By admin on February 19, 2011
I want to get a degree in Computer Science. I have been thinking about getting a PhD, but I’m still not sure if it will be worth it. Are there any benefits for having a PhD for Computer Science? Is it worth it? Any help appreciated. Thank you very much!
Posted in Phd In Computer Science | Tagged computer, computer science, degree, help, PHD |
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It depends on what you want to do. If you want to be a computer programmer, there is no value at all in going beyond a B.S. You won’t use theoretical courses on the job. But if you want to be a professor or some kind of high-powered consultant or architectural designer, having a Ph.D. might impress people, even though it doesn’t really mean anything. There are plenty of super-bright people in the computer world who have only a B.S. degree, and don’t need anything more to get all the way to the top if they have the brains and motivation and are good with people.
TOTALLY. My brother is going to Scotland on Thursday because of his PhD program in computer science – and all on government grant money. The government wants computer geeks, no offense, so they will pay grants for you to continue a higher education in computer science if it is in a specific area that the government likes. My brother also went to Oxford, Munich, Montreal, Carnegie Mellon Institute, and several other places, all on the government’s dime for conventions/lectures regarding his research. And he’s expected to make over 6 figures starting pay with no college debt. That’s pretty darn nice. My brother specifically works on mathematical theoretical stuff that is the basis of all computer programming. It’s some pretty deep stuff. I don’t understand it at all but I guess there’s a lot of theoretical math involved. He may be an exception from the norm though, so don’t take my word for it. He’s a freaking genius.
If you like computer science but don’t want to be a programmer, a PhD is the way to go. Computer science is different from most other fields in that there are lots of companies that hire PhDs: you can get a “pure research” job at a research lab, or you can get an “applied research” job where you work with developers on long-term products. These jobs all pay very well, and absolutely require a PhD.
If you want to be a programmer, then a PhD is not worth it. PhDs architect systems; they don’t usually build them. Most people with PhDs write very little code once they get out of graduate school. Getting hired into a programming job might actually be harder because you are essentially over-qualified. If you want to be a programmer, a Master’s degree is the highest you need.