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Who said anything about “quickly”? It’s about “sooner.”</p>
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Aside from those who worked as techs because they weren’t sure of their intentions immediately after college, the rest were probably not informed that grad school straight after undergrad is the best route now for the obviously PhD-dedicated. That is the “perspective of professors in my program,” too. I honestly cannot envision how most techs, with the kinds of tasks they are asked to perform, would have engendered any additional “PhD virtue” over direct undergrads than perhaps some extra patience. Nor would they be that much more decided on their research goals, unless they lab-hopped or chose to be a tech in a field that ultimately did turn out to be the one that really, REALLY excited them.</p>