Jason touches on my primary concern with this situation, other than having a Ph.D. that might eventually enable me to do no better than tech position in the field that I love. Ecology, evolution, and to a broader extent the organismal sciences have been predominately white and middle-class fields ever since they stopped being exclusively white and upper-class fields. The current situation makes it insanity for anyone without a strong safety net to pursue a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology, which further limits the diversity of viewpoints that we can bring to our investigations and discussions. I think that will hinder the progress of evolutionary biology, and perhaps these other fields as well.
On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 6:25 PM, Jason Hernandez < jason.hernande...@yahoo.com> wrote: > I was one of those who responded offline to the original post. Rather > than tell my story again here, I offer further thoughts. > > Steven Schwartz wrote (in part) <<Perhaps the question ought to be how > much one is willing to sacrifice with the knowledge that you may never > achieve your dream. >> > > My answer: more than I ever thought I would. But when my savings > completely dry up, I have to pay the bills somehow, and if a job completely > outside my chosen field finally presents itself, then the question becomes: > which risk do I take? Do I risk becoming trapped in that other career > track, taking me away from my dream as my degree recedes into the past? Or > do I risk becoming a bum on the streets for love of a dream? Because that > is the reality some of us face. > > Every day, I see announcements for really great experiences that are not > only unpaid, but in many cases, require the intern to cover his/her own > expenses. I don't really care about upward mobility; but if I don't have > the money, I cannot be a part of those opportunities, no matter how > wonderful they may be in terms of the work being done. Unfortunately, > anyone interested particularly in tropical ecosystems will face this > situation; I do not remember ever seeing an opening for a paid position in > any project in a tropical country. If students coming in knew this, how > many would still pursue that path? Who would do these internships, knowing > that they essentially are preparing for a career as an intern? The urgency > of the situation in the tropics needs quality work, but economic realities > tend to turn aspiring researchers away from those parts of the world. > > Jason Hernandez > M.S., East Carolina University > > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2014 22:40:15 -0500 > From: Steven Schwartz <drstevenschwa...@aol.com> > Subject: Re: Recent PhDs on Food Stamps - Overwhelmed with Replies > > I=92ll add my two cents. The scarcity of positions is absolutely = > nothing new. In the 1980=92s it was not unusual for there to be 300-400 = > applicants or more for positions in any kind of organismal biology. It = > was during that decade that doing a post-doc in ecology became the norm = > as a holding place for the emerging cohort. I don=92t mean to plead a = > sad tale, but I was a post-doc at a major lab, published many papers, = > and later taught and taught before getting a tenure-track job after way = > too many years. I stuck with it, through the tough times, when I = > perhaps should have recognized my giving-up-time. I was financially = > insecure most of the time but that was price I was willing to pay to = > achieve my dream. Perhaps the question ought to be how much one is = > willing to sacrifice with the knowledge that you may never achieve your = > dream. This isn=92t fair and I, more than most, feel badly for all the = > young scientists who won=92t get what they so badly want. And deserve. = > But it just won=92t happen for any number of reasons which speak nothing = > of the quality of the candidates passed over. > > As for the preponderance of adjunct or part-time faculty, one only has = > to look at the corporate model of governance at most colleges and = > universities to see where the real growth in higher education has been. = > While the quality of education has been taking hits, the quality, = > quantity, and salaries of administrators has been growing enormously. = > In real terms the salary of most faculty has not grown in perhaps 40 = > years. I can=92t speak for administrators, but I am willing to bet that = > they make more than they did in 1970. I make about the same in actual = > dollars (unadjusted for inflation) for teaching a course now as I did in = > 1985. And with no benefits and I have had my PhD since before many of = > the new cohort was born. Unfair? You bet. Did anyone ever say that = > life was fair? No. But I can=92t imagine doing anything else so I take = > what I can get and march on. Maybe there=92ll be a job next year=85.sort = > of like the Cubs and the World Series. > > Steve Schwartz, PhD= > > ------------------------------ > -- Cynthia F. O'Rourke, Ph.D. Biology Department Reed College 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland, OR 97202-8199 615-389-1890 orou...@reed.edu <c...@umbc.edu>
