Hacker News Reader

there is a HUGE difference in time commitment and 'psychological toll' between a 2-3 year master's and a 5-8 year Ph.D. in the humanities. getting an MA is a great launching pad for new ideas and careers like teaching high school, etc., but i doubt people will still be so excited during their 7th year of Ph.D. with little job prospects in sight

View on HN

Aye. My wife just finished her Ph.D. in psychology last year, and the whole process was quite an ordeal.

It does not need to take that long. My mother got her second doctorate at 58 for fun, and it only took 3 years.

IMO, Getting a PHD is fairly close to real work. So, if you aproach it as a job it's not that bad. If you aproach it like your X year of collage you will probably fail.

Part of the PhD process is learning how to do publishable research, and learning how to get it published. So if you've already learned that once, the second time should be smoother.

I'd go so far as to say that a big part of the PhD process is learning how to be productive without external guidance. It's a lesson you only need to learn once, and it's broadly applicable to life.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com