When I was considering graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology, the best advice I received was that I shouldn't go to graduate school unless I wanted to do it for its own sake - the experience of doing research in a Ph.D. program - not to seek a qualification for employment later. Not necessarily because of the difficulty in finding research/academic employment, but because graduate school is long and hard and it wouldn't be worth it to spend that much of my life seeking a qualification.
This advice cleared everything up for me! I was worried about whether or not I would be able to find, or would even want, academic employment after graduate school, but I knew I wanted the experience of being immersed in research and the freedom to pursue my own ideas. I'm happily employed in academia now, but I still consider graduate school one of the happiest periods of my life, and an incredible privilege. I was fortunate to be in a well-funded program with a fantastic advisor, but that didn't mean I had generous personal income or there weren't lots challenges. I considered both of those conditions the price of admission, and didn't expect a guarantee of research-related employment later. Won't deny I was generally excited about free food - something I'm still trying to train myself out of. Camille McNeely On 10/16/12, Lindsay Veazey <[email protected]> wrote: > As one of many hopeful individuals trying to find an open program in which > to > begin an advanced degree, I'd also like to point out the pitiful state of > scientific funding in North America. The current NSERC funding success rate > is > below 8%, and the NSF success rate hovers around 20%. Additionally, in my > discussions with students of all levels, both current and (hopefully) > prospective, I've noticed that funding has essentially dried up for M.Sc > candidates, and is not much better for Ph.D candidates. > > I'm wondering if any subscribers have recommendations for programs abroad, > like MESPOM, that welcome foreign students instead of stack the deck against > > their entry. > > Dr. Dossey, thank you for a well written submission that rings all too > true. >
