Наткнулся

[posic]

на старое обсуждение известной статьи о том, как плохо быть ученым -- http://wealth.livejournal.com/324211.html

Comments

[akater.livejournal.com]

Лучше всего заниматься тем, чем нравится заниматься. Святая правда.

[chaource.livejournal.com]

A funny discussion. People who already have a tenure and a house think that Greenspun is a frustrated loser with an inferiority complex. People who had to quit science for various reasons (or who are still in academia but without tenure) think that Greenspun is an oracle of wisdom and real-life experience. Almost nobody tries to get actual information (housing prices, average income, average age of tenure, expected number of tenure positions, etc.). I think these people are trying to invent arguments for or against Greenspun's article to achieve more psychological comfort for themselves.

I read his article only about 1 year ago. I know that if I had read it 10 years ago (when I was still adamant about remaining in the academic world) I would have disbelieved it and I would have found lots of "arguments" against Greenspun's thesis, such as "Greenspun was a spoiled rich kid who is not satisfied by the income of an academic scientist". Now I am more wary of making any pronouncements.

[posic.livejournal.com]

Well, averaging the body temperatures of patients over the hospital is not so illuminating either. The actual information cannot be just gotten from somewhere; one would have to read serious studies of the issues involved and/or study them seriously for oneself.

I, personally, think that Greenspun is largely right, even if not necessarily accurate with the statistics. Some scientists are like kids who never grow up. A lot of [others] are irrational, romantic, and stubborn. Educational repressions are producing traumatized people, some of which strive to become scientists as a way of escaping life.

A government-financed enterprise can be comfortable to be in for a little time, but it cannot remain so for long. The progress of knowledge itself is slowing down. To many scientists, too few ideas. Problems are being solved without the understanding of the subjects getting improved. Another half-century or century of such development, and there will be nothing to do there in science.

[vasja-iz-aa.livejournal.com]

Если эту статью переназвать "как трудно быть университетским преподавателем", то оно будет уже в другую сторону перебором, но думаю что все же ближе к реальному положению дел.