, so do not miss this wonderful opportunity. When you graduate and go to work, you will miss the school and all the learning opportunities.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
