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From: David L. Jones on 23 May 2010 05:49
Bob wrote:
> So, my questions to the seasoned engineers:
> PhD for electronics: even bother?

Generally no, it's a hinderance for the majority of practical industry jobs.
You could however always leave it completely off your Resume for some
jobs...

> If yes, to what extent does doing practical work on the side help?

Practical work is everything.
One you have experinence your qualifications become almost irrelevant. But a
PhD can often be a hinderance to getting a practical job.

> Or would you rather recommend just getting a "quick" MSc?

That generally won't hurt.

> Or not bother with further education at all, and just dive straight
> into the real word?

Nothing beats real world experience.
But on the flip side getting further education later on in life can be
tough, better to get that while you are yong.

Dave.

--
---------------------------------------------
Check out my Electronics Engineering Video Blog & Podcast:
http://www.eevblog.com


From: Bob on 23 May 2010 09:48
Hi,

>> So, my questions to the seasoned engineers:
>> PhD for electronics: even bother?
> Generally no, it's a hinderance for the majority of practical industry jobs.
> You could however always leave it completely off your Resume for some
> jobs...

Ok, thanks for your opinion there.
But just out of curiosity (and since David Eather mentioned it, too):
Wouldn't leaving it off a resume look pretty weird? And after all, I'd
imagine the prospective employer inquire about that 3-year gap, so
"hiding" won't really work ;)

>> Or would you rather recommend just getting a "quick" MSc?
> That generally won't hurt.

Good to know...

>> Or not bother with further education at all, and just dive straight
>> into the real word?
> Nothing beats real world experience.
> But on the flip side getting further education later on in life can be
> tough, better to get that while you are yong.

That's one reason why I've also brought up that taught MSc: Right now
I'm still in that whole "student thought pattern", and I could do
another year easily. But in ten years perhaps - not so sure.

Anyway, thank you very much so far,

Robert

PS: Looking forward to your EEVblog live show later - good luck with that!
From: David L. Jones on 23 May 2010 22:27
Bob wrote:
> Hi,
>
>>> So, my questions to the seasoned engineers:
>>> PhD for electronics: even bother?
>> Generally no, it's a hinderance for the majority of practical
>> industry jobs. You could however always leave it completely off your
>> Resume for some jobs...
>
> Ok, thanks for your opinion there.
> But just out of curiosity (and since David Eather mentioned it, too):
> Wouldn't leaving it off a resume look pretty weird? And after all, I'd
> imagine the prospective employer inquire about that 3-year gap, so
> "hiding" won't really work ;)

You'd be surprised.
Right after you finished it, yeah, maybe. But in 5 or 10 years time most
won't give a toss if you took a few years off to do whatever. All they care
about is what have you done recently. But the real world does work in
mysterious ways!
You are just as likely to get rejected for a job because they didn't like
the way you said Hello or whatever.

When it comes down to it, if you are honest with people that you want to do
practical work, and you have demonstrated practical work experience, then
the PhD shouldn't in theory be an issue.

> PS: Looking forward to your EEVblog live show later - good luck with
> that!

No such luck, it was an epic FAIL, but at least it was damn funny I've
heard!

Dave.

--
================================================
Check out my Electronics Engineering Video Blog & Podcast:
http://www.eevblog.com


From: Bob Eld on 26 May 2010 10:29

"Bob" <etswyhakct(a)mailinator.com> wrote in message
news:htat5e$1mhk$1(a)news.ett.com.ua...
> Hi everyone,
>
> Just wondering if the experienced engineers in the "real world" could
> help me out a little with this:
>
> I'm about to finish my BEng in Electronic Engineering (UK degree), and
> last week an academic from my university offered me a fully funded
> (tuition fees + living expenses) PhD in analog IC design. Great, I
> thought, a free PhD, working with a bunch of great people, in an area
> that interest me, at one of the top universities in the country.
>
> BUT:
> I am not really aiming for a career in academia, or full-on research,
> for that matter. In fact, I have always been more of a hands-on guy,
> doing electronics as a hobby for quite a while now. For after uni, I was
> hoping to land a job as an electronics design engineer (hence posting
> here), because I think I might enjoy actually making stuff that sees use
> in the real world.
>
> Now, I have doubts if a PhD will do me any good for that kind of career
> goal. First, I'm not sure whether employers for "normal" electronics R&D
> jobs even want PhDs - I'm assuming a bachelor's or master's degree with
> work experience would be more appreciated. Then, there is also this
> smell of a highly specialized theoretician that a PhD carries (hence why
> I haven't considered doing one so far). Although I'm wondering if my
> electronics hobby could show that I am actually someone who knows about
> "real world" electronics. Though I might just have illusions about how
> electronic engineering actually is "out there"...
>
> An alternative would be to spend another year on a taught MSc
> (coursework on MSc level, but no strong research component), to just get
> a more specialized education, without the ivory tower appeal of a PhD.
>
> I also have this job with a 2-man shop lined up where I could work for
> one year pretty much doing electronics design on my own, just to get a
> nice portfolio to show off when applying for a "real" company afterwards.
>
> It's probably just worth mentioning that I don't really intend to settle
> down in the UK, so it would be interesting how this issue is viewed
> somewhere else.
>
> So, my questions to the seasoned engineers:
> PhD for electronics: even bother?
> If yes, to what extent does doing practical work on the side help?
> Or would you rather recommend just getting a "quick" MSc?
> Or not bother with further education at all, and just dive straight into
> the real word?
> Any other suggestions?
>
> I am looking forward to your comments!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Robert

Get the PhD given the opportunity you describe and assuming you can afford
it. You'll never regret it. It will be invaluable for your career path
especially as you gain experience and work beyond being just another grunt
engineer. It will open doors and give you clout and prestige in your
profession. That is especially true if you move on into management or
company ownership. It will assist in areas you don't even think about today
such as raising capital to start a business or fund a project. You can't be
too educated. When a doctor speaks, people listen. Get the degree and use it
wisely.


From: Jon on 26 May 2010 23:53
I wish I had that many marbles to roll.

"Bob Eld" <nsmontassoc(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:htjb89$6cr$1(a)news.eternal-september.org...
>
> "Bob" <etswyhakct(a)mailinator.com> wrote in message
> news:htat5e$1mhk$1(a)news.ett.com.ua...
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> Just wondering if the experienced engineers in the "real world" could
>> help me out a little with this:
>>
>> I'm about to finish my BEng in Electronic Engineering (UK degree), and
>> last week an academic from my university offered me a fully funded
>> (tuition fees + living expenses) PhD in analog IC design. Great, I
>> thought, a free PhD, working with a bunch of great people, in an area
>> that interest me, at one of the top universities in the country.
>>
>> BUT:
>> I am not really aiming for a career in academia, or full-on research,
>> for that matter. In fact, I have always been more of a hands-on guy,
>> doing electronics as a hobby for quite a while now. For after uni, I was
>> hoping to land a job as an electronics design engineer (hence posting
>> here), because I think I might enjoy actually making stuff that sees use
>> in the real world.
>>
>> Now, I have doubts if a PhD will do me any good for that kind of career
>> goal. First, I'm not sure whether employers for "normal" electronics R&D
>> jobs even want PhDs - I'm assuming a bachelor's or master's degree with
>> work experience would be more appreciated. Then, there is also this
>> smell of a highly specialized theoretician that a PhD carries (hence why
>> I haven't considered doing one so far). Although I'm wondering if my
>> electronics hobby could show that I am actually someone who knows about
>> "real world" electronics. Though I might just have illusions about how
>> electronic engineering actually is "out there"...
>>
>> An alternative would be to spend another year on a taught MSc
>> (coursework on MSc level, but no strong research component), to just get
>> a more specialized education, without the ivory tower appeal of a PhD.
>>
>> I also have this job with a 2-man shop lined up where I could work for
>> one year pretty much doing electronics design on my own, just to get a
>> nice portfolio to show off when applying for a "real" company afterwards.
>>
>> It's probably just worth mentioning that I don't really intend to settle
>> down in the UK, so it would be interesting how this issue is viewed
>> somewhere else.
>>
>> So, my questions to the seasoned engineers:
>> PhD for electronics: even bother?
>> If yes, to what extent does doing practical work on the side help?
>> Or would you rather recommend just getting a "quick" MSc?
>> Or not bother with further education at all, and just dive straight into
>> the real word?
>> Any other suggestions?
>>
>> I am looking forward to your comments!
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Robert
>
> Get the PhD given the opportunity you describe and assuming you can afford
> it. You'll never regret it. It will be invaluable for your career path
> especially as you gain experience and work beyond being just another grunt
> engineer. It will open doors and give you clout and prestige in your
> profession. That is especially true if you move on into management or
> company ownership. It will assist in areas you don't even think about
> today
> such as raising capital to start a business or fund a project. You can't
> be
> too educated. When a doctor speaks, people listen. Get the degree and use
> it
> wisely.
>
>

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