Transcript About Carla Ellis

MASTER’S vs. PH.D.
WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE?
HOW FAR TO GO?
WHAT ARE THE CAREER CHOICES?
Maria Gini
Eren Kursun
First things first
 Brief Introductions
 Who is in a Master’s program?
 Who is in a PhD program?
 Topics:
 What are the graduate school choices
 What are the career choices
 How to get the career you want from
where you are
About Maria
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Education: Italy, visiting researcher at
Stanford AI Lab
Academic position: Professor,
Computer Science and Engineering,
University of Minnesota
Research: artificial intelligence,
autonomous agents, robotics
Personal life:
◦ married to a prof in the same
department. No children.
◦ enjoy cooking, gardening, traveling
◦ passionate about getting more
women in CS
About Eren
Education
B.Sc. Electrical and Electronics Engineering – Bosphorus University
M.Sc. Computer Science – University of California Los Angeles
Ph.D. Computer Science – University of California Los Angeles
Research Interests
Many… Applied algorithms - in Computer architecture, Semiconductors, Analytics/Big Data…
Revisiting Your Choices
At the end of your first year in either a Ph.D.
or MS program, the questions are:
1. Am I in the “right” program for me,
based on a better understanding of
– What I want (what I love / what I dislike)
in the graduate school experience?
– What I want as a future career path?
2. If not, then how do I get onto the
“right” track?
3. What choices do I have?
Grad School Paths
Reapply
Job industry /
startup
MS course
MS thesis project
PhD
First
year
Switch
coursework to dissertation
Job lab /
academia
Program Comparison
Course Based
MS
Research MS
Educational Acquire knowledge Acquire depth &
via coursework
project skills (thesis)
Goals
Program
PhD
Do original highimpact research
and sometime a
capstone project
Get a taste of
research
Learn the skills for
more research
Courses are
deeper
Research is not as
deep as Ph.D.
Long process (5-7
years)
Choose courses
appropriate to
your career goals
Shorter commitment
(2 years)
Short (1-2 years)
Few publications, less
impact
Can be a change of
field from the BS
Can be a step towards
a PhD program
Networking
opportunities
Master’s: Course vs. Research
Course Master’s
Research Master’s
• Breadth of knowledge
may qualify you for
software development,
project management,
product management
marketing, etc roles
• Think about taking
some business classes!
• Lack of a major project
may be a handicap for
development roles. A
capstone project can be
a plus
• Deep project may
qualify you for more
interesting
development roles
• Much more attractive
for a research lab
position
• Thesis will help with
getting publications
Experience of the Ph.D.
First submission
Write & defend thesis
Pick advisor, move from
Reviewer comments
coursework to research
Advisor stress
Pick a Topic
Quals
Job interview
invitations
CRA-W Grad Cohort Workshop 2005
Lessons from the Roller Coaster
• The ride is similar for most people
You are qualified for the ride. It’s scary for everyone.
You aren’t alone. Share your experiences.
• It takes externally applied energy for the
uphills
Your advisor will be a key person (later session on this).
Seek support from many sources (technical, emotional)
• There are a lot of downhill sections
Frustration & doubt are guaranteed. Things can go wrong.
• Momentum is important
Keep moving forward. No side trips to distract.
Setting Research Goals
•
•
PhD research requires redefining success
– Class performance is not as important as
before
In research, nobody knows the answer!
– ..and half the challenge is in asking good
questions!
• You’re in the pilot seat
– not yet sure of your
destination
– need a capable crew to
help you fly
• Network, mentors, friends.
Master’s Career Opportunities
• Types of Jobs:
– Operations (consulting, system administration, technical
support/troubleshooting, web site management, etc)
– Product or application development (design, code and/or test new
software, user interface design, human factors analysis and testing,
technical documentation, program or product management, project
management)
– Research support (Contribute to prototyping and publications)
• Employers:
– Information Technology (IT) companies : software, hardware or
services companies, start-ups, spectrum of established companies
(small to big)
– Companies in other industries: banking, insurance, healthcare,
telecommunications, environmental engineering, manufacturing, …
– Universities (in support roles, sometimes in a non tenure track
instructor role)
Ph.D. Career Opportunities
• Academic research and teaching in a
university as a professor. Different types of
universities/colleges have different
requirements and expectations
• Research or advanced development
in an industrial or a government research lab
• Development leadership roles in industry
• Technical project management / leadership
roles in industry or government labs
Industry Technical Ladder Example
Level
Contribution and
Impact
Expertise
Fellow/Senior Fellow
Multiple product lines or
technologies
Top tech leadership,
impacts the industry
Principal
Engineer/Senior PE
Group product line or
technology
Technical authority,
impacts a business
Senior Staff Engineer
Multiple Products
Project-wide expert,
impacts a product
Ph.D.
Sr. Design Engineer
Product;
Project Methods
Expert in area of
contribution
M.S.
Design Engineer
Portion of a
Product/Project
Working knowledge in
one area of contribution
B.S.
Entry Engineer
Portion of a
Product/Project
Working knowledge in
one area of contribution
Industry Career
• Research
– Engage in scientific discovery, collaborate with peers,
fund research (typically later in career, possibly internal
funding)
– May involve university faculty and students
– Develop creative thinking around technical solutions to
problems
• Technology Transfer
– Contribute to company’s products, client engagements,
open source, intellectual property…
– Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills
– Publish work and engage with academia
• Service
– Departmental (hiring committee)
– Company-wide (promotion review board)
– Professional
Expected to do all three well!
How to prepare for a job in industry?
• Complete a project(s)
– Industry has shifted considerably to applied research
• Get an internship(s)
– Try out a corporate culture, job type, industry
– Find mentors/supporters of your career
– Publish your work with co-authors
• Acquire key skills
– Building your professional network, communication,
negotiation, making yourself visible
• Check your competition
– Who works at this company
– Who is graduating soon in your field from other (top)
schools
Finding Industry Jobs
• Identify organizations of interest and do internships – real
world and specific organization experience are valued
• Know what positions are within your scope and focus on the
right type of position for you
• Plug into on-campus recruiting at your school
• Apply through formal methods, but try to make contact with
people who will get your resume into the right hands
• Conferences, conferences, conferences – employers attend
conferences specifically to find you
• Network with friends, colleagues, and friends of friends to
make contacts and get a foot in the door
• Consider startup organizations – higher risk, but greater
potential for increasing the scope of your responsibilities
• Demonstrate good communication skills in addition to
technical savvy
• Ask for what you want!
Academic Career
• Research
– engage in scientific discovery
– involve graduate and undergraduate students,
– fund research
– publish research
• Teaching
– active classroom teaching, mentoring, advising students
at multiple levels
• Service
– Departmental
– University
– Professional
Expected to do all three well, but in different
amounts, depending on the type of university/college
Different Types of Colleges
• Research universities with a PhD program:
research is essential – teaching and service are
important (but you do not get tenure because
of your teaching and service)
• Colleges/universities with a MS program:
emphasize teaching – but research & service
are also important
• Selective liberal arts colleges with BS/BA
programs: emphasize teaching with research a
close second, but service is also important
• Teaching-oriented colleges with BS/BA
programs: emphasize teaching & service but
research is often expected
Academic Career Ladder
Professorial Ranks
– Assistant (Tenure-track, 5-7 years)
– Associate (Usually with tenure)
– Full
– Chaired Professor – endowed
Administrative Ranks
Department Chair, Dean, Provost, President
(typically for Full professors)
Instructor: teaching & some service (non tenure
track)
Postdoctoral positions, Research Associate,
Research Faculty: research and research
supervision, but no teaching
How to prepare for an academic job?
• Research, research, research
– Apprenticeship: learn from adviser, doing it, and from
others
– Grant writing, paper writing, paper presentations
• Teaching
– Teaching experience is important. Teaching assistantship
helps but try to teach some even if don’t have to
– Professor-in-training programs, courses to prepare future
faculty at many universities
• Service
– Organizing student organizations/support groups –
Women in CS
– Working on department committees
– Volunteering at conferences
Moving Between Industry and Academia
(possible but not easy)
From University to
Industry
From Industry to
University
• Must build real systems
• Must have made
research contributions
of value to the industry
• Establish visibility and
knowledge in industry
• Must continue
publishing in top
venues to remain an
active member of the
research community
• Establish visibility in
research community
• Get leadership roles
in conferences or
professional societies
Thank you!
Thanks to all the previous developers of these slides
which include the collective wisdom of many Grad
Cohort speakers