Migrating as a PHD student to US - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 08:42:55 am
content: Hi,There comes an opportunity for me to apply as a PHD student in US, they would offer a student visa and they would pay around 2000$ for being a prof assistant,I wanted to know your feedback on it, since I like immigrating to us this might be an easy choice, But the cons are that I have to live hard(by not being paid well), and doing academic papers for at least 3.5 to 4 years, I like to thinker around and building things, and as a starter it would be ok to be an employee buy finally I'm a man of starting my own business, and I do not think that visa would give me the chance to work as an employee in that time, I wanted to know your feedbacks, any experiences that you might have etc.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 09:21:30 am
content: It's not clear what you want to do. The PhD is jokingly called "poor hungry dogs/devils." That is, you get a PhD to do something, not make money. Some students in the arts seem to think its playtime. In physical sciences, you work a lot harder if you want to get out on time. Some who want to goof around may take 12 years or more. We called their eventual degrees (PhD or terminal MS) as compassionate degrees. Some degree paths normally take longer than others. My point of reference is chemistry and biochemistry. I have read that physics often takes more than 4 or 5 years.Is the $2000 per year or per month? When I was a grad student our stipend was $199/month (food was about $25/mo and rent about $110/mo). I suspect it's per month, and it is possible to get by on that in some American cities, but not in others because of very high rental rates. Is there affordable grad student housing?What's not clear is whether your purpose is to immigrate to the US or further your education to make you more employable in Canada? Training in the US will provide contacts for eventual employment, but a student visa will require you to return to your country of origin for awhile (e.g., 2 years) before applying for immigration. At least, that was how it used to be. It might be quicker to get the PhD at a Canadian university then immigrate as an essential worker or whatever the current term is.Depending on the times, a PhD can make it more difficult to find a job. For example, there may be jobs for which someone with a PhD is "overqualified." That is probably much less so today than it was in the late 60's and early 70's.Bottom line, if you want to work hard and do research, a PhD is almost mandatory, except in medicine and perhaps electronics. If you want a place to tinker around for 4 to 6 years, a PhD is an option too, but the purpose and end result will be different. (My comments are related mostly to physical sciences, not fields like art, education, history, business, etc. )

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 10:38:54 am
content: PhD are overrated and not benefit to income longterm.Useful to remain lifetime acamedician or teacher, not for real engineering.Beware fake ads and fraude.What is the exact job and your specialty aspirations?Software, security, hardware design....Investigete troughly and do not depend on internet, websites or enails.Do not give ANY personal info till you verify it is a genuine offerBeware of USA and CA laws re immigration, financial, taxes.Bon chanceJon

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 11:47:13 am
content: PhD in engineering is a bit different than tinkering around.. There is also pressure to publish enough, often in top tier journals, and thus the papers and innovations have to be novel. There is a lot of frustrating work & long hours under poor prospects. The contracts on universities are typically pisspoor. Long temporary contracts as you're still the "student". If you are really unlucky, you can have egocentric profs. Working on a project can vary between having 1 meeting every month with your supervisor while being 'left alone', to a full team of PhDs with intense collab and proactive discussions.In that sense, "having an opportunity" would not be enough of a invitation for me. Also invite them to proof themselves they are a good research group, with good supervision and support, at an university with good facilities, and a healthy vision on work/life balance. Is it a "sweat shop" or a lab where they prefer you work less than contract hours per week, but take care of yourself, so you can do your best work whenever you want? Especially in US I sometimes read some pretty horrific stories.I say this quite stringently, because mental health is a huge problem in academia.I did a PhD in NL and I am still working on the last few things to wrap it up. I've spent 5 years working at an university, with delays due to health, covid, etc. Those events were stressful. The pressure to show new results every meeting, write&read a lot, and get accepted at good conferences was tough. Working alone on a project (despite a great supervisor) also meant it was a lonely journey.The travel was nice though. And also the full autonomy was a big relief, and I imagine its similar as running your own business (but then on an intellectual rather than commercial level)..Whether it is of any use in my career.. I doubt it (lol). If you are really fully dedicated to academia, then its an international job world.If you're not fully dedicated to academia, then don't bother. People that are dedicated even drop out because the competition is too fierce and resources too scarce (me included).

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 12:29:52 pm
content: I think the main question you need to answer for yourself is whether you want to do a PhD -- independent of any immigration and visa questions. As you and others have said, it's several years of hard, poorly paid work. (Where the payment probably varies quite a bit, depending on the specific university's policies and funding, and potential project funding they get.)The reward is (a) in the PhD title, which may be beneficial to your future career, whether employed or as an entrepreneur or independent contractor. And also (b) in the freedom to explore, go deep on technical questions, discover or invent something new. If both aspects appeal to you, go for a PhD; if neither does, don't do it. And then, unfortunately, there is a large grey area inbetween where the decision may be a difficult one...Regarding visa and immigration conditions: It seems that running a self-employed business on the side is possible as a student on an F1 visa; see the link below. Disclaimers: I have no personal experience or expertise in this area at all, and don't know how reliable that source is. And of course you would need to find the time for self-employed work in parallel to a PhD program!https://www.immigration-america.com/self-employment-options-for-f-1-students

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 01:08:05 pm
content: Thanks for your feedbacks, the payments are for each month, and the field is bio electronics, My final goal is immigration to US and starting my own company, But I see this as a helper to ease immigration process and get some initial money to help start a profitable job, since 2000$ is slavery and I have big dreams.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 01:38:17 pm
content: If your final goal is immigration to the US and being an entrepreneur, you would save the wait between a student visa and green card by getting your PhD in Canada or elsewhere.US used to be pretty strict about that, even with students from Canada. In the 70's, I had two friends who had to take that wait to get themselves/spouse readmitted. That may have changed, but with the possible exception of our Southern border, getting over our hurdles to immigration can take a lot of time and cost you a good immigration lawyer's fees.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 02:13:30 pm
content: I'd say a masters degree is more handy for people wanting to do hands-on work. And the course is shorter as well. If that is a possible entry point into the US, go for it. Judging by the projects the OP has posted over time, I think there is no problem for the OP to land a job at a tech company.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 03:34:08 pm
content: It's quite difficult to immigrate to the US permanently even with a masters or PhD.The routes usually are (my summary, consult an immigration lawyer for definitive advice):H-1B visa -> Requires employer sponsorship and there is a lottery. If you have a masters you get more of a chance of winning the lottery but in any given year there's only about a 1-in-4 chance of getting a visa, so many employers are hard pressed to commit unless you are truly extraordinary.L-1 visa -> Intracompany transfer. Probably the easiest way, you go work for e.g. Microsoft in Vancouver for a year, then they transfer you across to the USA. I don't think there's a cap on this, but the employer does need to want to do this (and you need to be willing to take that risk if this is how you want to emigrate).O-1 visa -> "Extraordinary ability" - usually used for athletes and the like but I've read of engineers and scientists going this way. Requires an interview process and people to write letters of support in your favour, and subject to the immigration office deciding in your favour.There are others limited to other countries like Australia, but those are the main ones I'm aware of.You would still need a green card to be a permanent resident, but once you have a visa I believe that's a possibility in all three cases.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 04:29:49 pm
content: Early this century, I was able to get a scientist/physician from Singapore an O-1. He stayed with us a few years, then went to Houston, TX and did very well. In my instance, it took sponsorship and going through hoops. The immigration definition of "extraordinary" is a bit different than many laypersons may think. It is nowhere "unique."However, the bottom line is to stay in Canada until you are actively recruited by an American firm. Wanting to be an entrepreneur probably won't cut it, unless you are named Musk or Bezos. You cannot ignore the government's incentive for high-earning individuals.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 05:45:51 pm
content: Quote from: ali_asadzadeh on April 16, 2024, 01:08:05 pmGetting into a US PhD program is a reasonably good start of an immigration strategy as long as you understand the rules and are willing to commit to the process. How long it takes depends on things like how good your school and program are, how well you do and luck. The most reliable course is to finish your PhD and then get an academic job--this will qualify you for the EB2-PERM Special Handling at the least and possibly EB1-B if you do exceptionally well, publish and meet the right people. Once you have the green card, you're on the way to wherever it is you want to go.Your attitude may need adjustment, frankly. If a good school is willing to offer you a free PhD plus a stipend (tuition remission plus the $2000) and you think of that as slavery, you aren't ready to play the game. There are other ways to immigrate to the US, but starting a PhD program and dropping out probably isn't the best plan.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 06:02:30 pm
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on April 16, 2024, 05:45:51 pm(Bold added)I agree withbdunham7here. I have seen at least one very disappointed person who tried that. I've also seen H1B's who failed to convert (to permanent) and that too is heart breaking when they are forced to pack up and move back.Quote from: ali_asadzadeh on April 16, 2024, 08:42:55 amDisclaimer first -- Law is my name, not my field. I am not a lawyer. I am sharing what I know as a laymen.Since owning a business is your ambition... There is also theImmigrant Investment Visa. USA should/would welcome folks with knowledge, ambition, and grit to do the hard work.I assume you are not currently loaded with cash. You could also consider starting your business in Canada first. Build it up some, then expand by open a branch in the USA and transfer yourself to head up the branch location. You are then on L1A visas (intra-company executive/management transferee)...I think having a branch in the USA you head-up (and own) makes that a little less risky than starting from zero on unfamiliar grounds with no backing. I just looked it up so I have the link below. You need to have (without borrowing) $1M or $500K (if in rural or high unemployment area) to start, butI thinkyour own Canadian company could borrow. Then once when you fulfilled the requirements (excluding direct relatives, hiring 10 locals for a duration), you get your permanent residence.Consult an immigration lawyer. Details matter.Most of us non-lawyers wont known the details,or may misunderstood the legal issues involved. There probably are plenty of other legal means that most laymen won't know either.More info on investment visa (and a link there for employment based visas) here:https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/immigrant-investor-visas.htmlEdit: added "...or may misunderstood the legal issues involved..."

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 06:05:48 pm
content: All the above still leaves me wondering how so many illegal immigrants manage to become legal US residents without going to universities (far from it) but just stay in the US and work.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 06:17:02 pm
content: They also vote, and in many places, that is illegal, but still happens. That's a totally different issue, political, and best kept out of this. It, along with "abortion rights," will be major issues in our upcoming election for President.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 06:22:43 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 16, 2024, 06:05:48 pmI think there is abuses with "refugee" status. Some are here as "refugees pending adjudication" which means years waiting for the legal process to finish. If they don't show for the adjudication, then they become (in the actual wordings of existing law) illegal aliens. Mean time, they are pending (but legal).There is also the "deferred due to natural disaster" given temporary legal residence. I know many (tens of thousands) are here because their home country had an earthquake some 15 years ago, and their return requirement is still deferred because bureaucrats and politicians like to kick the can down the road.The price of doing it right is steep. Years of waiting along with loads of paperwork and likely loads of lawyer fees. But you have the security and perhaps the pride of having done it right.Edit - this was posted then I sawnctnico's last reply... may be I should have stay off that topic, but since I already wrote it, and this merely stated what happened as FYI answer to the question... I left decided to just leave the reply.Edit 2:Grrr... it wasjpanhalt's reply that I saw after posted my reply... Now I used up my annual mistake quota.Quote from: jpanhalt on April 16, 2024, 06:17:02 pm

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 07:14:48 pm
content: I have some family members who just ventured to the US, found work and became legal US citizens from there. It took time but AFAIK they didn't spend lots of money on lawyers or so. AFAIK they just applied for US citizenship lottery and got it at some point.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 07:59:51 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 16, 2024, 07:14:48 pmIf you come from a country that is on the current list of nations with low immigration rates, you can enter the diversity lottery for a green card (permanent residence). Netherlands is on that list. There is no citizenship lottery, you can apply after 5 years of permanent residence. You don't need an attorney for any stage, but immigration lawyers aren't that expensive and can spot trouble before it happens. That's probably more important at the citizenship stage since the applicant has more to lose. Hiring an attorneyafteryour application has been rejected is much more painful.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 12:44:45 am
content: Quote from: jonpaul on April 16, 2024, 10:38:54 amThat's not true in the US. My wife and daughter both have PhDs and both made/make atonof money. When I worked for a US defense company, we were required to have a certain number of people on each program with BS, MS and PhDs and one of the guys that I worked with had been hired specifically because he had a PhD, but it was in English literature!But it's not clear what the OP wants to get a PhD in. And it also sounds like he wants to start his own company, so a PhD may not benefit him.One of my cousins is currently working as a research and teaching assistant at U of F while he works on his PhD. He's not getting paid much but he is making a LOT of very beneficial contacts in industry and has already received several very lucrative job offers.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 02:36:37 am
content: Quote from: jonpaul on April 16, 2024, 10:38:54 amThat's often true in Europe, probably a bit less so in the USA. Also, that might be a way to get your foot in the door, if you want to migrate to the US but don't have a job offer there/sponsor.Quote from: jonpaul on April 16, 2024, 10:38:54 amOften true, but again depends a bit. It's also useful if you want to eventually get any kind of high-level engineering management position, especially in larger companies.

author: thermistor-guy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 05:26:51 am
content: Quote from: ali_asadzadeh on April 16, 2024, 08:42:55 amNot advice, but points to consider:Are you using the PhD work to build the technical foundation of the business you want to develop?Will the PhD thesis tackle one of your ideas, or one of your supervisor's ideas? If the latter, are you ok with working on someone else's idea for 3-4 years,while putting your own on hold?Universities typically want you to sign over all rights to any Intellectual Property you develop, while you are a student - even IP you come up with in your sparetime, that's not part of your thesis. Are you prepared to do that?

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 09:38:05 am
content: I know PHD would not help me on income specially if I want to start my own company, But I see it as an easier option for immigration, the real question for me is that if I can do freelance work in that period to have more income, since 2000$ would not be enough for living, also suppose that I could convince my self that this is the route that I should choose, after finishing the PHD, what are the chances of building a successfully company in tech? are there any helpful laws there to ease that? I have no Idea how hard or beneficial is to start companies there. But I think I have very good Ideas

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 10:58:51 am
content: Dear Sir:PhD is not your true objective but just an excuse and means to get into the USA.But the USA is already overflowing with immigrants.And with faux PhDs,My humble suggestion:stay in Canadago to a Canadian university or tech school, Many excellent schools there.get a job in industry IN CANADAJust my ideaHave an absolutely fantastic day!j

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 11:24:34 am
content: Quote from: ali_asadzadeh on April 17, 2024, 09:38:05 amI concur with jonpaul and the obvious.Getting a PhD simply for the hypothetical easier pass into the US is not a good idea. Earning a PhD will take (if you work diligently and don't get stuck in a dead end) about 4 to 6 years. Then, there is the usually mandated 2 year year return to Canada, unless you can get it converted. Two big if's. Working as an independent contractor while in a legitimate graduate school raises all sorts of concerns. It may not even be allowed on the basis of conflict of interest, you're already paid a graduate stipend, and/or IP.* Moreover, if you go to a 3rd rate school for the PhD, I suspect getting an employer to sponsor you would be difficult.*As I recall, that has has been challenged in court and the student won. The last thing you want to do is challenge the requirements of a school to which you are applying.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 12:16:57 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on April 16, 2024, 06:02:30 pmNot quite related, but when I tried to go to the US for technically a few day paid gig to attend a trade show and shoot a video, even the entire legal department of the huge corporation couldn't get permission from US immigration for me to enter. They said it was just too complex a system. In the end they phoned me up (to leave no email trail) and told me to just come as a regular tourist. And if immigration/customs asked, the company had never heard of me

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 12:26:36 pm
content: Quote from: ali_asadzadeh on April 16, 2024, 08:42:55 am$2000 per week/month/year?And also where you live can make a huge difference in expenses.Immigration issues aside, baseline problem is can you live on that money in that location?As others have said, immigration laws can be complex, and I've also heard, at the complete whim of the immigration official you get.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2024, 12:57:01 am
content: I'm in the Central US...Due to low birth rates 18 years ago, many small US Universities and Colleges are hitting severe funding shortages now. Make sure where you go can cover you if your PI ends up short funded for any length of time. Most schools have rules to protect you if this occurs, but a few are always shady or understaffed. Better schools have large endowments.I was just downsized from what was once a 44,000 student school ten years ago. Currently less then 25,000 total students, and only met this years minimum enrollment goal for continued government funding by 4 students. Many of that number are part time or commuter students. They sold the food concession, are looking at selling the public/private partnership new dorms, and the dorms go unoccupied because investors built nice new structures next to campus with lower costs, when they noticed the new dorms on campus. Partnership dorms are not making a profit, yet the University has to pay due to the contract. Tuition is capped by the state, and the permanent faculty-staff layoffs (>500) were Legion during Covid.I'm told yearly parking permits will hit 700$ this year for faculty and staff, the parking lots, once ran by the University and heavily subsidized, are now ran by a contractor and owned by the County Port Authority. I used to pay 200$ a year total, and that was pre-tax payroll deduction, it isn't deductible now, due to the privatization.If a PI has current students, he/she/it can probably generate these numbers for you. Be aware, research groups at declining schools face a difficult time getting further grants. Once the word gets out, and the teaching staff that can migrate do so, the reputation can take a severe hit. This means in any given group, you may have to work longer, faster, and harder for an upset, depressed Professor.Choose Wisely. Without knowing you well, I will not say Go or No Go, but having worked with several hundred grads in my career, its not for everyone, and yet experiences can be fantastic. There is a bit of a lottery to it. Some change groups, some quit, some become world class. It depends on YOUR attitude. The great majority of the students I have worked with never write, never call, and never want to come back for a visit. If I had Ten Dollars for every abandoned desk, issued laptop, and hundreds of unmarked sample bottles I have had to dispose of, because newly hooded Graduates RUN for the door, unless they are Post-Docs or part of a Start-up . Simply because Grad School is TOUGH!Many US States are in severe post Covid Cutbacks. Funding is TIGHT outside Biomedical fields. Consider Canada. Their funding is always tight, so they have a habit of choosing only the best for Grad School.If you speak Arabic, Spanish or German, you may have better options elsewhere.No matter what, if you are not proficient at Math, Extreme Patience, Spoken and Written English, Teaching Undergrads, Doing your own Equipment Repairs, Living on Five Hours Sleep, and Teaching Yourself Everything! Think Twice. In most states Grad Students do not receive health care, but you may not be taxed on your income, either. In many places, forty hour week limits do not apply for Grads, you are not considered a paid employee, your reward is your intangible Masters or Doctorate. Medicine, Science, and Engineering Post Graduate Students usually get stipends, other majors may not be fully funded.Quitting the graduate job is an instant fail, and likely trip home. There is only Do, No Undo.. However, if things are not working out, on campus transfers do happen. Never say "I Quit" to a PI.I know more then one student who got sick and thus have massive health care bills from the lack of insurance. Ask about this if your field is somewhat Dangerous. Some home countries cover their overseas students, or subsidize health care. Don't worry, if you are sick, you will be seen at the ER or Campus Health clinic to ensure your safety.Vacation time is precious, most students work long six day weeks, rarely get to their mother country, if at all, and usually take one highly cherished week off a year. Few travel more then 50 miles / 80 Kilometers from campus, unless their PI takes the group on a trip, or an academic conference is coming up. . If there is death in your immediate family, you will, however, be sent home with time, prayer, care, and blessings.That reminds me, if at a highly technical school, if there is not a well worn, dirty looking, huge machine shop filled with grizzled old guys,,, Run Away. Once in a while that might be a tight, small shop, with a really experienced specialist. If you do not find either, RUN AWAY! :-) Having a glassblower on campus is a serious benefit.PIs can be highly variable, from being your new stepmom, to venomous. Most are very, very demanding and "needy" due to "Publish or Parish" A few, mostly the extremely brilliant, are just plain mean and mentally illIf you can, check out the place before signing up. Watch the visa requirements if you vacation here for the visit, there may be a delay before you can return.Some students find work, and stay for long times, often decades, on a non-immigration guest worker basis. It does happen. Marrying an American, well before you graduate, may expose you to a 3.5 year accelerated citizenship if you graduate with a Doctorate. With our divorce laws, however, don't plan on this method ~!Our Military, will, under certain circumstances, pay for medical school, nursing, or other degrees in exchange for X number of years of service, but you must swear allegiance and serve. At the end of that, you likely will have full citizenship.You know your a research tech when you find desks with warm coffee cups, stale food, abandoned sneakers, and a goodbye note on graduation day. (LOL!)I have a Non-Doctorate, Not So Honoris Causa from the School of Hard Knocks, Reading, Rioting,and Rithmatic (Inside Joke) because while only a Lowly Senior Technician, I had to learn the Grad's experiments as well or better then they did. Eighteen Years of Academic Service Here. . I wish you well.Steve

author: thermistor-guy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2024, 05:20:29 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 17, 2024, 12:26:36 pmA PhD in a STEM field, doing real research and advancing the state of the art, is stressful and time-consuming. It is a difficult challenge, intellectually and emotionally.I suspect the OP will have neither the time nor the energy to work on anything else; side gigs for extra money will be out of the question.

author: Njk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2024, 02:03:36 pm
content: To the OPThat's fine that you want to start a business. I presume here you mean a technology business. It's easy to conduct when you're the only smart boy in the town. Otherwise, you'll have to compete, and in that process, do a way more than enough for supporting yourself and your family. Every propaganda teaches us that it's good, necessary, sane, progressive, and is a way forward. Actually, it's a law of nature that works not only in human. A good rat shall spoil as much food as it can and to reproduce as fast as it can so the colony can thrive and expand. Otherwise, it's a bad rat and must die. That's why I think the intelligent design theory about human is nothing more than a propaganda tool. Anyway, you're not alone and that obviously implies that the chances you've invented something that is really novel and is not another BS for profiteering (or even worse) are negligibly low. Though it also depends on your definition for appropriateness.There are many events in the US. One of them is South by South-West (SXSW) annual cultural event. In 2008 it took place in Austin, TX. I was there right on time, by chance. The locals were saying that they're always busy so no time to travel to music but this time they're happy as music came to them. The event was broken into the three sections, music, movie and interactive. At the interactive, Mark Zuckerberg (a young guy back then) was presenting his new project, Twitter, Facebook, I don't remember. That sort of projects was very popular back at that time. I was unable to understand what's this all about. Not because of the language problem, it's more fundamental. When you're working for a more-less big corporation, it's not unusual to see a couple of screens of e-mails each morning. There are many spammers in the hierarchy, they can't stop or few will notice them and they'll be eventually fired. It's risky to bulk delete all the spam because there can be some really important personal e-mails. You've to walk through that mess and that's annoying. So who in his sane mind will subscribe to that garbage voluntarily? And it's much more effective than e-mail, it's really instant and more people involved. The victim is always bombarded, no way to concentrate on anything.Sure someone will like that. A long time ago, in one of my previous lives, I was a mechanic in the garage. Once the garage manager approached me with a mighty young boy, who was from the remote region and came here seeking a better life. The manager said the boy is assigned to me as an apprentice so I've to teach and supervise him. No problem. I do remember that when I was a kid and my father was fixing his car, I was always participating because it was very interesting business for me. But very soon I'd noticed that the supervision is indeed strictly necessary, because the boy showed no interest in the nitty-gritty of truck maintenance. Never was reading the books I gave him, never wanted to see what I'm doing. I'd to keep an eye on him all the time, otherwise he would find someone of his age (typically a driver whose truck is being under repair) and talk with him for hours. It's not only the problem that who's talking is not working. But how it's possible to talk with someone for hours. It's more typical of women or in the sea lion company on the beach, where one makes a noise, or emanates a smell, with the only purpose to assure the other that he's near, he's with him. That's the Zuck's target audience. The bla-blaers will be happy and will grow in numbers forming a social environment where I and my children will have to live. Well, not with my help.Perhaps your definitions are different. Then back to the US. Do you know who's Carl Icahn? He's a well-known vulture capitalist. It was funny for me to see the tactics he's using in his monkey business. But it's perfectly in law, he's a respected businessman there. According to Wikipedia, once he was asked to take a high-ranked position in the government. Or Steve Jobs. Not everyone is of one opinion about that guy. The problem is that there are a thousands of highly motivated personalities from all over the world and the mechanisms to constrain them are underdeveloped because of the country's origin and traditions. So the moments of imposed hyperactivity are evident there. You'll have to play this game, like it or not. Want to live in a society of unsupervised teenagers? But if you're more of adult and don't want to stay at home, think about Europe.Sorry for the long post. Take care.

author: Eagcress88
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2025, 11:57:00 am
content: Quote from: hans on April 16, 2024, 11:47:13 amYeah, a PhD sounds way tougher than just "an opportunity." The stress, instability, and pressure to publish would definitely make me think twice.

author: Weston
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2025, 05:08:39 am
content: I finished my PhD in electrical engineering at a top 3 school in the USA last year. I think it was a fun experience that cost me approximately $1M USD in opportunity cost. In terms of jobs, it could have got me a few (admittedly interesting) jobs if I wanted to live in the SF Bay Area in Northern California. Outside of that, it counted for a few years of job experience. My overall attitude was that they pay you peanuts but you get to be a monkey. I liked having time to work on personal projects and I picked up some extra money doing consulting work. Largely ambivalent on doing it again if I was sent backwards in time.If you go to a ~ top 10 school, or your advisor is the top of his field at a worse ranked school a PhD *might* make economic sense compared to a masters degree or just a bachelors.For schools worse than that (if your stipend is $2k a month I am going to assume it's one of these schools. No offense intended) a PhD does not make economic sense for US citizens and the STEM PhD programs are almost entirely international students who want to work in the USA. I am not super well versed how it works, but you are eligible for the OPT(?) visa for summer internships and 2 years after graduation. If you play your cards right (good advisor, good research and publication record, in demand field) you might be eligible for the O-1 visa, which is uncapped. Otherwise after two years in your career you are thrust into the H1B visa lottery. If it reaches that point you are probably better off economically if you did a masters degree (masters degrees are expensive though and I don't think that many students from developing countries can secure financing?).There are way too many PhD students compared to the number of professor positions and, as previously mentioned, the student body size is decreasing at western universities. Unless you want to be a professor at some random university in a developing country, don't even bother considering that as career path.The TL:DR is that, unless you are going to a top 10 school I would advise against getting a PhD unless it directly plays into your planned career path and/or you want to immigrate to the USA. Your profile says you are located in Candida, but if you are a citizen of China or somewhere in the middle east I would also suggest you take into account the risk of visa issues given the current political climate.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 21, 2025, 10:16:46 pm
content: Quote from: jonpaul on April 16, 2024, 10:38:54 amThat depends. There are tech startups that like to hire exclusively masters and PhD grads, with preference for PhD. I guess so they can impress the investors.But otherwise, yeah, I agree with others that the PhD can often make you "overqualified".And as always, your qualifications go to the bottom of your resume once you have suitable work experience.My brother in law has a PhD in laser physics but couldn't get a job in the field, so decided to go back to to studying to be a patent attorney (who value PhD grads), and is now a senior patent attorney. Stressful tedious job, but it pays the bills.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2025, 10:31:37 pm
content: Re: Masters vs. PhDOne needs to ask, was a MA/MS that person's target (e.g., masters in teaching, MAT, is such a degree) or a sign of failure from a PhD program? For some programs, MA only students are encouraged to go elsewhere. MA's are primarily awarded for PhD students who gave up (aka "terminal masters"). Professors simply don't want an MA student wasting resources or a PhD student who isn't making progress.On the other hand, I have hired masters-only individuals who made great research assistants. There are many reasons that a person choses a Masters rather than PhD. That's one place where the interview process helps.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 21, 2025, 11:13:38 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on March 21, 2025, 10:31:37 pmFirst time I've heard of that.I thought it was something you decided on at the start and that was that. Not that you got a Masters as some sort of "consolation prize" for failing your PhD?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2025, 12:35:08 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 21, 2025, 10:16:46 pmAFAIK a Master's is an extension to a Bachelor's degree. PhD is more for people who want to stay deep in theory. So for hands-on engineering I'd hire somebody with a Bachelors or Masters degree. For deep theoretical R&D preferably somebody with a PhD. I'd say the kind of work a person is doing is different depending on the degree. Although I'd still be carefull because at some point I had to explain somebody with a PhD where that person's math went wrong. And this was for the same subject the person did the PhD thesis on...

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2025, 01:10:00 am
content: That's actually a pretty good gig, if you can avoid wasteful diversions. (Like don't get arrested or drink and drive car).I'd warn about cutting loose on your own, too early. Those that hire you will likely not care about anything else, but the JOB they need done. Made that mistake several occasions!With a 'school' so obviously close, try to enroll in a couple of classes, where you are weak. Maybe that's the Bio stuff.p

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2025, 01:10:28 am
content: Due to elction and new admin, US immig law and enforcement is rapidly changing.Restrictions will depend on the country of origin, CBP/FBI/Police records, maritial status, financial.Check on US sites for latest imforation.False info on a visa app will resuilt in return to country,, deportation or criminal procecution.Jon

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2025, 03:03:41 am
content: 'funny or quirky thing', here I read, essentially waiting for a little bit of a break, from official speak, or avoiding speaking of the proverbial elephant in the room!That is, many of us American news watchers are in stunned shock, at the level of immigration abuses and new crime problems.Come on, people,...do I have to trudge through the whole 'explanation' and arguing, to get a more realistic reflection of U.S. state of affairs.Some here, realize that changes are happening, and one person cautioned against off topic politics, or abortion discussion, but then we are left with a HIGHLY POLITICAL main topic, while cautioned to avoid political material. Can't do both.Poor Dave, and helpers here. Politics and external trouble with little indication the U.S. can stabilize.