Ask HN: Paid PhD or Silicon Valley?
10 by autothrowaway | 14 comments on Hacker News.
Hello HN! I'm at a crossroads in my life with two very different paths and I'm not sure of which to pick. For context, I'm 25/F with a MSME currently in the midwest. I'm in a unique situation and am looking for advice. My current options: 1. Paid PhD ($90k salary + tuition) at a midwest state university. In exchange, I sign a service commitment with the Department of Energy for ~15 years after the PhD is completed. 2. Move to SV and work at an autonomous car company (think Lyft/Uber ATC). $150k salary + ~$100k in RSUs/year The government route is obviously very stable and has a pension, decent benefits, etc. However, the work will trend from technical to managerial (contract management, etc) within less than 3 years of graduating with the PhD. Exciting work is traded for stability + pension. The startup route is almost the polar opposite - not stable but with almost a guarantee of interesting work! Additionally, friends and family (from the midwest) are always talking about the tech bubble in SV and how autonomous car companies could be killed tomorrow by regulation. If the RSUs are valued at $0, then the SV offer is a slight pay cut. Many of my academic friends would kill for a $90k/year fellowship + stable job after graduation; many of my industry friends would love a $250k compensation package. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What route did you take and what information do you know now that would've informed the decision differently? More generally, what advice would you give?
Hello HN! I'm at a crossroads in my life with two very different paths and I'm not sure of which to pick. For context, I'm 25/F with a MSME currently in the midwest. I'm in a unique situation and am looking for advice. My current options: 1. Paid PhD ($90k salary + tuition) at a midwest state university. In exchange, I sign a service commitment with the Department of Energy for ~15 years after the PhD is completed. 2. Move to SV and work at an autonomous car company (think Lyft/Uber ATC). $150k salary + ~$100k in RSUs/year The government route is obviously very stable and has a pension, decent benefits, etc. However, the work will trend from technical to managerial (contract management, etc) within less than 3 years of graduating with the PhD. Exciting work is traded for stability + pension. The startup route is almost the polar opposite - not stable but with almost a guarantee of interesting work! Additionally, friends and family (from the midwest) are always talking about the tech bubble in SV and how autonomous car companies could be killed tomorrow by regulation. If the RSUs are valued at $0, then the SV offer is a slight pay cut. Many of my academic friends would kill for a $90k/year fellowship + stable job after graduation; many of my industry friends would love a $250k compensation package. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What route did you take and what information do you know now that would've informed the decision differently? More generally, what advice would you give?
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