Ph.Ds in IT - Good or Bad for a Career?

LordNimon asks: "I'm thinking about getting my Ph.D. (I currently have a Master's) in computer engineering. I've heard all sorts of stories about Ph.Ds being less likely to find a job than their less-educated counterparts, but not a lot of credible evidence. So, I was hoping to hear from Slashdot readers on their experience. Do you think getting a Ph.D. in CompSci or CompEng will improve or worsen my career outlook in the industry? Has anyone witnessed someone being turned down for a job because he had too much education? If you're a hiring manager, what is your opinion on someone who has a Ph.D. and is otherwise already qualified for the position?"

Degrees?

[Nick of NSTime]

"Carl and I have our Master's, but Homer just showed up when the plant opened."

More important

[Henry V .009]

More important than a Ph.D. is excellent karma on slashdot.

Re:Too much is better than too little

[Anonymous Coward]

"Do you want fries with that?"

[OT] Old Joke

[4of12]

"So you know what B.S. is?"

"Yeah."

"Well, M.S. is More of the Same, and PhD is Piled Higher and Deeper."

Re:Degrees?

[BigGerman]

Don't forget his secret to managerial success -
"Donuts and possibility of more donuts to come!"

Re:Phd problems

[Anonymous Coward]

I would bet that you don't have a PhD because if you did you would know that a "run-on sentence" such as yours makes it extremely difficult to determine what you are really talking about although I'm sure there are some people out there who are successful at making "run-on sentences" understandable, this is something that should be avoided if you want people to understand your thesis.

My experience

[slyckshoes]

I have found that having a Bachelor's degree in CS was enough to get me mod points on Slashdot. I don't know if you'd get more points with a PhD, the FAQ doesn't seem to address this. Perhaps you could email CowboyNeal.

Oh, you want a *real* job? ...

Re:Degrees?

[proverbialcow]

"Carl and I have our Master's, but Homer just showed up when the plant opened."

"I didn't even know what a nuclear panner plant was."

Re:Too much is better than too little

[heneon]

A BS and 5 years' experience will take you farther than a PhD and no experience.

Yeah and from my experience, 1 year of experience and 5 years of BS doesnt take you very far :P

Re:Degrees?

[Anonymous Coward]

Associates degrees, or at most, bachelor's degrees are for job-related fields.

You can always spot the DeVry [devry.com] graduates....

Re:I've waited seven years for my PhD to matter

[Anonymous Coward]

Remember, this was 1998 when someone with a 2.0 GPA could get hired as a network admin.

Now the 2.0 crowd has to fall back on being President of the United States.

Re:Degrees?

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

O.K., so You're a PhD. Just don't touch anything.