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I like your article, but certainly your PhD experience is not comparable to an established professor position which was really the hole point of this thread. Ph

by sktrdie 11y ago

I like your article, but certainly your PhD experience is not comparable to an established professor position which was really the hole point of this thread. PhD's are harsh different realities. You're still a student as a PhD and it shouldn't really be compared to anything else; certainly not a contractor position. You're right that there are professors that are bound to hierarchy, local politics, grants, etc.. But the important point is that it is their choice to be bound to that, not someone else's. David Graeber once said "Every society has something to do with brilliant, imaginative and extremely impractical people ...we used to put them in academia, but now academia is all about self marketing." - https://youtu.be/IHAJiuU5xhk?t=9s https://youtu.be/IHAJiuU5xhk?t=9s - I think this really hits the nail on the button. Academia was and should be a place where these impractical stars can shine to their potential.

stared 11y ago
I agree that the gap for academia to industry is very different for young and established researchers. No, I am not a PhD student (I defended 1.5y ago). And I saw that I really don't want be a postdoc; not even as a "purgatory" to go through - I didn't envy professors either. While professors do have a lot to say, they are still bound by administrative duties, pointless meetings, maneuvering grant calls so they can use it for something they actually consider useful, etc. Sure, for some its fine (or at least - acceptable; or - they don't have other intellectually challenging job opportunities). Some others (e.g. the ones in the article) are happy to join Google. And I am sure it is not only about money. It's a very different experience than being a professor in 50s or 60s; e.g. one day I talked to (now late) Kenneth Wilson and he told me that he had changed his field overnight (into one that gave him the Nobel prize). Right now it is unimaginable. Sure, I also consider the current shape of academia sad. But... when it comes to the "impractical" dreamers, let's not colorize the past. Vide my another writing: http://crastina.se/theres-no-projects-like-side-projects/ http://crastina.se/theres-no-projects-like-side-projects/ (for academia, look at the John Bell's example).

by sktrdie 11y ago

stared 11y ago

I agree that the gap for academia to industry is very different for young and established researchers. No, I am not a PhD student (I defended 1.5y ago). And I saw that I really don't want be a postdoc; not even as a "purgatory" to go through - I didn't envy professors either. While professors do have a lot to say, they are still bound by administrative duties, pointless meetings, maneuvering grant calls so they can use it for something they actually consider useful, etc. Sure, for some its fine (or at least - acceptable; or - they don't have other intellectually challenging job opportunities). Some others (e.g. the ones in the article) are happy to join Google. And I am sure it is not only about money. It's a very different experience than being a professor in 50s or 60s; e.g. one day I talked to (now late) Kenneth Wilson and he told me that he had changed his field overnight (into one that gave him the Nobel prize). Right now it is unimaginable. Sure, I also consider the current shape of academia sad. But... when it comes to the "impractical" dreamers, let's not colorize the past. Vide my another writing: http://crastina.se/theres-no-projects-like-side-projects/ http://crastina.se/theres-no-projects-like-side-projects/ (for academia, look at the John Bell's example).