Phd or Industry?
Hey, I’m a computer science undergraduate. I graduated this year and landed a job at a startup that pays well!
A software engineering role. Now I always wanted to do research but researcher in industry. And not just do a software engineer job. My passion has definitely always been research.
But, my entire life, I haven’t ever had financial security. After I landed this job, that was a huge burden lifted off me.
Then….
I got a fully funded PhD offer. With a supervisor I know well, with a community of professors too who are great and have always looked after me.
The supervisor is so excited to have me.
But the timing is so wrong.
I’m having second thoughts and struggling to pick between the two.
What do you guys know about finance, research in industry, usefulness of a phd to do big things and the phd experience itself compared to progressing as a software engineer.
My fear is doing a PhD and ending up in a job that never needed a phd and I don’t get to do research neither do I get good money.
If I had to sacrifice 4 years of pay, then later eventually get a great Research Scientist job in Industry that pays well and eventually pays high. I would be okay with that. But every phd graduate I have heard about end up in a job that never needed a phd.
Note that research is my passion and I hate SWE 😭
Help <3