tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679631342517586283.post5189581330492639078..comments2023-10-29T09:22:45.796-04:00Comments on Thora Florence: Let's talk about hard things - foodstamps and the 'life of the mind.'Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04564924243186464304noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679631342517586283.post-5513740352120236962015-03-25T23:29:29.820-04:002015-03-25T23:29:29.820-04:00That is encouraging about Australia. It is hard fi...That is encouraging about Australia. It is hard figuring out that we are (seemingly) inextricably intertwined with a broken system. I find myself wanting to become a doomsday prophet, telling earnest young students to stay out of academics. And then that breaks my heart, because I always wanted to get a Ph.d. The irrational part of me still does. But although there are so many intangible benefits to education, I also don't think it is worth five or seven years post undergraduate to go to school that is for education in a broad sense, but also very much for vocational training, and then not be able to get a job in the field you went to school for. I don't know if math has the problem with humanities, where there doesn't seem to be a good sideways career move option either (like with science, where it is common to not stay in academia). <br /><br />I am interested to follow your life in Australia, and excited that you liked it so much when you were there this last year. Thorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04564924243186464304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679631342517586283.post-942778656882968492015-03-25T23:10:37.393-04:002015-03-25T23:10:37.393-04:00The job situation is similar in other fields in th...The job situation is similar in other fields in the US, not just humanities. I know a lot of math PhD students who haven't found any jobs, and have had to figure out how to reinvent themselves to find *some* job. Lots of friends have left academia. And sure, math *sounds* useful, but nobody really wants to hire someone who spent the last five years studying the p-adic properties of Heegaard floer homology, or whatever. It's really very depressing. More and more tenure track positions are being replaced by part time adjuncts, to save money. And state legislators are cutting funds from state schools, and there are fewer college age students to pay the tuition at the private schools, and we seem to be in a downward spiral in the US. I'm actually somewhat more hopeful about Australia, which is why I took a job there. They are better at paying living wages, to everyone, and there is state health insurance. And everything is more expensive, consequently, but they seem to do a much better job of taking care of their people. All people, not just rich people and lucky people. Fingers crossed that they also take care of academic people. <br />Artaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13841147515999189957noreply@blogger.com