Sadly bitter and dripping with expectations of entitlement. Not a good way to enter ANY career.
-- Tom Horton, Mycology 241 Illick Hall, Dept. of Environmental and Forest Biology SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210 315-470-6794 On 5/27/15, 6:56 PM, "Aaron T. Dossey" <[email protected]> wrote: >1) I wouldn't go to grad school for science these days. Universities and >faculty are far too exploitative and the career opportunities requiring >a graduate degree are far too few (especially in academia and >government). Best to get out there and get a job and experience with >those years, or even start your own organization or company. >You may be interested in the articles and "Notes" posted on this page: >https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Postdoc-Union/275402225908673 > >2) It is the responsibility (one of an ever waning list) of the faculty >boss (referred to some as "mentor" or "adviser") to provide projects >(well funded ones) for their students, then spend time TEACHING them the >projects, techniques and science behind the projects. I would be >suspicious of any lab that requires you to come up with your own >project, especially if they require you to come with your own funding. > >3) If you do have project ideas, best to pursue them on your own time >and well separate from the lab and/or involvement of any university >faculty member. Basically if you know what you want to do and more or >less how to do it, you don't need grad school: you need >resources/facilities to pursue it. So, find (sit down for this) >COLLABORATORS (not bosses) and some sort of funding or access to lab and >equipment you need. You can even try crowdfunding, or like I said, >start a company or non-profit. > >4) If you DO dive into graduate school for some reason: selecting a >decent ethical faculty boss who actually cares about YOUR career (very >rare) will be your most critical decision/task. the following are >criteria and methods you should use: a) talk to as many people IN the >lab and especially FORMER lab members as possible, b) ask the faculty >boss how joining their lab will help your career, what you will BE >TAUGHT, what projects are available and what FUNDING is driving those >projects (and listen closely to the answers), c) ask if you would be >allowed to pursue independent side projects without the faculty boss' >involvement (ie: do a side project that's your idea with other students >or other labs in your own side collaboration - this is critical to build >toward an independent career in science, which is the main reason to go >to grad school in science at all). This means publishing at least one >paper without that faculty member and possibly even applying for a grant >or two (toward the end of your term in the lab) without their name on >it. If they say no, immediately find another lab. While many will tell >you no one will do this and this is unusual and you shouldn't expect >this freedom, that is nothing short of a lie. If you accept that lie, >you will find out the hard way when you try to pursue your real career >after grad school. d) Be SURE the lab or department will pay you a FULL >stipend you can live on AND health insurance for at least 5 years while >you complete your degree. e) be sure that no one in the labs you are >considering has taken more than 5 years to finish their Ph.D. or 3 years >for Masters. f) if you determine that a graduate degree is ABSOLUTELY >REQUIRED for your career goals (think about this carefully) then do a >Ph.D. rather than a masters. g) I do not recommend young professors >without tenure, or working for older or higher ranking professors that >also have adminstrative appointments on top of their professor job >(things like also being the "director of the center for X" etc. I >consider moonlighting and almost a guarantee that you'll never see them, >which means you'll never learn anything or be taught anything by them >which is the entire point of grad school). h) Also have a frank >discussion about how authorship is handled in the lab AND if you are >expected to write grants (don't do it if you won't be listed as a >co-PI), and even about how patents will be handled... and get those >things IN WRITING! > >5) Do not be placated, pacified, bribed, distracted or fooled by >anything else. a LITTLE higher salary, a boss that smiles a lot, >showering you with compliments, students (especially early grad students >or undergrads) who say things like "they are SO nice to me, they let me >go to conferences" (something they should all offer by default, at least >1 conference per year for you to present at).. etc... can distract from >the more important issue: how going to grad school will benefit your >career and get you quickly into an independent science career within 2-3 >years after graduating (max). > >Those are some good solid things that should take you a long way toward >your next set of decisions which will be critical for your career >success (or lack of it) for some years to come. What you decide to do >at this stage of your career will have long lasting consequences. > >Let me know if you have further questions! >ATD of ATB > > >On 5/27/2015 2:21 PM, Emily Mydlowski wrote: >> Hello all, >> >> I'm delving into the graduate school search (MS and PhD programs) quite >> heavily and am seeking advice regarding approaching faculty with a >>research >> project. The system I'm interested in working on is that which has many >> unanswered, interesting questions I would love to pursue. From a faculty >> perspective, is proposing a project topic (too) bold of a move to a >> potential advisor? >> >> Any advice would be much appreciated. >> >> All the best, >> >> Emily Mydlowski >> Northern Michigan University > > >ATD of ATB and ISI >-- >Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. >Biochemistry and Molecular Biology >Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs LLC >World's Largest supplier of Cricket Powder / Cricket Flour ! >Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Food Ingredient >Innovation >ABOUT: http://allthingsbugs.com/People >LinkedIn: >https://www.linkedin.com/pub/all-things-bugs-dr-aaron-t-dossey/53/775/104 >FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs >ISI: https://www.facebook.com/InvertebrateStudiesInstitute >PHONE: 1-352-281-3643
