What is a Ph.D.?

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

A master's degree deepens that specialty:

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:

Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

You push at the boundary for a few years:

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

So, don't forget the bigger picture:

Keep pushing.

When I first came across this, I stopped at the last picture - not realizing that I had missed the key point of this guide. Now I know.

Original by Matt Might at:

http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

You can purchase his guide in print to support genetics research for a measly $6.50 USD + $3 shipping (I did).

Cheers,

Firas