tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14779053.post6087959218153560196..comments2023-10-24T07:39:20.317-07:00Comments on Is this thing on?: Positive about your work....yeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255656208440246594noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14779053.post-77963268964597035952006-12-14T06:41:00.000-08:002006-12-14T06:41:00.000-08:00At this point the assembly line's looking pretty g...At this point the assembly line's looking pretty good.......<br /><br />Just kidding. In terms of the love your work thing, I guess I'm going on my own personal experience in that the only two people I know who say they totally love their work are you and my brother. He's a CEO and you're a business development dude, hmm I sense a trend here. I certainly enjoy many aspects of what I do, and some days I can't wait to get to work. But those days are not in the majority.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14779053.post-56429763358668772172006-12-13T19:59:00.000-08:002006-12-13T19:59:00.000-08:00..and responding to myself.
The old white dudes t.....and responding to myself.<br /><br />The old white dudes take up a lot of money. Ms. Ph.D is totally spot on with the connections (I think...) and the NIH budget is flat (real dollars) to declining (inflation adjusted). <br /><br />SO - your looking at a future of fighting for every scrap while being underpaid and not actually really controlling what you work on...<br /><br />wonder why I bolted?yeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04255656208440246594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14779053.post-60262404308183740492006-12-13T19:53:00.000-08:002006-12-13T19:53:00.000-08:00Bill,
Totally agree that I am pretty lucky in thi...Bill,<br /><br />Totally agree that I am pretty lucky in this regard. However, I think that those of us who have made it to this level do have a bit of control of our careers and thus can be happy. We aren't forced to work on assembly lines and there are people who will pay us. I understand what you are doing now (and trying to do) and you may have to suck it up for another year...but not much longer than that I hope/expect.<br /><br />I totally (and you know I voted with my feet) understand this desire to actually earn money in our 30's. I wanted a house and a car and a computer to play computer games...need money...<br /><br />Totally understand about the funding situation, and that is my point. Why fight that fight? Go somewhere they will pay you! I didn't/don't understand the desire to do academic science. Probably never will now that I know better. <br /><br />...and an advisor we both know sums up that old white guy look pretty well, and he is taking up a lot of grant funding....yeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04255656208440246594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14779053.post-55414905701082867032006-12-13T10:43:00.000-08:002006-12-13T10:43:00.000-08:00I actually commented to her post that you are refe...I actually commented to her post that you are referencing, but so far she hasn't posted it. So just in case she doesn't get around to it, here's a similar version. I totally agree with you. It's not that I don't think I have what it takes to be an academic PI. I just don't want to kill myself in order to do it. The true roadblock is the process itself. To become a PI you must subjugate yourself as a postdoc for at least 5 years (and in most cases longer). Being a postdoc isn't terrible, but to be paid that poorly during a time of life (early-mid thirties) when many people are maximizing their earnings is hardly an enticing prospect. Also, as Ms PhD points out in her blog, the funding situation now for biomed sciences is pretty bad. So lots and lots of people who CAN be academic PIs, aren't, because the old white men who have been there forever are sucking up 90% of the funding. <br /><br />Another point. The vast majority of people don't love their work. Think of all those people who work their asses off to support their families, at tedious, backbreaking jobs. They don't work because they love it, they work because they have to. Count yourself as one of the very lucky minority who actually loves your job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com