Grad School

[Joe Varo]

On the subject of graduate school, Ted Samsel wrote:

"Anyone who `makes' it through graduate school is probably more than a bit
of an asshole."

To which Bonnie Kyburz responded:

"...throughout the dissertation process, [she] felt such an urge to jump
ship..."

And Don Larsson responded:

"On getting my degree I was ready to do something honest, like sell used
cars!"

So what is it about grad school that is so appalling?  When I graduated
from college I was planning on grad school, up until my adviser showed me
a letter from the American Philosophical Assoc. stating that the outlook
for new PhDs was pretty bleak. 

Being so far in debt for my under-grad education, I just didn't see how I
could go even further in debt when, even if I did go to grad school I
might still end up in some god-awful job I hated.

I would have thought that I would have thoroughly enjoyed grad school, the
opportunity to teach at the university level, and then get tenure.

I envy those of you who had the finances to go on to grad school in spite
of bleak employment outlooks and admire those of you who didn't have the
finances but had the cojones to do it anyway.

So what is it about grad school that elicits such scorn?

Joe