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Did you know the odds? I didn't. Actually, I thought that they were much higher, because I based it on the data from current old professors. Quite the opposite

by stared 11y ago

Did you know the odds? I didn't. Actually, I thought that they were much higher, because I based it on the data from current old professors. Quite the opposite - both countries and departments/professors actively advertise the odds as much higher.

gaius 11y ago
When I did undergrad in Mech Eng, I knew that the "shortage" of engineers was a myth, but it was still the best option for an all-round technical education, and I figured I'd wing it when I graduated...
- omginternets 11y ago
  Engineering as a profession has very little to do with academic research, so I'm not sure what your point is.
  - gaius 11y ago
    You've been watching too much Big Bang Theory. Sheldon is supposed to be a parody of a scientist, you know. The point is that everyone who goes into any STEM subject at any level ought to know upfront that there are far more graduates than there are jobs in those fields of any sort including "researcher". It's no secret.
    - omginternets 11y ago
      >You've been watching too much Big Bang Theory. Sheldon is supposed to be a parody of a scientist, you know. What a snarky and strangely dismissive comment! Clearly there's a lot of overlap in the subject matter (it's science, after all), but employment prospects are most assuredly not the same for engineers and academics. You can get a job as an engineer; I cannot. As such, I don't see the relevance of your experience as an engineering student, hence my question. So again, I'm not sure what your point is. I'm open to being wrong, but in order to see my error, I need to first understand your point. It would be nice if you could explain it to me without being disrespectful.
pmiller2 11y ago
I went to graduate school in a STEM field, intending on finding an academic job afterwards, with industry as a backup. I knew it was competitive, but nobody told me exactly how competitive it is. I noped out after I realized I was entering a field where I would literally have to wait for someone to die before getting a job, and some of the professors at my school had graduated 10+ PhD students already. I considered myself maybe a 60th percentile researcher, which I knew wouldn't be good enough. It's a good thing I opted out when I did. I know people who were as good or better than me who are keeping it together with a string of visiting positions, still hoping for that tenure track line to open up. I expect most of them will be giving up on academia in the next 2 or 3 years.
- lint_roller 11y ago
  How would you characterize a top researcher compared to yourself?

by stared 11y ago

gaius 11y ago

When I did undergrad in Mech Eng, I knew that the "shortage" of engineers was a myth, but it was still the best option for an all-round technical education, and I figured I'd wing it when I graduated...

omginternets 11y ago
Engineering as a profession has very little to do with academic research, so I'm not sure what your point is.
- gaius 11y ago
  You've been watching too much Big Bang Theory. Sheldon is supposed to be a parody of a scientist, you know. The point is that everyone who goes into any STEM subject at any level ought to know upfront that there are far more graduates than there are jobs in those fields of any sort including "researcher". It's no secret.
  - omginternets 11y ago
    >You've been watching too much Big Bang Theory. Sheldon is supposed to be a parody of a scientist, you know. What a snarky and strangely dismissive comment! Clearly there's a lot of overlap in the subject matter (it's science, after all), but employment prospects are most assuredly not the same for engineers and academics. You can get a job as an engineer; I cannot. As such, I don't see the relevance of your experience as an engineering student, hence my question. So again, I'm not sure what your point is. I'm open to being wrong, but in order to see my error, I need to first understand your point. It would be nice if you could explain it to me without being disrespectful.

pmiller2 11y ago

I went to graduate school in a STEM field, intending on finding an academic job afterwards, with industry as a backup. I knew it was competitive, but nobody told me exactly how competitive it is. I noped out after I realized I was entering a field where I would literally have to wait for someone to die before getting a job, and some of the professors at my school had graduated 10+ PhD students already. I considered myself maybe a 60th percentile researcher, which I knew wouldn't be good enough. It's a good thing I opted out when I did. I know people who were as good or better than me who are keeping it together with a string of visiting positions, still hoping for that tenure track line to open up. I expect most of them will be giving up on academia in the next 2 or 3 years.

lint_roller 11y ago
How would you characterize a top researcher compared to yourself?