Very good post about the reality of the PhD program nowadays. I am also a PhD student and my parents, my boyfriend, my friends…they are all very proud of me and when I expressed concerns about what I will be able to do after my graduation, they simply don’t understand why I have concerns. They believe having a PhD will open all the doors for me, and a job is definitely guaranteed for me. This is a misconception and clearly show a disconnection between the myth of having a PhD and the need for new PhD graduate in the work place. Reality is that academia has very limited position to offer and I have witnessed that maintaining good relationship is better than actually working hard for a degree to secure a faculty position. It is the same in the Industry, having “contacts” is the key to get a decent job, not being a doctor. Sometimes, especially in engineering fields, it is considered a handicap. People don’t want to pay you too much, or you are too specialized, or even overqualified for the job.
Our concerns are real and I agree that our hard work should not allow us to avoid knowing what is going on outside the graduate school bubble that we are in.