i like the design ., but the small font really annoys me, atleast one size big would be better!

Introduction to Algorithms might not be the best thing to start with. The name is very much misleading

Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks this - it's one of the many areas I need to look at, and saw that recommended elsewhere... took a look on Amazon and got completely intimidated! If 1000+ pages is an introduction, what does the chapter and verse look like?

(I've started reading Grokking Algorithms this week, and it's been a much better introduction - I know it's not as in depth as some other books, but I'm making good progress with it and not drowning in complexity from the get go)

Don't let its size intimidate you. Introduction to Algorithms is quite approachable and its chapters are pretty well self-contained.

Thanks - I'll keep that in mind (although I'm old and attempting to retrain, and have found lots of things more difficult than everyone else appears to!)

phd is a degree, you dont learn it. But if you are asking can you do computer science research without pursuing a phd. Well the answer depends on variety of factors.