What's this all about?

I was beginning to think about what I'm going to use this blog for. Originally I was using it as my Rave Live Blog and then I was going to move it onto my Third Year Engineering project.

However I feel that I will post a lot more if I use it as some kind of dumping ground for ideas that pop into my head (I thought about this post while waking up this morning) or maybe even use it to re-blog certain articles that I find interesting or want to comment on.

That's what I'm going to use this post for, I want to re-blog something that I spotted about a year ago. It popped back into my head because during my dissertation tutorial we began talking about Ph.D's and Masters degrees and the methods of thinking that they encourage. I feel presentation below sums this up perfectly.

It comes from a presentation by Matt Might, professor of Computer Science at the University of Utah, entitled "What Exactly Is a Doctorate?"

Every fall, I explain to a fresh batch of Ph.D. students what a Ph.D. is.

It's hard to describe it in words. So, I use pictures. Read below for the illustrated guide to a Ph.D.
Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

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

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

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

A master's degree deepens that specialty:

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

Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

You push at the boundary for a few years:

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

So, don't forget the bigger picture:

Keep pushing.

I think this is a great way to sum up what getting a doctorate really means and a stark reminder that no matter what you're speciality is, there is so much more out there to be found out.

Matt Might is a professor of Computer Science at the University of Utah. He Tweets from @mattmight and blogs at blog.might.net

Original article taken from Gizmodo.