Re: CNN Article About Science Careers



On Tue, 16 Aug 2005, Russell.Martin@xxxxxxx wrote:

dgj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: 
Pardon me for interrupting SRC and all the fascinating discussions
about sex with rabbits . . .


IYHO maybe. :-)


There is an interesting article on CNN today (Aug 16th) about "Big Jobs
that Pay Badly."


Thanks for pointing this out.  It is nice to see someone in
the media realize that the ROI may not be all that fantastic.

The author, Ms. Sahadi who writes for CNN Money all
the time, can be reached at everydaymoney@xxxxxxxxxxxxx We need to have
a lot of people write her, to make certain that she understands that
scientists do NOT have an automatic entry into tenure track jobs after
doing a "PhD and Dissertation, sometimes required, as well as several
years of postdoc." After reading this piece,  I had the impression that
she thinks you have to sweat it out a few years and then you are
guaranteed a slot in some tenure track at the U . . .

The link to the article is below. We are hotly debating it right now at
the AAAS Science Careers Discussion Forum, located at
www.sciencecareers.org, click on the "forum" link. That is, if you can
stand getting away rom the interesting topics that have come up here
lately (yuck . . .)

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/15/pf/training_pay/index.htm?cnn=yes

DGJ 

I didn't get nearly the same impression that "she thinks you have
to sweat it out a few years and then you are guaranteed a slot in
some tenure track at the U".  The only thing she wrote relative
to that point is, "Add to that several years in the postdoctoral
phase of one's career to *qualify* [emphasis mine] for much
coveted tenure-track positions."  It isn't clear what she thinks
the chances of getting a position after one qualifies for it.

....and the chances of losing it not that long after, and if, getting it and for reasons having nothing to do with one's competance or productivity. She also doesn't know the facts about tenure, either, if she thinks tenure is still coveted.

Cheers,
Russell


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