Science: who does it, why?
On the topic of "why so few scientists are women", I recently came across a rather thought-provoking article (thanks Erinn). It's worth a read, especially for anyone (man or woman) that's thinking about heading into academia.
posted by dburrows @ 10/10/2007 06:37:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I have a doctorate in chemistry, and about four years ago I lost my job due to cut backs. I have not been able to get back into chemistry. Those of us in science are not protected by unions like doctors, lawyers, and nurses. I think science is a great hobby, because there are not enough jobs for those of us that have the skills. If you are and older scientist or engineer then you are really in trouble if you lose your job. We really do not need people from other countries to come here and fill jobs.
F. William Weaver, PhD
This article is really interesting and also rather depressing for those of us who are planning careers in science. Don't you think there could be a bright side, too (in spite of the sample bias problem)?
A google serach turned up the following articles with several perspectives on the question:
http://www.tifr.res.in/~vahia/why.pdf
http://wuphys.wustl.edu/~katz/scientist.html
http://www.corante.com/pipeline/archives/2005/01/17/dont_become_a_scientist.php
http://bitesizebio.com/2007/09/18/15-reasons-to-be-scientist/
http://bitesizebio.com/2007/11/06/10-reasons-not-to-be-a-scientist/
Bad news for me: a lot of people seem to agree that physics is in a particularly bad place and not a good career choice.
Good news for me: I'm already out of "pure" physics and into an application that is a likely growth field...
I already figured out that a job as a physics professor might not be the best career choice, and should definitely not be the only plan on the table...
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