29M. I'm currently doing a PhD in AI in another European country. My ultimate goal is to relocate to Denmark and secure a job there. I stayed in Denmark for a month attending a Summer School, and also taking some time off with my partner, and I absolutely fell in love with your country!
The PhD is going fine, but is on a niche subject (nothing related to generative AI, Computer Vision, or Deep Learning). I still have two years left, and unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that academia is not for me, and I would like to leave. I enjoy doing research, but I hate feeling trapped in an academic bubble of papers and conferences with no real-world ramifications (great respect for fellow researchers, but it's just not for me).
The consensus seems to be, "if you want to do a PhD for the money (my case), don't do it". But at the same time, I have seen people suggesting that the bar is rising, and that having a PhD can help for high-profile jobs.
What is not clear to me is how many doors I would close by quitting the PhD, and I also have no idea what the Data Science / AI / Machine Learning market looks like in Denmark. Realistically, it's now or never. I am afraid that if I change my mind in 2 or 3 years, I would be too old to start a PhD again. On the other hand, continuing is really stressful (I've had depressive episodes in the last year), and, financially, I'm barely breaking even. Moreover, the soon I start a "real job", the soon I could move (I could theoretically visiting a Danish university for some months, but realistically, my supervisors will want me to spend my final year in my home country).
(Unrelated, but the banner of this subreddit rocks! Slava Ukraini!)
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The original was posted on /r/denmark by /u/Al_Levin at 2024-02-04 05:14:09+00:00.
rasm3000 at 2024-02-04 06:51:41+00:00 ID:
koujs6jAs a person with a PhD in a rather narrow IT field, I have to agree :-). I work with people that "only" got a Master, and they make about the same as I do. But then again, I also work with a guy that didn't even finish high school, and he is probably one of the most talented developers I have ever worked with.
I work a lot with ML and AI, and my PhD was the reason I got my current, rather well-paid job, but professionally speaking, I could have done the job just as well, with just a Master. I work as a contractor/IT consultant, but on larger projects, that to some degree, has a research aspect to them, and here it's beneficial to tell the customer that "we provide you with consultants with PhD". At the end of the day, I'm nothing but a code monkey, with a glorified title and a slightly bigger paycheck.
I had the same feeling as you, that academia didn't really make sense, several times through my PhD (and my Master too, for that sake :-) ). I think it's quite normal to feel that way some times. My advice would really be to just suck it up, and finish what you have started. Your PhD might not land you the dream job or a lot of money right away, but it for sure won't be a disadvantage either.