Organization: TECHNION - Israel Institute of Technology.
Date: Wednesday, 22 Jul 1992 13:27:11 IST
From: <CERLPDR@TECHNION.BITNET>
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: NO MORE %$#@* E-MAIL ABOUT THE JOB SITUATION

>He didn't say slim.  He said non-existent.  And then he got
>nit-picky about what other people were saying.  He claimed
>that his use of language was precise, when it wasn't.

  A little quibbling here? The question that must be addressed is not whether
academic hires are being made. This is obviously so and readily verifiable. The
point hardly merits discussion. The crux of the matter is whether or not one
has a reasonable chance to secure such a position. More generally, is a PhD
program itself a wise choice. And finally, what alternatives are available to
those who fail to land a tenure track position.


>>           About employment surveys : Gee, maybe you should be skeptical about
>>                          them when they're really favorable, and carried
>>                          out by people teaching the field being recommended

>Maybe we should be skeptical.  In fact, skepticism is often healthy.
>Again, that's a far cry from calling them a conspiracy and a fraud.

  It's hardly necessary to postulate the existence of a conspiracy. The simple
fact of the matter is that tenured faculty have different interests than the
tenure-track job applicant. Faculty require an adequate and continuing supply
of quality grad students. New PhDs require that the applicant pool be kept to
a reasonable level in order to have a realistic chance of finding a job. This
should be obvious. I have no doubt that the vast majority of faculty are well
meaning individuals who sincerely attempt to advance the interests of their
students - but not at the expense of their own interests. People tend to pursue
their interests even to the detriment of others. Assuming one is not an ogre,
one copes with this by denial, rationalization, and selective blindness, often
at an subconscious level. I would guess that most faculty simply refuse to let
themselves consider the job prospects for their students in a rational manner.


> I'm stating my opinion that I don't believe he is welcome here any more.

   I find the experience of someone who has actually been in the job market
invaluable and I, for one, certainly hope he continues to post.

>  What I'm asking is for anyone who agrees with Mr. Dunphy to post.

   A public call for posters to choose sides, which is effectively what you're
doing here, is hardly the way to defuse a flame war.

  Mr. Dunphy is clearly an angry man. In this he is not alone. There have been
a few obligatory postings regarding the romantic allure of science and the
willingness to pursue a PhD program even if one never does science for another
day. These posts are simply that - obligatory. Everyone expresses the same
sentiment when one still has hopes that a position will somehow open up. I
wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Dunphy once said the same. Somehow it tastes a
bit more bitter when one realizes, finally, that one can go no further. In
addition, the choices as presented to me as a grad student were either get an
academic job or go into industry and get "rich". If one finds that option
closed as well it must be particularly galling.



                         John Tolman, PhD
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers