Exactly! Unfortunately, the academic pyramid structure has made itself
far too dependent on cheap temporary labor of students and postdocs.
So, they continue to wave the career carrot out there, with no intention
to reform the system in a way that makes the carrot real.
In reality, the new PhD student recruitment should be cut to 1/10 the
current size, or less if compared to the PhD-requiring career
opportunities. HOWEVER: The NEED for PhD level skill in science
(which can easily be achieved with a bachelors and/or masters plus 1-3
years of experience in the real world) exists - we still need a lot more
scientists in the world doing great science, but the current house of
cards is unsustainable and does not even provide for "more scientists
doing great science" even of students and postdocs were willing to work
the remainder of their lives in the current system, or for free! Even
beyond the deplorable career prospects and stability of pay (STABILITY
matters!), legitimate creative outlets are extremely limited - ie:
rights to one's own work and ideas - a creativity motivation killer.
On 2/9/2014 2:59 PM, Kevin Klein wrote:
I haven't been able to follow the entire thread but one thing I draw from
what I have read is that it is incumbent on those of us who work with
students at all stages in their academic careers to also advise them to
consider the job market in their chosen disciplines. In so doing, they
make more informed decision and they study with eyes open wide on the
possibilities open to them at the next stage in their life and career
journey. Much easier said than done. It reminds me of two PhD markets in
recent years. One, where hundreds of applicants vied for the reported 2 or
3 job openings that year and second the hundreds of positions open for the
2 or 3 PhD candidates graduating each year. Hopefully we advise our
students of the job market realities. One place a student might look for
this information can be found here.
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm
*Kevin Klein [image: True Blue] <http://www.ic.edu/>*
Professor of Economics
Program Coordinator- Environmental Biology and Ecological Studies
Co-Chair - Environmental Program Development Committee
Illinois College
1101 West College Avenue
Jacksonville, IL 62650
217.245.3474
Survey of Economics, 4e, by Dolan and
Klein<http://www.bvtstudents.com/details.php?25>,
2010, BVT Publishing,
<http://www.ic.edu/>
<http://webmail.ic.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ic.edu/>
My Web page <http://www2.ic.edu/klein>
On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 12:46 PM, Judith S. Weis <[email protected]
wrote:
Since women generally live longer than men, what reason, aside from
discrimination, does China have for requiring them to retire 5 years
earlier?
In China academics (at least ecologists) have a mandatory retirement
age of 60 for men (can be extended to 65 if you're actively advising
graduate students), and 55 for women. When I asked a female faculty
member about that in a visit to China 2 years ago, she seemed very
accepting of the idea that opportunities had to be opened for young
scientists.
My department is running a search for 2-3 new faculty members this
semester, and advertised an open-rank open-area opportunity. 650
applied (I reviewed 250 applications), and we're interviewing 6. One
is an ecologist. I know of a search for a theoretical ecology
position this spring at another university, and I think about 55
applied. I may put together an article about these searches later
this spring.
David Inouye
At 10:20 AM 2/9/2014, you wrote:
I've already received many, many replies in the first 48 hours
since I posted my request. I've heard from more people than I can
easily count--recent Ph.D.s, graduate students, even undergraduates
with difficult stories of hard work, perseverance, and increasing
despair that they will ever find work in the disciplines they've
trained for. I will do my best to respond to everyone who's
contacted me; if you haven't heard from me yet, it's only because
there are so many others who have also poured out their fears and
their frustrations. There are a great many people in our field who
have found their calling, earned their degree, and now can find no
way to support themselves--the invisible and disregarded of modern
academia. Because many of you have expressed concerns about
privacy, let me say that I won't share names, affiliations or any
other identifying details unless the individuals involved grant
their permission. If you or a friend have been hesitating out of
personal concerns, please know that I consider every contact a
confidence, and I don't intend to break that
trust.
- J. A.
John A. <[email protected]
ATD of ATB and ISI
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Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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