The Trouble With Gen Y

cats_ahoy

LydiaJ wrote: »

Most research physicists in academia do not become professors ever, and don't even become tenured lecturers with secure jobs until after they've done 8-10 years of 2-year contracts, moving round the country (or the world) after every 2 years. Lots never make it to the level of a contract for longer than 2 years. Even if they do, normal lecturer jobs are paid on a scale ranging from £23-36k, with senior lecturers able to get up to about £40k Even if they do reach the peak of the career path, they can get, as you say, about £60k, or maybe a bit more in rare cases.

These are the people with the country's very best mathematical/technical brains, who have trained for 6-7 years before being qualified to get an actual job, and who can walk into "rocket scientist" banker jobs if they jump ship. Do you still think academia is well paid compared with careers with similar entrance standards?

Normal postdocs are £28K+, so why would lecturer jobs be less? Junior/initial lecturer jobs are usually atleast £30K, £23K isn't even research assistant level wages. Yes I am aware most physicists don't end up staying in academia, and thank you for saying 'the country's very best mathematical/technical brains', I will take that as a compliment

Going back to my original point the wages mentioned above are very well paid compared to other jobs e.g. minimum wage, so being a scientist shouldn't be low paid.

LydiaJ

cats_ahoy wrote: »

Normal postdocs are £28K+, so why would lecturer jobs be less? Junior/initial lecturer jobs are usually atleast £30K, £23K isn't even research assistant level wages. Yes I am aware most physicists don't end up staying in academia, and thank you for saying 'the country's very best mathematical/technical brains', I will take that as a compliment

Going back to my original point the wages mentioned above are very well paid compared to other jobs e.g. minimum wage, so being a scientist shouldn't be low paid.

I stand corrected. I got the salary scale from the wrong website - momentary aberration in which I muddled further and higher education. It won't happen again, honest, guv.

Yes, of course physicists are very well paid compared with NMW. I still suggest that they are not particularly well paid compared with other jobs that require several years of postgraduate qualification, like doctors, accountants, and so on.

At this point I should probably mention that I'm a physics PhD (well, DPhil actually) from nearly 20 years ago, who decided that the postdoc thing wasn't for me and moved into secondary school teaching. I have the utmost admiration for the brains of anybody who gets further in academia than I managed! :T

cats_ahoy

LydiaJ wrote: »

I stand corrected. I got the salary scale from the wrong website - momentary aberration in which I muddled further and higher education. It won't happen again, honest, guv.

Yes, of course physicists are very well paid compared with NMW. I still suggest that they are not particularly well paid compared with other jobs that require several years of postgraduate qualification, like doctors, accountants, and so on.

At this point I should probably mention that I'm a physics PhD (well, DPhil actually) from nearly 20 years ago, who decided that the postdoc thing wasn't for me and moved into secondary school teaching. I have the utmost admiration for the brains of anybody who gets further in academia than I managed! :T

Thanks , but apparently since I'm classed as a 'young person' I'm very financially irresponsible according to some posters on here

And I will be moving to industry hopefully when my thesis is submitted next month, academia is too much hassle!

LydiaJ

cats_ahoy wrote: »

Thanks , but apparently since I'm classed as a 'young person' I'm very financially irresponsible according to some posters on here

And I will be moving to industry hopefully when my thesis is submitted next month, academia is too much hassle!

Good luck with the thesis.

cats_ahoy

LydiaJ wrote: »

Good luck with the thesis.

Thanks :j its almost done, then its time to wean myself off all the coffee I've been drinking during the PhD!

thorsoak

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I doubt some people here were ever young.

Thank god for the Hemingways and the Kerouacs I say. Life is too short for bean counting buy to let Scrooge McDucks who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Miserly old saddle bags who will begrudge a young person an iPhone while they themselves rattle around 5 bedroom mansions grumbling about how deserving they are.

So the In-laws are still refusing to give up the house and go into the garage, are they, Toasty?:cool:

LydiaJ

cats_ahoy wrote: »

Thanks :j its almost done,

Well done.

Do you remember the euphoria you felt when you finished finals for your first degree? Believe me, the joy and relief at completing and passing a PhD is a thousand times better.

BillJones

cats_ahoy wrote: »

Physicists in both academia and industry are generally well paid... Even the PhD stipend is quite generous. Professors and industry physicists can get around 60K a year :eek: Did it not used to be like this in previous years?

When I left academia in the mid-90s my professor was on about £30k. I was getting £6k to carry out my research. I started on £40k with zero experience when I moved away.

Even £60k, though, is very small compared to what the same person can earn outside.

BillJones

cats_ahoy wrote: »

Going back to my original point the wages mentioned above are very well paid compared to other jobs e.g. minimum wage, so being a scientist shouldn't be low paid.

Compared to what, though? My colleagues who stayed at CERN did "well", but on a tenth of what banking paid at the same time.

LydiaJ

BillJones wrote: »

When I left academia in the mid-90s my professor was on about £30k. I was getting £6k to carry out my research. I started on £40k with zero experience when I moved away.

Even £60k, though, is very small compared to what the same person can earn outside.

This is the kind of thing I meant. Thanks BillJones for putting some actual numbers to it.