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I agree with your sentiment, and think that postdocs are the real problem with academia currently. Besides the low pay, being a graduate student is not a bad jo

I agree with your sentiment, and think that postdocs are the real problem with academia currently. Besides the low pay, being a graduate student is not a bad job - you get good job security, interesting problems, good mission, and can somewhat choose your boss. A postdoc is a terrible, soul-crushing, low-pay job. At least for the physics postdocs I have seen - I have heard that in the humanities a postdoc is actually a highly sought after position.

xapata 10y ago
One of the saddest conversations I've ever had was with a two-time assistant professor who had just been denied tenure (second chance is the last). A mutual friend had referred him to me for advice on how to transition to industry. I gave him a pep-talk and explained how to build a portfolio to show skills that matter in the workplace. I think he turned things around, but for a little while he couldn't stop thinking about the "wasted" years. PhD, postdoc(s), 3-5 years of assistantship, repeated once, ... it's a tragedy for such a smart, capable person to succeed so much and yet feel like they failed.