Ph.D. vs Startup skillset
jlees: The self-motivation you need to focus on one thing, working in near-isolation for months at a time, is certainly handy. Though I've found the startup side of things to be very unlike the single-target focus of a PhD; there's just too much going on in many different areas. (I prefer it like that.)Learning to live on a PhD stipend or whatever the hell it is in the USA is also pretty useful when you decide to start a business and have no money.Plus having specialist knowledge that applies itself to a business case is obviously a great advantage, as you can launch a startup out of more than just an idea; you can launch it out of research, most importantly research your competitors don't have. Be warned, though. If you find your PhD topic drifting towards the Real World(TM), your supervisor might try to yank you back to their specific obscure out-of-date minority application of it, and you might end up with a battle on your hands.Not that I'm bitter. I quit.