3 ms·

I attended a R1 university, and it was up or out for professors. I think they were encouraged to either get tenure or move to another school where they would g

by _jx7j 4y ago

I attended a R1 university, and it was up or out for professors. I think they were encouraged to either get tenure or move to another school where they would get tenure. It's no different that a private sector jobs where you are expected to get promoted to a certain point or you need to move on. I wouldn't call them risk averse. You get paid peanuts and treated like crap for years in the hope that you'll find a research path that generates funding. It's a lot less risky to get a private sector job and make money. As far as Elon Musk versus professors, it's a different type of risk. I knew somebody who sacrificed a lot of potential money for years of his life so he could try an contribute to research for a specific medical condition. He was brilliant and I'm sure he could have made 4X the salary in a tech job.

QuarterReptile 4y ago
>I wouldn't call them risk averse. You get paid peanuts and treated like crap for years in the hope that you'll find a research path that generates funding. It's a lot less risky to get a private sector job and make money. The thing you're missing is that financial stability in your 20s is not worth much, but the same is not true at 50+. Besides that, going by personal experience with my professors, it's one of those jobs where you can continue to be gainfully and meaningfully employed far older than may be achievable at a private enterprise. Plus, I imagine the work is good for an aging mind.
- apohn 4y ago
  If you take the straight path of BS at 22, PhD at 27, and then add some post-doc(s), you're basically in your 30s before you earn the same as a 21 year old computer science intern. Add in any life event (taking a job for a few years after your BS, having a family, etc), that could push you into your mid-30s before you get your tenure track job. Then you're taking a huge gamble that you are going to win the tenure track prize. Most people don't win that prize. Even if you do good work, there's plenty of stories (even on HN) of an academics career getting wrecked by one influential person. >Plus, I imagine the work is good for an aging mind. Yes, if you're lucky enough to sustain a research program into your 60s/70s. IME a lot of professors can't do that as younger researchers overtake them. So then your option is to take on more administrative duties, which is a lot of petty politics. Or you can just check out and ride your tenured status until retirement, which some people do - good for them, not so much for the students in their program. As you walk that path, you've got to have a lot of faith in the future as you are constantly presented with examples of where the path you are walking on is likely to fail. I was there once and I took the hint early and left academia.

by _jx7j 4y ago

QuarterReptile 4y ago

>I wouldn't call them risk averse. You get paid peanuts and treated like crap for years in the hope that you'll find a research path that generates funding. It's a lot less risky to get a private sector job and make money. The thing you're missing is that financial stability in your 20s is not worth much, but the same is not true at 50+. Besides that, going by personal experience with my professors, it's one of those jobs where you can continue to be gainfully and meaningfully employed far older than may be achievable at a private enterprise. Plus, I imagine the work is good for an aging mind.

apohn 4y ago
If you take the straight path of BS at 22, PhD at 27, and then add some post-doc(s), you're basically in your 30s before you earn the same as a 21 year old computer science intern. Add in any life event (taking a job for a few years after your BS, having a family, etc), that could push you into your mid-30s before you get your tenure track job. Then you're taking a huge gamble that you are going to win the tenure track prize. Most people don't win that prize. Even if you do good work, there's plenty of stories (even on HN) of an academics career getting wrecked by one influential person. >Plus, I imagine the work is good for an aging mind. Yes, if you're lucky enough to sustain a research program into your 60s/70s. IME a lot of professors can't do that as younger researchers overtake them. So then your option is to take on more administrative duties, which is a lot of petty politics. Or you can just check out and ride your tenured status until retirement, which some people do - good for them, not so much for the students in their program. As you walk that path, you've got to have a lot of faith in the future as you are constantly presented with examples of where the path you are walking on is likely to fail. I was there once and I took the hint early and left academia.