The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.

Benarlah Firman Allah:

Say (O Muhammad to mankind). "If the sea were ink for (writing) the Words of My Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of My Lord would be finished, even if we brought (another sea) like it for its aid."

Katakanlah (Wahai Muhammad): "Kalaulah semua jenis lautan menjadi tinta untuk menulis Kalimah-kalimah Tuhanku, sudah tentu akan habis kering lautan itu sebelum habis Kalimah-kalimah Tuhanku, Walaupun Kami tambahi lagi Dengan lautan Yang sebanding dengannya, sebagai bantuan".

(Al-Kahfi:109)

http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

A master's degree deepens that specialty:

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:

Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

You push at the boundary for a few years:

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

So, don't forget the bigger picture:

Keep pushing.