Adam Ferguson on PhDs in the real world
"My [PhD] is viewed by many of my co-workers in much the same way that I look at people who have a pierced cheek: It's vaguely impressive and was probably quite painful to do, but what, really, was the point?"
- Adam Ferguson, writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education
In this humorous and insightful piece, Dr. Adam Ferguson (not his real name) describes his experiences as a PhD working outside of academia. The natives, it seems, are not always terribly friendly. Relating a pivotal moment of disorientation during a discussion about global warming, when he realizes that his colleagues are not on side, he says: "I was expecting [my scientific] remark to shift the conversation to evidence, to information. But it turned out I was just voicing my opinion."
You can read the rest of the article here.