It is a messed up system. People who actually make the society function are no longer valued. Forget the money, they are now being mocked by society BECAUSE they are not valued. This is ridiculuous. I looked at all of these "overrated careers" on this idiotic news page, and apparently all the careers that a society should value all "over-rated." I wander what's an under-rated career? The facts that these careers are considered over-rated means that this COUNTRY as a whole is becoming overrated. America is in decline. They should title their "careers that are overrated" feature as "The Decline of the Greatest Society in History."
I am with you scientists, physicians, paramedics, teachers, college professors/instructors and all the others whose careers are "overrated," I thank you for all your work, and for contributing to the safety and dvancement of society.
Georgeof NY11:43AM July 17, 2010
How tragic that in our society we value super models, and celebrities more so than educators, scientists, police officers, and healthcare personnel.
Back when i was a Paramedic in NYC i encountered the best and worst of humanity. We were frequently placed in physical, mental, and emotionally high risk situations in order to save or otherwise help our fellow human beings.
It was a low paying job at the time and still is when you consider the danger and "sacrifice" involved.
An acquaintance of mine, on the other hand, who worked in a safe, and comfortable work environment made anywhere from 5-30K in ONE DAY.
She was a Model who averaged a monthly income was around 15-20K for just a few days of work. In a year she cleared 6 figures even with an "unemployment" lapse of 2-3 months. She was offered the world by men and companies simply because she was beautiful.
It didn't matter that she was not very intelligent or that she never attended college and barely made it through high school. It didn't matter that she was egotistical, self absorbed and wouldn't lift a finger to help someone.
The only thing that mattered was her beauty.
Now at the age of 44 she is "retired". Having earned so much money during her teens through her 30's there is no need for her to ever work again- anywhere.
She married a wealthy stockbroker who manages her money since she has no idea how to do it herself. (lets hope he doesn't met a "younger model" and walk out of the marriage with all the money). She has, in her life, made 0 difference in the life of another human being.
Here I sit, in my 40's and unable to retire (though i wouldn't want to at this age anyway) and looking into another career change.
Ironically, years ago, i used to be envious of her but not anymore. Now i kind of feel sorry for her- though financially secure she is broke in so many other ways.
I, on the other hand, have always had a "purpose" my whole life and have had so many amazing experiences in the course of fulfilling that purpose. Though i am not financially rich, i am rich in ways that truly matter and are much more meaningful.
I have the essentials --- a wonderful home, a healthy family, the desire, health and strength to continue working in ways that will positively impact the lives of others
I don't want for anything and prefer to have few material possessions (much less cleaning involved).
It's so important for people to stop wanting less of what they don't have and to start appreciating more what they do have. Try it and believe me you will start seeing the world in an entirely different way.
Live for today, anticipate and prepare for tomorrow but don't become so fearful of not having a million $ in your 401k.
As long as you're healthy there's no reason why you can't work into your 70's and 80's. My grandparents did and loved every minute of it!
Their secret?:
1. They had a purpose
2. They loved what they did for a living.
JackieNeutronof TX4:45PM June 05, 2010
I have been either training for, or working as, a medical researcher for the last 20 plus years. Through a mixture of luck and determination, I have my own lab, a faculty appointment, some degree of autonomy (I am working from home today because I felt like it), government funding in an extremely competitive environment and (I like to think) the respect of my peers. My days are mostly interesting, challenging and, while I also need to attend to administration and less exciting aspects of running a research lab (like ethics applications, biosafety documentation and meetings etc.), on balance this a wonderful career. The only, but major, problem is the lack of a (financial) light at the end of the tunnel.
My lab is government funded. None of the competitive funds I have attracted with my research ideas and output go toward my salary, which is instead fixed at a standardized level by my university employer. There is no link between my income and my success as a researcher (other than a baseline achievement level required to keep my job) and so no incentive to work harder or smarter than my peers. Having achieved a BSc, MSc, PhD, two postdoctoral fellowships and competitive research funds and several awards, in my retirement I can look forward to a one bedroom flat somewhere in the cheapest end of the city for my partner and I. We make so little money between us that that we are both seriously considering leaving jobs we enjoy to address the financial realities of our retirement. Neither of us want this, but we may have little choice if we are aiming for financial security into our 80s or longer.
There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that denies successful scientists the opportunity to live and retire in a manner that reflects their high level qualifications, hard work and achievements. Now if I'd given the whole research game a miss in my 20s and become, say, a plumber....
Dr Dogorman1:37PM January 12, 2010
Well crap...what do I do now?
notebook_organizerof PA10:03AM November 24, 2009
Okay, this is something from someone who has been in this hole for 17 years of my adult life! If any young woman or man is reading this, please run away as fast as possible from a PhD in Biomedical Science. Research is a lot of fun; there aren't many jobs where people pay you to test your thoughts, even when those thoughts are sometimes foolish. However, it appears that this is not a job for people who value modesty. You will work with people with egos as tall as Mount Everest and, before you know it, they will suck you into this extreme ego worship. People doing Life Science research to solve problems are few and far between; most people do it simply to feed their ego! Some are so bad you dare not ask them to rethink their bogus ideas. Biomedical research is the best job in the world if only the charlatans could be removed. But they are so entrenched at the top it is almost impossible to remove them, and they are very good at reproducing themselves!
jamie3:39AM November 21, 2009
So, I agree that you can make more money. But there is not enough money in the world to make me want to do research. It is very lonely. Yeah, maybe you collaborate once in a blue moon, generally via email. Yeah, maybe you talk to your coworkers while interrupting an hour of silence. But there is little to no interaction when you think about the spectrum of jobs available. This is another reason scientists are generally poor at socializing, conversing, and communicating.
Secondly, you will spend your entire life discovering something that will most likely end up being insignificant. I agree that the more science that is done, the more progress we make. But there is a lot of garbage being published that is likely to help no one, and people spend years on it.
I will say that over the years I've met maybe a handful of people who truly belong in research. They love it for everything it is worth. They love discovery and are curious about things that people can't even fathom. But I am telling you the vast majority of people in the career got here because they are smart and wanted to do something prestigious. I can't tell you how many grad students, post docs, and professors complain about their jobs. I do not see a high level of satisfaction. What I will say is that there are a few people out there who LOVE it, but the majority don't. They got into this career for the wrong reasons.
haterof CO6:38PM November 13, 2009
Yes, the article is true. In fact, the experience can be much worse when you personally experience it. I've yet to meet a research scientist who is truly happy. On the other hand, I've met many clinical medical people who are happy. The dentists are the happiest. Although I like the idea of science and have made my fair attempt at it (more than fair), I wouldn't like to put my family through the suffering. Oh wait, I guess if I continued on a research path I may not have a family to worry about.... hm...
Ex-Researcher, Ph.D.of NY9:10PM October 16, 2009
While you may need to be more creative to find work it is not as bleak as this makes it out to be. Besides Medical Librarian, there are opportunities in patent law and intellectual property rights for PhD trained scientists. Post-docs are not especially difficult to secure but admittedly the pay is low, 35-45K/year.
I strongly disagree with the assertion that there is little contact with people. The days when long researchers toiled in the lab alone are over. Research teams and collaboration are the norm not the exception.
The big discovery is not what drives most scientists. Every week or every day little discoveries are made that propel the field incrementally further. These little things are what the big discoveries are built upon.
XX9:22PM July 02, 2009
While you may need to be more creative to find work it is not as bleak as this makes it out to be. Besides Medical Librarian, there are opportunities in patent law and intellectual property rights for PhD trained scientists. Post-docs are not especially difficult to secure but admittedly the pay is low, 35-45K/year.
I strongly disagree with the assertion that there is little contact with people. The days when long researchers toiled in the lab alone are over. Research teams and collaboration are the norm not the exception.
The big discovery is not what drives most scientists. Every week or every day little discoveries are made that propel the field incrementally further. These little things are what the big discoveries are built upon.
XX9:21PM July 02, 2009
While you may need to be more creative to find work it is not as bleak as this makes it out to be. Besides Medical Librarian, there are opportunities in patent law and intellectual property rights for PhD trained scientists. Post-docs are not especially difficult to secure but admittedly the pay is low, 35-45K/year.
I strongly disagree with the assertion that there is little contact with people. The days when long researchers toiled in the lab alone are over. Research teams and collaboration are the norm not the exception.
The big discovery is not what drives most scientists. Every week or every day little discoveries are made that propel the field incrementally further. These little things are what the big discoveries are built upon.
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George of NY 11:43AM July 17, 2010
JackieNeutron of TX 4:45PM June 05, 2010
Dr Dogorman 1:37PM January 12, 2010
notebook_organizer of PA 10:03AM November 24, 2009
jamie 3:39AM November 21, 2009
hater of CO 6:38PM November 13, 2009
Ex-Researcher, Ph.D. of NY 9:10PM October 16, 2009
XX 9:22PM July 02, 2009
XX 9:21PM July 02, 2009
XX 9:21PM July 02, 2009