Carl T. BergstromSep 27, 2023

Myth: academics make bank flying around giving talks.

Reality: prestigious university invites me out. I fly across the country and speak free. I front the cost and submit for reimbursement. First they lose the paperwork. Then they reject it because of a digital signatures. Now, six months later, they reject it again, because the receipt does not show the last four digits of my credit card so they don’t know if I actually bought the ticket.

They heard me talk. How did they think I got there?

Show threadherzbruchSep 28, 2023
@ct_bergstrom I want to quote a former colleague: We‘re partly being paid in fun.
Show threadDr. ir. Brian R. PauwSep 28, 2023
@herzbruch @ct_bergstrom you don’t think fun happens in industry too? 😉
Show threadherzbruchSep 28, 2023
@doc @ct_bergstrom I left academia for a corporate job in 2014. Am being paid in money now, which is kind of nice, and nothing to complain on the fun part 😉
Show threadDr. ir. Brian R. PauwSep 28, 2023
@herzbruch @ct_bergstrom Happy to hear that. I also strongly advise students these days to keep their eyes open towards non-academic careers as the academic career options are very bleak. I only recommend it if you absolutely cannot consider doing anything else than science.
Show threadherzbruchSep 28, 2023
@ct_bergstrom @doc That‘s very sad, in a way.
Show threadDr. ir. Brian R. PauwSep 28, 2023
@herzbruch @ct_bergstrom Oh, absolutely.
But several things will have to change first before it becomes a viable career option again.
The current metrics-driven, limited-term contract nonsense directly hinders doing any sort of in-depth, reliable science. I've seen more good people forced to leave than I'd like. All they wanted to do was to just be able to do science in peace.
Secondly, salaries need to be competitive with industry salaries. 1/2
Show threadDr. ir. Brian R. Pauw
@herzbruch @ct_bergstrom 2/2 The argument that "sure, salaries are bad, but we get to do what we like" is a poor argument. People in industry can have as much fun as in academia, and I'm sure people with top salaries are also very much doing what they like.
In the eternal words of my partner: "why do you [academics] accept these poor job conditions? I thought you were supposed to be smart!"
Anyway, for me, things aren't bad, but my colleagues are suffering and need a revolution.
Sep 28, 2023 at 7:28amWeb
Show threadherzbruchSep 28, 2023
@doc @ct_bergstrom I returned into the German system after being at Leiden and Stanford as a grad student. I stayed for 3 years, at 1 point decided the German „you should be happy that we took you so shut up“ is not in line with the shitty system (compared to where I came from). I decided I could go someplace where I don’t have to be grateful for no money no time and - yes - almost no fun. (The quoted colleague was at Stanford, which is fun but not the real world)