Sad joke in science: “Like crime, academia doesn’t pay.”
It is sadly true. Science career doesn’t come with fortune, and rarely any glory. Scientists chose science for science’s sake.
➡️ Remember that next time a TV pundit or a President knocks a scientist.
Welcome stories.
It is sadly true. Science career doesn’t come with fortune, and rarely any glory. Scientists chose science for science’s sake.
➡️ Remember that next time a TV pundit or a President knocks a scientist.
Welcome stories.
2) Also at many US research universities, - because grants are often used to support own salaries—when scientists get a grant, another joke is that “university gives me the privilege to pay myself a salary”. And for promotion: “one gets privilege to bottom-scrape myself more”.
3) There is a lot of conspiracy theories that go something like “Scientists are hiding the cure for X, just so they can get rich from big grants”—thinking that grants are like some bonus structure in Wall Street banks. Sorry, hate to break it - it doesn’t work like that.
4) Also, the best analogy for earning an NIH grant: “Imagine someone you want to ask on a date, you have to write a 50-100 pager to ask ‘em out on date. he/she replies, “maybe, I’ll think about it”. To which you ask - how long? “6, 9, 12, maybe 18 months” he/she replies”....
5) ...so you summon the courage and then ask, “if I wait 6, 12, or 18 months, what’s the chance you say ‘Yes’? “. To which he/she replies, “15%, or maybe 7% chance”... and your heart breaks.
➡️ If world worked like academia, rarely would any deals get done. Yet that is science.
➡️ If world worked like academia, rarely would any deals get done. Yet that is science.
6) Scientists also toil long hours before dawn and after dusk, and often all nighters. There is no reward usually, just a drive for finding explanations, for causes, for new ways to do something better, to prevent a disease, and sometimes for a cure. For the love of the world.
7) Soemtimes there’s disagreements and sometimes there are arguments, and sometimes there are egos - to be the first word, to be the biggest, to be the last word. But ultimate goal is not fortune, it’s to make the world better.
8) and the other perverse part of the “like crime, academia doesn’t pay” is that many get lured away to be corporations & induced to produce dangerous flawed “science”. Most corporate scientists are good, but sometimes just 1 bad apple can spoil the bunch.
9) But I do always find it funny that university football and basketball coaches are often paid millions. All while faculty who do the main business of the university teaching get paid pennies. That is more unfair than anything. College coaches are not indispensable superstars.
10) Finally, for all my love of science and academia, there is a strong pull for junior scientists to “stay in lane”, to not dare challenge their more senior tenured superiors, & not speak or raise the alarm out of turn. Sometimes there is a bit of sexism, racism, or just egotism
11) ...out of fear of being denied promotion, tenure, or special access to collaborator networks of other scientists. And most of all, scientists just don’t have enough, shall we say “F-U money 💰” to just quit, to speak up, to fight for justice, or be whistleblowers for truth.
12) All this stems from scientists being relatively being poor in financial ability and usually poor in connections with outside world to enact bold change or advocacy action. This is true of many fields, of life in general. But rarely is there such misalignment...
13) Misalignment of a field with such important weight now such as public health (kinda sorta critical) and how underpaid most in public health are and how job insecure they are. The chasm is huge. This is why I propose there should be a whistleblower and science empowerment org:
14) ...and organization that will help make sure scientists have support if they dare speak up for public health, willing to stand up to corporate greed, willing to stand up to political muzzling (think CDC, Florida dashboard), and willing to do what is right for public health.
15) Because I’ve learned that “what is popular isn’t always right, & want is right isn’t always popular”... and what public should know isn’t always told, & what leadership should do isn’t always heard if their scientists don’t dare speak up.
Enough for tonight. Stay safe folks
Enough for tonight. Stay safe folks
