http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/phd-immigration-slave-labor-joblessness/ Advancing the productivity of American Biotechnologists Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:39:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/phd-immigration-slave-labor-joblessness/comment-page-1/#comment-9331 avi_wener Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:41:35 +0000 http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/?p=2258#comment-9331 Wow! that is a pretty strong response! IMHO, there is a lot to be gained by doing a PhD and taking on the responsibility of managing your own project. However, the system needs to be overhauled to recognize the pain and suffering put in by graduate students everywhere and to give academic scientists their dues. Wow! that is a pretty strong response! IMHO, there is a lot to be gained by doing a PhD and taking on the responsibility of managing your own project. However, the system needs to be overhauled to recognize the pain and suffering put in by graduate students everywhere and to give academic scientists their dues.

]]> http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/phd-immigration-slave-labor-joblessness/comment-page-1/#comment-9230 a bird told me Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:06:34 +0000 http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/?p=2258#comment-9230 This is very true. In my department many smart people have left after realizing what a scam the PhD is: you work hard for peanuts, you are used by your supervisors so they can get publications for free, you miss on an enjoyable life, turning instead into a lab roach always worried about experiments that are irrelevant to the real world and mean nothing for career development, you alienate friends and end a hermit, you get older and poorer while peers in industry have a real job and a real salary in their twenties, etc. The only people for whom the PhD works is people who are officials or academics from some developing countries who have a position waiting for them back home. I'm talking from experience, and trying to get out of this hell myself (looking for job..). I would like to encourage hopeful nerdy kids to stay away! unless they can't imagine doing anything else and are willing to risk underemployment for the rest of their lives for the tiny chance of becoming professors (keep dreaming...), or are refugees from the third world: DON'T. PLEASE. DON'T!! This is very true. In my department many smart people have left after realizing what a scam the PhD is: you work hard for peanuts, you are used by your supervisors so they can get publications for free, you miss on an enjoyable life, turning instead into a lab roach always worried about experiments that are irrelevant to the real world and mean nothing for career development, you alienate friends and end a hermit, you get older and poorer while peers in industry have a real job and a real salary in their twenties, etc.
The only people for whom the PhD works is people who are officials or academics from some developing countries who have a position waiting for them back home.
I’m talking from experience, and trying to get out of this hell myself (looking for job..). I would like to encourage hopeful nerdy kids to stay away! unless they can’t imagine doing anything else and are willing to risk underemployment for the rest of their lives for the tiny chance of becoming professors (keep dreaming…), or are refugees from the third world:
DON’T. PLEASE. DON’T!!

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