The PhD hat: useless.

What you really learned in PhD program: priceless.

At least two things are very valuable (compared with Masters):

1) ability to work long time, independently, under pressure and uncertanty;

2) you tried and failed, so you built a large library of [first hand, in-depth] knowledge which methods are working, which are not.

You may argue that you can know this by reading a single article. Unluckily, you have to try for yourself. The inventor of each method is sure to say his/her method is best. Only you can know if it is the case.

Only PhD program allows you try-fail-try-again-...-successful!

If you are in MS program, it is too short for any real challenge.

If you take a project in job, you dare not take any risk -- the first time you fail, you are fired!

I don't know much about CS, but I think my conclusion is generic.

届是楼主原创滴？ 佩服佩服。

个人觉得还是要看行业的。

有一些行业的research scientist, 是指明了一定要什么样子学位的

某些时候，那个title 还是有左右滴

Good post! MM有这两点做什么都会做好的。

不过我觉得在industry也是有fail的，不会一fail就走人的，否则偶就要被fire好几轮了。还有能力和学历也不完全是成正比的，MM要是去面试，在master degree的人面前千万要表现的很谦虚啊。

mm是不是没工作过啊 :) what you said is not true. 过几年你就会知道了。

我理解mm的心情，我过去听到有些‘不利于’自己的话，也是很难接受，甚至都未必信。

但是你总结的几点很有道理。而且人在自己的经历里面着重看positive的一面也是很好的态度。:)

是啊，有些行业有PhD culture, master的前途很受限制。

还有啊，我估计mm的PhD一定是认真读的。那些混下来的PhD, 那确实是没什么用地，甚至还有害处。