[puzzle-out]

The lottery nature of the academic job market has been publicised for a while now; there is no longer any excuse for phds to grumble that they were lied to about a paradisial ivory tower. Although I think the US phd system too much of a commitment in terms of time, there is much to be said for a fully-funded 3-4 year phd in the uk, especially if started when your in your early twenties. The flexibility of humanities phd schedules gives you more opportunities to learn a new skill than many jobs would, e.g. programming, or maybe to start a small company. I knew about the 'doctoral pipeline leading to nowhere' before I started my phd, and this encouraged me to get involved in the enterprise culture during my postgrad studies. Whilst the limited job opportunities for humanities phds are increasingly publicised, it should also be pointed out how difficult, isolating, and depressing the process of doing the phd can be, for many students. I believe there is ample justification for whining on that issue.