Thanks for writing this. This sentence particularly resonated:
LW members who are conventionally successful (e.g. PhD students at top-10 universities) typically became so before learning about LW, and the LW community may or may not support their continued success (e.g. may encourage them, with only genuine positive intent, to spend a lot of time studying Rationality instead of more specific skills).
I was definitely explicitly discouraged from pursuing a PhD by certain rationalists and I think listening to their advice would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Unfortunately I see this attitude continuing to be propagated so I am glad that you are speaking out against it.
EDIT: Although, it looks like you’ve changed my favorite part! The text that I quoted the above was not the original text (which talked more about dropping out of PhD and starting a start-up).
This anti-academic feeling is something I associate with lesswrong, mostly because people can find programming jobs without necessarily having a degree.
For others considering a PhD: usually the best (funded) PhD program you got into is a good choice for you. But only do it if you enjoy research/learning for its own sake.
usually the best (funded) PhD program you got into is a good choice for you. But only do it if you enjoy research/learning for its own sake.
I’m not sure I agree with this, except insofar as any top-tier or even second-tier program will pay for your graduate education, at least in engineering fields, and so if they do not then that is a major red flag. I would say that research fit with your advisor, caliber of peers, etc. is much more important.
I interpreted “the best (funded) PhD program you got into” to mean ‘the best PhD program that offered you a funded place’, rather than ‘the best-funded PhD program that offered you a place’. So Algernoq’s advice need not conflict with yours, unless he did mean ‘best’ in a very narrow sense.
Hi Algernoq,
Thanks for writing this. This sentence particularly resonated:
I was definitely explicitly discouraged from pursuing a PhD by certain rationalists and I think listening to their advice would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Unfortunately I see this attitude continuing to be propagated so I am glad that you are speaking out against it.
EDIT: Although, it looks like you’ve changed my favorite part! The text that I quoted the above was not the original text (which talked more about dropping out of PhD and starting a start-up).
This anti-academic feeling is something I associate with lesswrong, mostly because people can find programming jobs without necessarily having a degree.
Glad to hear it!
For others considering a PhD: usually the best (funded) PhD program you got into is a good choice for you. But only do it if you enjoy research/learning for its own sake.
Tangential, but:
I’m not sure I agree with this, except insofar as any top-tier or even second-tier program will pay for your graduate education, at least in engineering fields, and so if they do not then that is a major red flag. I would say that research fit with your advisor, caliber of peers, etc. is much more important.
I interpreted “the best (funded) PhD program you got into” to mean ‘the best PhD program that offered you a funded place’, rather than ‘the best-funded PhD program that offered you a place’. So Algernoq’s advice need not conflict with yours, unless he did mean ‘best’ in a very narrow sense.
OK, I’ll change it back. I heard it secondhand so I deleted it.