Now that I'm finished, I'm leaving Vanderbilt to start a postdoc in genetic epidemiology with Dr. Loic Le Marchand at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Posts may be sparse over the next few weeks, but I plan on blogging as usual once I'm set up at my postdoc. Because I won't have the same level of statistical and bioinformatics support in Hawaii that I have now, I'll have much to figure out on my own, so I'll have even more to write about here. But for now, enjoy this Illustrated guide to a Ph.D., reproduced with permission from Matt Might, and follow me on Twitter (@genetics_blog).
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Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:
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By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:
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By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:
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With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:
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A master's degree deepens that specialty:
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Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:
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Once you're at the boundary, you focus:
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You push at the boundary for a few years:
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Until one day, the boundary gives way:
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And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:
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Of course, the world looks different to you now:
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So, don't forget the bigger picture:
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Keep pushing!