What are the pros and cons of a Ph.D?

What are the pros and cons of doing PhD from the same IIT where we have done our BTech? Are we at a loss if we don't go abroad for a PhD degree? Responses from PG students studying abroad are especially welcomed.

• I am a BTech student in one of the IITs with a good research background and willing to go for a PhD degree.

• Answer:

  I am telling you, 1 euro > 80 INR, 1USD>50 INR. Europe is still pretty much clueless what it takes to be an IITian. Try to get an internship in ISRO, or travel to Europe and try to get an internship in CERN/ESA . If you are really good, specially at programming and math, Scientists will be behind you to take you as an RA. And you'll see how far we are in our knowledge and still how much clueless Europe is about our progress as a nation . You'll see, in-spite of our initiative, competitiveness, the value of money and the lack of western superiority how much we are missing in the global academic environment. People will remind you, you have been given a chance, and as Indians are hardworking and very good at not asking questions, you'll be loved while the ones from Germany, Netherland will take the risks and be the leader.  And  most of the top EU PhD graduate prefers for US post-doc. UK is very  choosy and even if they'll take you as a PhD/Post Doc, your opportunities will be limited due to many social constraints or legal  policies. Though there are many indians so its still better than EU. And then you have to usually return back in India and see the departmental politics,petty fighting for funds and students, promotions. You'll see all your US batch-mates are travelling the world , meeting new people. Your European boss, who perhaps prefer the Munich /Bonn/Vienna/ETH degree over your IIT tag to consider you as the next leader in the group (even if he is thrilled for your brilliance and never stop mentioning about it to others) will treat your US-returned class-mates with a sense of far more respect that he has for you. The truth is , US is now in a different level because of AI/ML field. Germany is trying very hard to catch with it. and they are pretty ahead in experimental material science, mechanical engineering related domain. France, Spain, Italy are trying to get help from Germany and valuing hardworking rule-following Indians and Chinese gene to get back in track. But before that they need to speak English and generate more money and need more hardworking people. Netherland, Denmark , Sweden, Swiss, Norway, Findland are doing fine in their own, but there are isolation, patting back for fallen grace of white European superiority that they are trying to recover.  They'll wonder what a girl from one of the 4th most dangerous country for women is doing in EU to work in Science, which is usually full with men, and few German/Dutch/British women in academia.  Why Indians are sending stuffs to Mars instead of building toilets.  And they are clueless about struggles of being an IITian, the high dilemma a PhD student in India face to attend a top conference or send papers to top journals for 1 EUR==83 INR. And your US-returned friend will enjoy the attention even if they are from a 200th ranked US uni, while they'll visit a EU university for  a talk. The  average scholarship of EU PhD students: 1200 euro(in Poland/Scandinavian  its near 2000 EUR), in US 1200 $, and even if you are like a harmless  saint who does not need money for living at your 20s or donot care to  /need to support financially  your old parents, you'll be surprised  about the quality of publications that you can achieve in an average  Indian conference (unless it involves cyber security or theoretical  computer science and produced my TOP Silicon Valley Companies with branch  in Bangalore, like MSR/Google ) And then you'll see your juniors with far less intellectual abilities, many are from private institutes and did not clear IITs, are going to attend 200th ranked US uni with their money in US MS degree, then get a job their in a start up/or internship through networking and then in next 5 years, will be in a position to learn , contribute and network you can only dream of. So,  in international conferences in EU, full with ignorant people still clueless about Indian contribution in Physics, never heard of J.C. Bose will ask you about rapes in India or why there is no toilet in home,  your US returned PhD will talk about the next sillicon valley  start up she is going to join. I am not from IIT. But I am from a well-known college with very good track record until I went to EU. I am someone, with my idealistic stupidity , went for a EU PhD with a dreamy eye and  a fear for US political environment. I had offers from top 30 US uni but I ignored. I lived 2 years in EU and had terrible experiences that are worse than my worst of nightmares. EU is full of students from Indian BSc colleges, many of whom are clueless about IIT cultures, cut-throat learning environment of an engineering institution. Many never heard of Olympiads till date or thought about clearing JEE. People who hindered my iniative skill marking them as "she is very good at marketing her-self. and they are the tip of the ice-berg of the people you'll encounter in a PhD life in a IIT. People who came to be a JRF because they failed to get any job, and the profs neeeded someone to work for 10000 in a Masters project that perhaps a IIT BTECH student can finish in their summer internship. Of course there are exceptions, and now a days after Modi increased the scholarships, thing are getting improved. Also, see this: and this Exceptions: Theoreticians/Mathematicians from ISI/TIFR/HRI/IITK,IITM &IISc-Comp Science theory/IIT B-nanosciene. If you are afraid of the cut-throat selection hurdle in US, try Australia, Newzealand/NUS. They are new countries full with opportunities. Idealism to stay back in India is great. But in the global academic environment your research won't progress (specially in you are an experimentalist and neeed tons of money to design them and publish them in top-tier conference/journals). Also, I have generalized many stuffs on Europe based on my experience which are not true for other people in different situations. Perhaps, things are different for a 2014  pass-out batch than it was for a 2006 batch. Still, I would prefer to give you suggestions based on your IITian status. If you are in chemical/electrical/computer engineering/Information engineering and dream of excellence: my advice, PLEASE RUN AWAY. Do not waste your talent that helped you to crack IIT JEE. Improvement of 10000 INR in scholarship may help you to save more and give some back to your parents from your JRF salary, but you'll lose a huge opportunity.