People from comfortable middle-class backgrounds don't know how to be poor. In grad school, other students were complaining about their assistantships, but it was more money than I had ever had. Since graduation, I've alternated between temporary full-time and half-time positions (reasonably well-paid, thanks to the University of California's very active unions, but in a very expensive city), but my family's support and the expectations shaped by my background have made it a good experience. As long as you avoid or minimize undergrad debt, coming from a low-income background can be an advantage in academia.
Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 10:45 PM, Cynthia O'Rourke <c...@umbc.edu> wrote: > 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> > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it." --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
