/sci/ - Science & Math

What field are you interested in and why?

>>5057852
I ended up going into animation but when I was younger I thought about studying biology or chemistry. Sometimes I wonder what the other side of the fence is like, just wanted to know how others felt about their careers in science.

I dont think many people that visit /sci/ are working, especially in science. Most of us seem to be students (myself.inlcuded).

That makes sense, I guess I should've considered that it would be mostly students here. Anyway, how do you students and graduates feel about your path in science so far?

>>5057920
I love it. I'm going to leave it that, otherwise it would get really cheesy.

>>5057920
Feels insightful but my low gpa and tough job market make me uneasy about what I'll do after college.

Geography graduate currently working as a microbiologist and loving it, wish my careers advisor had some smarts and did some career advising.

>>5057957

Oh shit.

I'm really interested in Microbiology. What's it like? What jobs are out there?

>>5057957
>BA geography
>employed as a microbiologist
dafuq.jpg

>>5057994
Yeah, says a lot about both fields...

>>5057811
post doctoral science, molecular genetics and brain development. some parts are worse than i imagined, some parts better. the best I can tell you is, maybe cryptically, if you're living life in straight lines, you're not doing it right.

I work as a lab tech in a neuroscience lab if that counts. Just doing a couple gap years before grad school.

Or at least that was the plan until I started working in science. I had done research in undergrad too, but I was never really "let in" on what the daily life of a PI is like until I went to work in my current lab where my two PIs seem to view me as more of a grad student than a tech (I publish research as first author and even communicating author, I conduct my own experiments of my own design, I present findings at conferences, and I'm in charge of students).

Anyway, I knew job availability and funding were shit before I came to this lab, but now after seeing all of this first hand I'm aware of just how shitty it really is, and it's much worse than I had imagined. It's getting (gotten?) to the point where even if you're a talented scientist you not be able to secure any funding. I could handle job scarcity and low pay, but what's the fucking point if you can't even have your own lab?

As a result, my plans changed from grad school to med school as MD/PhD since that way I have "doctor" as a backup career. Last thing I want is to be one of the poor bastards still post-doc'ing at 55 or working as an adjunct lecturer making an annual income barely better than minimum wage.

>>5058071
there's a middle ground, postdoctoral research associate, which pays reasonably well without kicking you into the highest tax bracket. Also, you get more freedom than the PI in many ways, autonomy and minions *ahem* grad students, without the full responsibility of funding the lab. You still have to help write grants tho'.

>>5058071
Damn, thats some sad shit. Do you have any insight on how its going over in the private sector? I am strongly considering trying to get a job in there after my BS.

I graduated Mechanical Engineering early this year.

Got a job doing pipeline inspection for oil and gas so pay is good, I can move into a desk engineering job later and it applies toward my P Eng.

If you have a chance to do field work/do practical work DO IT, don't be afraid of getting your hands dirty.

>>5058071
>>5058071

So thats cool. I am a phd student in ee and we have near unlimited funding. My PI is pretty well known in the limited community we are in but still, she literally cannot find enough students to do the work she is contracted to do. Most of it is military or defense based research. Science groups that are dying are doing so because they cant apply.

>>5058085
Eh, I'd have a hard time with the idea that my work was going to be used to kill people.

>>5058096
Unfortunately I wouldn't, money is money

>>5058079
Private sector is shrinking, at least in biotech and chemistry thanks to cheap Chinese and Indian scientists who will do the same work for less, as well as better automation of procedures. That said, with an MS you can make about as much as a PhD in the private sector. The main downside with private sector work is that you're always going to be doing someone else's project, projects may get dropped halfway through with no explanation, and god forbid your job was directly related to that project in such a way that when the project gets dropped so do you.

>>5058085
Engineering isn't a basic science. There's a lot of money out there for it because engineering research yields a product relatively immediately, as opposed to basic science whose benefits are nebulous and may not be seen for decades or even centuries. Only special interest charities and government research bodies are willing to fund basic science research. Notice how you used the word "contracts" instead of "grants". That alone should clue you in that engineering is a different animal from basic science.

For the record, biomedical science is by far the biggest recipient of funding in the basic sciences. Everything else is largely ignored. To see what I mean, the budget for the NIH is $35 billion/year. The budget for the NSF (which funds everything that can't somehow be linked to medicine) is $7 billion/year. As bad as the funding situation in neuroscience is, it's not nearly as bad as, say, physics.

>>5058101

Hey, thanks for the responses. Interesting to see the mixed opinions from you guys.

>>5057873
Before going into physics and astronomy I was actually a film student. It was a long time before I discovered my passion for science, but I've never regretted making the decision to pursue it. The things you learn change the way you perceive the world, the work is challenging but satisfying, and the people you meet are great.

Which isn't to say I've fallen out of love with my old pursuits. I still find ways to apply some of the skills I developed as a film student, I still write, and I'm still close with many of the friends I made in that life.


Life is not a linear path, and almost never ends up going according to plan. There's no law that says a microbiologist can't animate, or an artist can't write software, or a string theorist can't act. Find things you're passionate about, do what you love, and make a life out of it.

>>5060151
I like you.

>>5060151
I'm afraid of falling behind everyone else my age

>>5058078
Don't mix up postdocs with "real" research positions. Postdocs are short-term positions (few years). People get on the "postdoc treadmill" until they find a tenure-track or permanent-ish position.

>>5060463
Do you feel that people should want a tenure track PI position as the natural conclusion of their postdoctoral years? I think there are a lot of people who get fixed on that kind of position as the only way forward, having never really thought about why they want it.

>>5060463

Also i know a couple of PIs that resented the fact that they had to leave the bench to 'move forward'. What are the options for someone who reaches the end of postdoc fellowship eligibility but would like to keep on at the bench in academia. Are the S. O. L?

>>5058096

So you would have a hard time working with carbonated sugared drink companies, alcoholic drink companies, tobacco companies, fryed snacks factories, automotive companies (because you can refrain idiots from buying them) and others?

>>5060435
Students in my class first semester in Physics ranged from 17 to 27, from traditional students to high school drop outs and from military vets to folks with MBAs.

Don't let some preconceived notion of 'falling behind' or not staying 'on track' discourage you from pursuing your interests.

>>5060151
has the right idea - find what drives you and just do it

>>5060496
Tenure is a double edged sword. It's some of the best job security you can get, but it can also leave you trapped at whatever institution you're at (if you leave you'll likely have to start out at the bottom again)

My uncle's a professor at a small university and got tenure a few years ago. He's been wanting to take a job at a university overseas but it would mean losing his tenure where he is now and starting from scratch at a new institution.

>>5060496
The thing about tenure-track positions is that they're really the only good academic positions. Non-tenure track faculty have shit pay, even for academics. They also don't typically get to do research.

Tenure track is desirable because the pay is much higher, especially once you hit full professor, and you get total independence to do whatever the fuck you want research-wise so long as you can get funding. Considering most people go into science wanting to do their own research one day, it's no surprise that tenure track is so sought after.

Honestly, if you can't get a tenure track job the next best thing is probably becoming a salesman for a lab supply company. You'd be shocked at how much they make ($100k+). The only downside is that it's a waste of a PhD, but it's better than being a glorified high school teacher (and most likely getting paid less than one at that).

>>5060897

>glorified salesman
>better than high school teacher

not by much really

>>5060897
>The thing about tenure-track positions is that they're really the only good academic positions. Non-tenure track faculty have shit pay, even for academics. They also don't typically get to do research.
Median salary for a non-tenure college science professor is still going to be on the order of $60-70K at most large public universities, tenure position will usually bump that into the $80-90K range (these are of course higher at more prominent public or private institutions).

Your implication that only tenured professors do research is also patently untrue. Any good research college will have nearly every professor in the faculty involved in active research projects. Hell, I can think of only two professors in a faculty of almost 50 in my department who don't have at least two research projects going on at the moment... and they both have tenure (they're also both theorists, which I imagine plays a much larger role in what and how much research they do).