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The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:PhDKnowledge.001

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:PhDKnowledge.002

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:PhDKnowledge.003

With a bachelor’s degree, you gain a specialty:PhDKnowledge.004

A master’s degree deepens that specialty:PhDKnowledge.005

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:PhDKnowledge.006

Once you’re at the boundary, you focus:PhDKnowledge.007

You push at the boundary for a few years:PhDKnowledge.008

Until one day, the boundary gives way:PhDKnowledge.009

And, that dent you’ve made is called a Ph.D.:PhDKnowledge.010

Of course, the world looks different to you now:PhDKnowledge.011

So, don’t forget the bigger picture:PhDKnowledge.012

Keep pushing.

Reproduced under the Creative Commons License from Matt Might http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

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