Didn't mean to mention it as an average, just as ballpark figure for someone who is doing his or her PhD fulltime and nothing else. But you're right in the larger order of things.
2009-02-06 18:33:02
This is all well said. You'll forgive a certain overly sensitive attitude from those of us who went to Direction State U. It's certainly true that there are many disengaged and disinterested students. There are very many others who are very much engaged, and passionate, and find themselves rather constantly marginalized as intellects and as students. I also tend to find that disengagement and disinterest are commodities found at all levels of the academy. But as I said-- I'm overly sensitive.
As I tried to say, but probably failed to say, you're in a tough position-- because, as you say, you should be honest with people and try to put them on the right path. The point wasn't that you are self-serving or hypocritical, only that it can't fail to seem that way sometimes to people who want very badly to be in your shoes. And that's an impediment to reform; grad students can placate themselves by saying "Oh, he's just being a grouch from within the world he criticizes; so I'll just ignore it." In other words, the people best equipped to honestly judge the situation are the ones who tend to be ignored out of a sense of petty resentment or professional envy.
At the end of the day, it's the responsibility of the administrations of the universities to have the integrity not to pressure departments to take on more than a certain minimum number of grad students; the departments to not take on more grad students than they have a reasonable expectation could possibly find some sort of related employment; and the students, to take truly discriminating accounting of the job prospects beyond "I really and truly love it". Many people really and truly love X academic subject and still have had to let go of professorial dreams. I did, although not, it's true, entirely.
2009-02-06 17:56:10
Sorry Paul! Of course we're talking in broad strokes... many can and do succeed. Not trying to be discouraging, just realistic.
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Didn't mean to mention it as an average, just as ballpark figure for someone who is doing his or her PhD fulltime and nothing else. But you're right in the larger order of things.
This is all well said. You'll forgive a certain overly sensitive attitude from those of us who went to Direction State U. It's certainly true that there are many disengaged and disinterested students. There are very many others who are very much engaged, and passionate, and find themselves rather constantly marginalized as intellects and as students. I also tend to find that disengagement and disinterest are commodities found at all levels of the academy. But as I said-- I'm overly sensitive.
As I tried to say, but probably failed to say, you're in a tough position-- because, as you say, you should be honest with people and try to put them on the right path. The point wasn't that you are self-serving or hypocritical, only that it can't fail to seem that way sometimes to people who want very badly to be in your shoes. And that's an impediment to reform; grad students can placate themselves by saying "Oh, he's just being a grouch from within the world he criticizes; so I'll just ignore it." In other words, the people best equipped to honestly judge the situation are the ones who tend to be ignored out of a sense of petty resentment or professional envy.
At the end of the day, it's the responsibility of the administrations of the universities to have the integrity not to pressure departments to take on more than a certain minimum number of grad students; the departments to not take on more grad students than they have a reasonable expectation could possibly find some sort of related employment; and the students, to take truly discriminating accounting of the job prospects beyond "I really and truly love it". Many people really and truly love X academic subject and still have had to let go of professorial dreams. I did, although not, it's true, entirely.
Sorry Paul! Of course we're talking in broad strokes... many can and do succeed. Not trying to be discouraging, just realistic.