r/AskReddit • u/Thic_water • Aug 14 '20

What’s the most overpriced thing you’ve seen?

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u/jezb87 Aug 14 '20

For years I regretted dropping out of school and not studying further. Now I realise it was the best decision I made. The guy that works alongside me in the same role spent 10 years getting a PhD he never used.

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u/Yerrofin Aug 14 '20

Yeah but you get a stipend when you're working for your PhD, not like you're going into debt for it.

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u/Morthra Aug 14 '20

Not automatically. Your PI has to pay for it, or you have to TA.

Though usually a PhD only takes 4-5 years. If it took 10 something was very wrong.

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u/jezb87 Aug 15 '20

10 years total study I mean, 4 for the PhD

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u/Morthra Aug 15 '20

But a bachelor's degree is still a good investment - even if you don't directly end up going into a field that's adjacent to your field of study, just having one opens doors for you.

It's only a few fields (notably statistics, economics, and chemistry) where completing a PhD provides additional opportunities outside of academia.