I wish scientists were as respected as troops.

I mean, applying to PhD programs, postdoc positions, internships, and researcher positions does require you to move from your family in most situations. It’s incredibly competitive and unlikely that you’re able to pick where you live. Especially if you want to become a professor, you have to move where the jobs are. I know this personally because I come from a small town and had to move to another city a state away to stay in academia. If my career in research is successful, I will probably never be able to move back to my hometown and be with my family since there just aren’t research jobs where I’m from. I will likely be making less that $25000 for the next 6 years, and I’m applying to one of the most competitive graduate programs in the US. The scientists that are making bank are only a portion of the middle or late career scientists who had to live through poverty (in most cases) to get where they are. And so many early career scientists struggle to find secure, decently paid positions at all.

/r/offmychest Thread Parent