It's as hard to make a career in academia as it is to play professional football
These days many people pursue a Phd or similar degree with the hopes of making a career in academia. The statistics now are shifting and showing that it's now a situation where the odds are not in favor of the "junior scientist". Permanent jobs in academia are now scarce and permanent jobs in general are becoming a thing of the past as well. The article discusses this topic and a quote:
Statistics say these young researchers will have a better chance of pursuing their chosen job than the young footballers. But not by much. Global figures are hard to come by, but only three or four in every hundred PhD students in the United Kingdom will land a permanent staff position at a university. It’s only a little better in the United States.
We are talking 3 or 4% chance of achieving a goal? When the odds are that far out of favor it's not even a fair gamble but almost a waste of time. It would take beyond a miracle, beyond good luck, beyond hard work, as in essence you have to be chosen. In situations where your entire career and your goal can only be set if someone else chooses you then it's resting on the subjective opinion of others. In that case there may literally be nothing you can do, no matter how hard you work, how bright you are, if the bureaucracy decides to side against you in favor of the chosen.
The odds are not really in favor, but working in academia is also for the beauty of science.
Takes great sacrifice for great reward no matter the path, don't lose hope or decline an opportunity out of fear for the unknown. Never stop learning and striving for more :) #savethebees #worldpeace #savetheplanet #equality #unity
Maybe this is due to the increase in population without any increase in mortality rate.
I wonder, sometimes... how often the pursuit of academia (especially of there are multiple degrees involved) is more a way of postponing life than actually seeking an improvement in where you stand. Many years ago, a friend of mine (who happened to be an actuary) did some analysis on the long term "value" of graduate degrees... and found that they most often didn't pay for themselves, if you factored in cost/loans, years of NOT gaining work experience and so forth.
In a way I guess you could say that, but if you are paid to be a research professor, it is like a way to be sponsored to do what you are interested in. It certainly pays off for some people, but not everyone will have the same path.
Yes, you can make much more money if you just go and become (for example) a real estate agent. I studied physics. Nobody in their right mind would do that for the money. It's hard work, and the competition is stiff. But most people in the field don't care.
Personally, I do it because I think science is what, in the long term, improves people's lives. If I can even make a small contribution, push things just half a step forward, then that has the potential to help millions of people, now and in the future.
So sure, I could make far more money doing other things. But I am not going to, because there are more important things in life than money.
Same here. I have a B.S. in Physics and didn't do it for the money. Having a college degree has its merits, but I honestly think it is the most interesting subject to study in school. There are some great posts that I have read here on Steemit that are physics-related. @lemouth has some great one about particle physics and I enjoy reading different theories like the holographic principle, supersymmetry, and string theory.
Low chance but the love for science is bigger than all hard situations!
Hope and strenght for all phds!
Great text!
Thank you for sharing!
Followed and upvoted!
I couldn't agree more, really nice post