[mattkrause]

I'd lump those fields into "ML" and the difference is probably more like 4 years in the US (2 vs ~6).

The career consequences are also weirdly mixed. Some places seem to recognize that, along with your area of specialization, getting a PhD also involves a fair amount of project management, writing, etc skills. Other places (or even different people at the same place), seem to think it's a glaring red flag that you can't "get real work done" because you sit around all day in a smoking jacket, thinking. (I think that's mostly bunk--academia moves fast these days, but that sentiment is nevertheless not uncommon).

And, if anyone has actual advice on monetizing a comp/neuro PhD, I'm all ears :-)