Einstein was a patent clerk at a time when government funding for science was vastly lower than today and there were research and teaching jobs for only a small fraction of physics PhDs. Also there were much fewer PhDs back then, so with a a PhD from one of the most prestigious schools, that patent clerk was in fact a physics insider.
> Also there were much fewer PhDs back then, so with a a PhD from one of the most prestigious schools, that patent clerk was in fact a physics insider.
Didn't he get his PhD awarded only after he was recognised for his work?
His “miracle year” of 1905 was, in order, on the topics of the photoelectric affect published in June, Brownian motion (his PhD thesis) published in July, special relativity published in September, and matter-energy equivalence published in November.
