[sndean]

We should better educate people entering (or considering) PhD programs about their likely job prospects after graduation.

There have been a lot of articles (example [2]) written about the terrible situation that graduating PhD students are put in, where they'll likely be stuck in a postdoc for 10+ years with no chance of advancement.

It's insane that 1/3 are graduating without a job in hand. Either we limit the number of PhDs we generate or we increase the available number of (academic?) positions [1].

[1] https://research.wisc.edu/biomedworkforce/wp-content/uploads... [2] http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/the-phd-...

[munin]

they know. there is no other path to the job that they want. what do you propose they do instead?

[otoburb]

The study surmises that they (PhD students) generally do not know:

We describe evidence of a “default” postdoc and of “holding patterns” that suggest a need for increased attention to career planning among students, their mentors, graduate schools, and funders.[1]

[1] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6286/663

[pkaye]

With the availability of information on the internet and their education levels, I have a hard time believing PhD students don't know about the job prospects. More likely they continue to believe that they will be the exceptional case.

[rwallace]

The same thing 99% of the human race does and always has done, and the 1% who are wasting their lives trying to become astronauts or movie stars should also do: accept that the job you ideally want is not available, and learn to enjoy a job you can get.

[munin]

tell that to start-up founders and people trying to be athletes as well

[rwallace]

My remarks were certainly addressed also, by the same logic, to people trying to become Olympic athletes. Founding a startup isn't quite the same, because there isn't so much a fixed quota of startups. It is possible to win without having to make ten thousand other people lose.

[munin]

you'll only find out for sure if you'll lose when you try. if you don't try, you definitely lose.

should we select movie stars, athletes, and professors at birth? via lottery?

[rwallace]

> you'll only find out for sure if you'll lose when you try. if you don't try, you definitely lose.

If you're going to follow that philosophy, you're better off buying a lottery ticket. They're a lot cheaper.

> should we select movie stars, athletes, and professors at birth? via lottery?

I'll bite that bullet. Partial allocation by lottery would be a lot less cruel and wasteful than the current system of full allocation by sacrifice.