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What It Means To Get A Ph.D.

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What It Means To Get A Ph.D. Daniel ngel Jim nez. Department of Computer Science ... a time in my life when my eyes were opened to a magnificent world of learning ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: What It Means To Get A Ph.D.


1
What It Means To Get A Ph.D.
Daniel Ángel Jiménez Department of Computer
Science The University of Texas at San Antonio
2
A Little About Me
  • Grew up in San Antonio, Texas
  • 1992 B.S., University of Texas at San Antonio
  • 1994 M.S., UTSA
  • 1995 Started Ph.D. program at UT Austin
  • 1996 Left to take research position at UT
    Health Science Center, San Antonio
  • 1999 Returned to UT Austin
  • 2002 Ph.D., UT Austin
  • 2002 First job assistant prof., CS Dept. at
    Rutgers (from Texas to New Jersey!)
  • 2005 Sabbatical leave in Barcelona, UPC (Kaeli
    is in this club, too.)
  • 2007 On leave from Rutgers, joined faculty at
    UTSA as assoc. prof.
  • 2008 Got tenure at Rutgers thought about
    going back, but no good tacos in Jersey
  • 2009 Resigned from Rutgers

3
My Research
  • Study computer architecture and compilers
  • Work on branch prediction
  • Introduced perceptron predictor
  • Lots of follow-up work on this latest is analog
    circuits
  • Other microarchitectural predictors
  • Code placement techniques in compiler
  • Large window processors
  • Power and energy in the compiler
  • Also working on improving cache efficiency
  • Publish in ISCA, MICRO, HPCA, PLDI

4
Moving Back to San Antonio
  • Two kinds of people
  • People who can move far from home to take a job
    (e.g. Cavazos)
  • People who would rather stay near home
  • I went to UT Austin because it was close to home.
    My grad school buddies moved to Austin from all
    over because UT Austin is a top school.
  • First job was at Rutgers
  • Did a lot of good work
  • But very homesick the whole time ?
  • Still not sure which of the two I am, but pretty
    sure Im not the kind that can take harsh winters!

5
What it means to get a Ph.D.
  • Getting the Ph.D. itself actually doesn't mean
    all that much
  • You have some intelligence and probably some
    skills
  • You have perseverance you didnt quit
  • You can put Dr. Foo Bar, Ph.D. on your business
    cards
  • A Ph.D. doesnt give you super-powers
  • Many Ph.D.s are still maladjusted weirdos

6
What it means to get a Ph.D.
  • Research publications you produced are more
    important
  • Show your potential for future research
  • Puts you into a category
  • The details often arent too important, but there
    must be details
  • Did you network while doing your Ph.D.?
  • Fellow grad students
  • Faculty members at your school
  • Bosses colleagues from internships
  • Other contacts you met at conferences
  • Did you do some teaching while getting your
    Ph.D.?
  • Did you help write some grant proposals?

7
What it means to get a Ph.D.
  • You should be supported as a TA/RA with tuition
  • You take some important classes the first year
  • The rest of the journey is a lot like an
    apprenticeship
  • You learn how to do research by doing it
  • You are guided by your advisor(s) and senior grad
    students
  • Some take longer than others
  • The ones who got out earlier might not be better
    off
  • Learn all you can!

8
What it means to get a Ph.D.
  • Main benefits of a Ph.D.
  • More likely to have a career you enjoy
  • If you are passionate about computing research
  • More likely to have freedom in your career
  • You learn how to do research by doing it
  • You will have the tools to satisfy your
    intellectual curiosity
  • More benefits depend on advisor
  • Presentation skills
  • Paper writing skills
  • Etc.

9
What it does not mean to get a Ph.D.
  • A Master's degree plus a little more
  • Most of the work is the dissertation
  • More money than you would have made with a
    Master's
  • Not necessarily true
  • Easier to get a job
  • Not really you're competing for a smaller pool
    of jobs, so it's harder.
  • More respect from your colleagues
  • Not so much. They will have Ph.D.s, too, if
    you're doing it right

10
What it does not mean to get a Ph.D.
  • Your life can finally begin when you get the
    Ph.D.
  • Nope. You are living your life right now enjoy
    it!
  • There will always be milestones graduating,
    getting a job, getting promotions/tenure, getting
    that next grant/paper/project/better job
  • You will be happier if you think of graduate
    school as part of your life, not an obstacle to
    getting on with your life
  • Enjoy the opportunity to travel
  • Grad school is hard but you will look back on it
    as one of the best and most enjoyable times of
    your life!

11
Final thought What it means to me
  • I don't really think of my Ph.D. as a great
    accomplishment
  • I don't think of it as a piece of paper I needed
    to get a job
  • It represents a time in my life when my eyes were
    opened to a magnificent world of learning through
    research, and I was invited to participate in
    that world. It's a great feeling!

12
The End
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