Not applicable for all fields i guess..There are research on science, political science and etc....you'll need basic knowledge and techniques from your degree if you are to do research in science..

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Added on May 21, 2010, 4:04 pmEvery outcome is a a finding yo..even if it deviates from you initial hypothesis, it is still a finding..

This post has been edited by highwind85: May 21 2010, 04:04 PM

hold your horses bro..not everyone is good at giving lecture..Some people are brilliant in research...asking the correct question and addressing them with their research..and hence findings that would answer that said question..Human has strengths and weaknesses..Not all PhD will end up as academicians in the end..

Hmm..That would really depends..If you're talking about science, then i would depend on the quality of the supervisor, equipments, support staff and etc...

That's only in US and other developed countries...Imagine this..US has thousands of universities..they produce countless PhDs per year..and PhDs all over the world go to US to work as Post-Docs...so now, how many faculty positions can US offer?

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Added on May 21, 2010, 4:53 pmThis is because advanced universities have more research grants, can employ a strong support group..Let me give you an example..If you research work involves statistical analysis..Excellent universities have Statistical Unit to help students and staffs to aid them in their experimental design..Local students have to scratch their head, figure out on it's own...

This post has been edited by highwind85: May 21 2010, 04:57 PM

I'm talking about at home..aka Malaysia..the bolehland..Singapore is known to be very competitive in research..
This is because they do not mind hiring the best minds from abroad..There are alot of China Chinese working in singapore as Post-Docs..
Yeah..lack of job because the numbers of universities are high..thus creating a lot of PhDs in the process..The a lot of PhD from abroad will look for Post-docs positions in the US...So there are really a lot of PhDs there..It's not a surprise if there's a lack of job...Besides PhD is very specific..You can't work in any PhD vacancies just because you have a PhD..


This post has been edited by highwind85: May 21 2010, 05:08 PM

Haha...yeah..didn't make myself clear enough before i edit the post..
I'm not suggesting that we should go to developing countries to work but in countries like indonesia, one can become lecturer by just having a masters degree in a science field..So i would say that they require more PhD holders in their country..

This post has been edited by highwind85: May 21 2010, 05:22 PM

Yeah..this is a good sign..but then again, only large private institutions can afford that...not to say that other institutions cannot afford PhD holders, but the facilities the university can provide them to start a research group is limited if compared to public institutions..This would make it less attractive..

But definitely not because of money...it's faster if you join banking or sales..

Trust me...if you're in for the money, you better look elsewhere...Average PhD holder start working as lecturer in the last 20s or early 30s...Starting pay is around Rm4.5k excluding allowance..by this time, other people who work earlier can achieve rm5k easily...as they have 5-6 years of experience..and not everyone can reach the peak of an academic career...not everyone can attain professorship..and if you're climbing the corporate ladder, they would have chosen MBA rather than PhD...

Well said...

This type of case can happen to anyone..not only PhD holders..such as company management taken over by someone, CEO, MD told to pack and go...happens all the time..

No..of course not..Science is an interdisciplinary field...
but having the relevant skills and background would help you persuade prospective supervisors to take you..
It's not so crucial though..

Couldn't say it better myself..Career as an academic will only stabilize in the 30s...

depends on what field you're in...if you are in biology or chemistry field, undergraduate knows too little to apply it in R & D..

This post has been edited by highwind85: Jun 4 2010, 10:54 AM

Let me put it this way...there are intersections between chemistry and biology..
If you have a degree in pure chemistry, it's not very possible to study ecology or bio diversity for PhD..
But if you have a degree in organic chemistry or food science, it's possible to study molecular biology or biochemistry for your PhD..
The difference must not be too extreme..

Depends on what your interest is...it is too difficult to tell you what you can do PhD in what field..Any subjects or course that attracted your attention?
Biotech grads can do PhD in biochem, molecularbiology, tissue culture, transgenic organisms etc etc...

Second that...PhD is not like Masters..It's not like "i don't what to do after graduation...maybe i should do a PhD before i decide"
You should be very clear before you take up PhD..

That a wrong perception...after PhD you're an expert of the field you're in...you'll see PhD holder giving comments and consultation but not masters..
Once you've chosen your specialization, there's no turning back..

This post has been edited by highwind85: Jun 4 2010, 11:45 PM

It depends on your personally...the biotech arena in malaysia is still at its infancy...most biotech companies are very small..
This is a growing stage...if you ask me how fast is biotech growing? i would say it is quite slow..people are not so willing pumping in money for research..
So it depends on whether are you willing to be part of the biotech development or not?
if you are willing, you can try to get a PhD and subsequently work as postdocs in overseas for a few years before coming back with valuable experience to expand the biotech field here..
But then again, sometimes people tend to stay at overseas due to numerous factors..

Being a lecturer is not only about teaching and lecturing is not the only path for biotech PhD grads..you need to be clear about that 1st..

PhD is quite specific...Like if you do Masters in Enzymology, you could still do your PhD in Protein Engineering...
You can change focus but not exactly from one field to a very different field..as you need the background for PhD..
But once you've completed you PhD, it's not possible to change anymore...people will regard you as an expert in protein engineering..

More examples are degree in chemistry or biochemistry can do masters in research related to pharmacy, degree in microbiology doing research in food science...they are different by related..

This post has been edited by highwind85: Jun 6 2010, 12:14 AM

If it's related, yeah....
I have a lecturer with BSc and MSc in mathematics and PhD in Marine Science..
This is because he derived some formula and used it to write a software to do with marine science...