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Wouldn't that pay scale push many talented people to work in private industry? At that pay it would be difficult to retain computer science faculty for example,

Wouldn't that pay scale push many talented people to work in private industry? At that pay it would be difficult to retain computer science faculty for example, where universities are already struggling with a shortage.

JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
Only the ones optimizing for money and not for passion.
- lirazel 7y ago
  Not everyone can afford to pursue their passion at the cost of a cut salary. A common case would be the need to support a family, parents, relatives, etc.
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  Wouldn't it be better to have skilled scientists than passionate scientists?
- Nebasuke 7y ago
  I think that's a naive view. It's not just academics optimising for money. It's academics optimising for a balanced relationship, or a family, or even just friends (since the current academic system will also often mean displacement). I was very passionate about the work I did in academia, but I did not want to force my wife to live in a region where she could not really get a decent job, and my income would barely have been enough to support children in the early part of the academic career. I am strongly considering going back to academia in a few years, after the income doesn't matter as much anymore. Making the financial disincentive even stronger would filter out a certain type of person, and is not a great way of achieving diversity of people.
  - cinquemb 7y ago
    This is what I'm going to do, I left working in academia in 2015 even though I'm still super fascinated by the research we were doing (although I though our lab application was bit banal for my tastes, but it's what got the grants) and started expanding on it on my own in my free time while working in industry. I about to quit my job and work on it again for fun.
- barry-cotter 7y ago
  Plenty of people who love science also want to be able to go on holidays, buy houses and have children. They want to live the kinds of lives people of their social class do. Your proposal would turn science into a career for the kind of people who were monks or nuns in the Middle Ages. Back then that was the way to live the life of the mind and the outside alternatives were much worse. Things have changed.

JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago

Only the ones optimizing for money and not for passion.

lirazel 7y ago
Not everyone can afford to pursue their passion at the cost of a cut salary. A common case would be the need to support a family, parents, relatives, etc.
thaumasiotes 7y ago
Wouldn't it be better to have skilled scientists than passionate scientists?
Nebasuke 7y ago
I think that's a naive view. It's not just academics optimising for money. It's academics optimising for a balanced relationship, or a family, or even just friends (since the current academic system will also often mean displacement). I was very passionate about the work I did in academia, but I did not want to force my wife to live in a region where she could not really get a decent job, and my income would barely have been enough to support children in the early part of the academic career. I am strongly considering going back to academia in a few years, after the income doesn't matter as much anymore. Making the financial disincentive even stronger would filter out a certain type of person, and is not a great way of achieving diversity of people.
- cinquemb 7y ago
  This is what I'm going to do, I left working in academia in 2015 even though I'm still super fascinated by the research we were doing (although I though our lab application was bit banal for my tastes, but it's what got the grants) and started expanding on it on my own in my free time while working in industry. I about to quit my job and work on it again for fun.
barry-cotter 7y ago
Plenty of people who love science also want to be able to go on holidays, buy houses and have children. They want to live the kinds of lives people of their social class do. Your proposal would turn science into a career for the kind of people who were monks or nuns in the Middle Ages. Back then that was the way to live the life of the mind and the outside alternatives were much worse. Things have changed.