- #1
causalset
- 73
- 0
Background info about myself: I am 30 years old. I got BA with double major in physics and math at UC Berkeley in 2001. I got Masters in Physics at University of Minnesota in 2004, and I got ph.d. in Physics, at University of Michigan in 2009. I am now pursuing my post doc in Raman Research Institute, India. My appointment is 2009 -- 2011.
Anyway, from time to time I am considering getting back in graduate school and getting another ph.d., in math. I actually considered it before I ever started a post doc. I was worried that if I count the three years I spent in Minnesota, then it took me 8 years to get ph.d. which is bad. But if I go and get another ph.d. in math, and hurry up and make it within 3 years, then I would have spent 8+3=11 years for two ph.d.-s, which is 5.5 years per ph.d. which is not that bad.
I guess right now that would not work since now I started my post doc which takes 2 years, so then it would be 8+2+3=13 years, which is 6.5 years per ph.d. But still may be the "good" part about having two ph.d.-s make up for the "bad" part about taking such a long time?
Anyway, there is a completely different factor that makes me want to do that. I guess I am worried that I am not a competitive candidate for a post doc (I applied to a number of places before and India was the only thing I got), so perhaps I would have better luck getting into graduate school which is not as competitive. Besides, in graduate school I will probably find my way better since it is more structured and I would have an "advisor" to guide me, while as a post doc I am pretty much left on my own.
Finally there is that worry that being a PROFESSOR is even more competitive: I heard that at oen school there was one place and 300 candidates per position. But then the question is: why do I WANT to be a professor? The answer is that I need to make money; so if I am not a professor I would have to do some other job, and that job would take time away from the research that I would be doing on my "spare time". Well, if I will be graduate student then I would be payed, like most grad students are. Of course I would be payed a lot less than professors, but being rich has never been my dream. I just want to be albe to do research all day long without having to do non-research job. Well, being in grad school takes care of it. So, now that I have ph.d. in physics, I can go get one in math. And after that I can go get one in philosophy. Each time I will pursue my interests: I am interested in interpretaiton of quantum mechanics. So this can be either "physics" or "math" (i.e. mathematical physics) or "philosophy" (i.e. philosophy of physics). So I will get three ph.d.-s AND will be able to keep doign my research without getitng a job.
But I guess I am a bit skeptical about it, mostly because usually people don't do that, so there has to be a reason why not. This seem strange: if it is so rare to have multiple ph.d.-s, it should look prestigious, and if it does, why don't everyone want it? So may be there is something bad about it that I am not aware of. Anyway please let me know what you think.
Anyway, from time to time I am considering getting back in graduate school and getting another ph.d., in math. I actually considered it before I ever started a post doc. I was worried that if I count the three years I spent in Minnesota, then it took me 8 years to get ph.d. which is bad. But if I go and get another ph.d. in math, and hurry up and make it within 3 years, then I would have spent 8+3=11 years for two ph.d.-s, which is 5.5 years per ph.d. which is not that bad.
I guess right now that would not work since now I started my post doc which takes 2 years, so then it would be 8+2+3=13 years, which is 6.5 years per ph.d. But still may be the "good" part about having two ph.d.-s make up for the "bad" part about taking such a long time?
Anyway, there is a completely different factor that makes me want to do that. I guess I am worried that I am not a competitive candidate for a post doc (I applied to a number of places before and India was the only thing I got), so perhaps I would have better luck getting into graduate school which is not as competitive. Besides, in graduate school I will probably find my way better since it is more structured and I would have an "advisor" to guide me, while as a post doc I am pretty much left on my own.
Finally there is that worry that being a PROFESSOR is even more competitive: I heard that at oen school there was one place and 300 candidates per position. But then the question is: why do I WANT to be a professor? The answer is that I need to make money; so if I am not a professor I would have to do some other job, and that job would take time away from the research that I would be doing on my "spare time". Well, if I will be graduate student then I would be payed, like most grad students are. Of course I would be payed a lot less than professors, but being rich has never been my dream. I just want to be albe to do research all day long without having to do non-research job. Well, being in grad school takes care of it. So, now that I have ph.d. in physics, I can go get one in math. And after that I can go get one in philosophy. Each time I will pursue my interests: I am interested in interpretaiton of quantum mechanics. So this can be either "physics" or "math" (i.e. mathematical physics) or "philosophy" (i.e. philosophy of physics). So I will get three ph.d.-s AND will be able to keep doign my research without getitng a job.
But I guess I am a bit skeptical about it, mostly because usually people don't do that, so there has to be a reason why not. This seem strange: if it is so rare to have multiple ph.d.-s, it should look prestigious, and if it does, why don't everyone want it? So may be there is something bad about it that I am not aware of. Anyway please let me know what you think.