For many places, at least a masters or phd is the credibility doorway to do interesting work. By choosing not to get these credentials, you are also choosing to greatly narrow your opportunity in those lines of work.
Being able to do the work is figuratively 30% of the battle, whereas having the opportunity to do it is the real challenge.
College is expensive enough, and professors (but hey we call them "lecturers" so we can treat them horribly) earn nothing, but what is often forgotten is that a few years out of work can cost half a million bucks (or, for some people, far more) in opportunity cost.
A PhD is pretty much the minimum to be able to get much of anywhere in biology. In that context it's "don't do a postdoc, you'll never get a tenured position anymore".
Ugh. I agree that the exploitative behavior of some big name universities is horrible, but I don't at all understand how you from this conclude that "academia is over", and in turn from that that people should avoid doing PhD.
And you're right, I made three totally disconnected points albeit on the same area at least! Have done much worst in the past. I am sorry if I offended you or didn't explain myself much further.
Why is academia over in my opinion you ask?
Well, for one it's an overly saturated space, most of the folks doing a PhD go on to have very good career prospect's (of course thanks to the PhD in part).
But which percentage do stay in academia? Why not everyone with good ideas? It seems to me, it's a system like any other rigged for the rich and connected, who can afford a degree+master+phd, I guess if your parents are supporting you through it...
About avoiding doing a PhD, you can just read from all the people who was paid poorly, but since they needed the credentials, they went with it anyway's... As it stands right now, and much like everything that capitalism touches, Academia has gone to shit in standards in a few centuries from being the way of sharing knowledge, to being another way to manipulate and disinform the public.
I guess I would change my prior absolute statement to a more specific one, do a PhD only if you can afford the opportunity cost of not doing it and doing else more productive (for yourself or bank account at least)
And maybe academia is not over, but it's certainly in need of a shake up, and sadly as someone much more smarter than me once said:
> But which percentage do stay in academia? Why not everyone with good ideas? It seems to me, it's a system like any other rigged for the rich and connected, who can afford a degree+master+phd, I guess if your parents are supporting you through it...
There are several places where you can get a bachelor's and a master's for no tuition and with government support. Source: I did.
And there are several places where you can get paid decently to do a PhD. Less than an industry job, for sure, but definitely enough to get by just fine. Source: I did.
> About avoiding doing a PhD, you can just read from all the people who was paid poorly,
A PhD is not a set of courses to read. It's research training. It's doing research.
> but since they needed the credentials, they went with it anyway's
Where I live, nobody in their right minds would do a PhD for the credentials.
> I guess I would change my prior absolute statement to a more specific one, do a PhD only if you can afford the opportunity cost of not doing it and doing else more productive (for yourself or bank account at least)
Sure. I'd very much agree that a PhD often represents a lost opportunity cost, but that's something very different from the bleak picture that you paint (wherein only the rich and connected can do one without ending up in debt).
> And maybe academia is not over, but it's certainly in need of a shake up
OK, so, in summary: Academia isn't over, and PhDs aren't pointless. Literally nothing remains from your first comment.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/30/my-student...
I say fuck to those big name universities that pay peanuts to their most overexploited workers.
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Edited: no absolutisms is better
Do only a PhD if you're sure you can afford it.