摘要：The Greek mythical story tells us of the King Sisyphus who promoted navigation and commerce but was avaricious and deceitful. According to the myth, for a crime against the gods, Sisyphus was condemned to an eternity at hard labour – a frustrating one i.e. to roll a great boulder to the top of a hill. Every time Sisyphus, by the greatest of exertion and toil reached the top the darn thing rolled back down again. This consigned Sisyphus to an eternity of useless efforts and unending frustration. This short article attempts to review the reasons for pursuing a Ph.D. degree and address the issue of toil, exertion and frustration that those aspiring have to pass through to accomplish their mission. Evidently, obtaining a Ph.D. degree is a Sisyphusian task.
