Friday, June 26, 2015

"A time machine"

Credit: a Chemjobber correspondent
From the inbox, a question in a survey of graduate students in STEM from NPG. That's sort of funny, but not really. 
Posted by at
Labels:

16 comments:

  1. NMHJune 26, 2015 at 10:44 AM

    The Correct answer: Accuarate, unbiased information. Seems like that is difficult to get because individuals in any system are usually shilling for themselves, even if it means ruining your career.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 28, 2015 at 3:06 PM

      For that reason, yes, but also because it's very very hard to be omniscient. You'd have to have intimate knowledge of employment outcomes across the board in various chemistry subdisciplines, a working current knowledge of a pretty vast variety of industries and their employment prospects, an understanding of trends in gov't and military-related hiring, and an infallible understanding of the overall economy and how that will change over a short-to-medium-term (say 0-10 years) horizon. Most people would do well to have a fraction of this knowledge - also people tend to consider issues from their specific experiences, which is hardly objective.

      That said, I do wish we could get *better* info out of entities like the BLS on the gov't level and the ACS on the discipline level. It might also help if our government, industries, and educational institutions had a longer-term, "stewardship" mindset with regard to maintenance of the workforce and weren't so willing to disseminate outright propaganda.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJune 26, 2015 at 2:41 PM

    It's not good pedagogical practice, but it's a survey after all: they omitted "all of the above."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Generic ChemistJune 26, 2015 at 3:53 PM

    All of the above, and more: a record of the recent track record of long-term job placement by the doctoral research director. After all, training in the physical sciences is supposed to directly prepare one for a career in the sciences. This is in contrast to obtaining a doctoral degree in the social sciences or the arts.

    If I can ever somehow regain a long-term academic position where publishable research is expected and realistic, then I will only be training/educating as many doctorates as can be sustained by the current job market.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 26, 2015 at 5:15 PM

    Some would need a "holodeck."

    ReplyDelete
  5. @KayakPhilipJune 26, 2015 at 5:26 PM

    Clearly the Time Machine. A few cycles of investing in APPL and I'd never have to work again. Then I'd be highly satisfied.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJune 26, 2015 at 5:33 PM

    A patron or sponsoring organization: http://tvmedia.ign.com/tv/image/article/119/1196565/breaking-bad-20110922102109395_640w_1317007434.jpg

    Adequate funding: http://buzzerg.com/wp-content/uploads/8589130422300-breaking-bad-heisenberg-wallpaper-hd.jpg

    A competent assistant: http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120617212256/breakingbad/images/4/43/Season_2_promo_pic_4.jpg

    Job security: http://sliptalk.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/18190835/breakingbad8.jpg

    Colleagues to kick back with: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/dinagachman/files/2014/06/Breaking-Bad-Season-51.jpg

    State-of-the-art lab facilities: http://buildacampervan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Breaking.jpg

    ...and occasionally work-related legal counsel: https://www.nrcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Saul-Goodman-breaking-bad-spin-off.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Generic ChemistJune 26, 2015 at 7:21 PM

      Interesting, especially because the url "https://www.nrcc.org/" from the last link leads to the campaign website of someone who is apparently opposed to carbon taxes, and other progressive issues. I bet they wish that they could return to "the bad old days".

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJune 27, 2015 at 1:55 PM

      The photos were where I found them - nothing more sinister than Google image.

      However, better the "bad old days" of yore than the far worse new era stretching out ahead.

      Delete
    3. AnonymousJune 27, 2015 at 2:55 PM

      "Climate change" is a farce. Some of the basic ideas have been floating around since *1871,* as this Brisbane Courier article from the time - debunking then current anthropogenic climate change hypotheses - illustrates.

      http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1298497

      Delete
  7. KTJune 27, 2015 at 6:48 AM

    I think a lot of former grad students would pick the time machine, so we can all get a mulligan on our twenties!

    ReplyDelete
  8. qvxbJune 27, 2015 at 10:03 AM

    Internet-time-machine software. Set destination 30 years in future. Download papers containing novel work. Repeatedly experiments in present. Advance career and win Nobel prize.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJune 27, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    I guess I am about to date myself, but I just have to ask. Can it be a DeLorean?

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJune 27, 2015 at 4:13 PM

    4-wheel or roadless model? Also, Marty, be aware that maintenance and servicing might be a little hard to come by.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJune 27, 2015 at 4:46 PM

    Roadless, without a doubt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 27, 2015 at 4:48 PM

      And, I suppose, with flux capacitor technology, who needs a career in chemistry anyway!?

      Delete

looks like Blogger doesn't work with anonymous comments from Chrome browsers at the moment - works in Microsoft Edge, or from Chrome with a Blogger account - sorry! CJ 3/21/20

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)