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Thanks. I do spend a lot of time here so...

And you're right, I made three totally disconnected points albeit on the same area at least! Have done much worst in the past. I am sorry if I offended you or didn't explain myself much further.

Why is academia over in my opinion you ask?

Well, for one it's an overly saturated space, most of the folks doing a PhD go on to have very good career prospect's (of course thanks to the PhD in part).

But which percentage do stay in academia? Why not everyone with good ideas? It seems to me, it's a system like any other rigged for the rich and connected, who can afford a degree+master+phd, I guess if your parents are supporting you through it...

About avoiding doing a PhD, you can just read from all the people who was paid poorly, but since they needed the credentials, they went with it anyway's... As it stands right now, and much like everything that capitalism touches, Academia has gone to shit in standards in a few centuries from being the way of sharing knowledge, to being another way to manipulate and disinform the public.

I guess I would change my prior absolute statement to a more specific one, do a PhD only if you can afford the opportunity cost of not doing it and doing else more productive (for yourself or bank account at least)

And maybe academia is not over, but it's certainly in need of a shake up, and sadly as someone much more smarter than me once said:

"Science advances one funeral at a time"

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principio_de_Planck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publish_or_perish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cost_of_Knowledge



> But which percentage do stay in academia? Why not everyone with good ideas? It seems to me, it's a system like any other rigged for the rich and connected, who can afford a degree+master+phd, I guess if your parents are supporting you through it...

There are several places where you can get a bachelor's and a master's for no tuition and with government support. Source: I did.

And there are several places where you can get paid decently to do a PhD. Less than an industry job, for sure, but definitely enough to get by just fine. Source: I did.

> About avoiding doing a PhD, you can just read from all the people who was paid poorly,

A PhD is not a set of courses to read. It's research training. It's doing research.

> but since they needed the credentials, they went with it anyway's

Where I live, nobody in their right minds would do a PhD for the credentials.

> I guess I would change my prior absolute statement to a more specific one, do a PhD only if you can afford the opportunity cost of not doing it and doing else more productive (for yourself or bank account at least)

Sure. I'd very much agree that a PhD often represents a lost opportunity cost, but that's something very different from the bleak picture that you paint (wherein only the rich and connected can do one without ending up in debt).

> And maybe academia is not over, but it's certainly in need of a shake up

OK, so, in summary: Academia isn't over, and PhDs aren't pointless. Literally nothing remains from your first comment.




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