prompt
listlengths 1
1
| completion
listlengths 1
1
| label
bool 2
classes |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I had such good intentions when I started my PhD that I was going to finally fully understand statistics. Now I’m at the data analysis stage and I’ve just got to do the stuff without fully understanding how the maths behind it works.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "You can only do what you can do. As philosophers and songwriters have observed, no one gets out alive. There is no official checklist to complete for the academic career roleplaying game. Despite all the cliches, life really is a journey and not a destination. Whatever you choose to focus on, make it count. On that journey wherever it takes you, try to make every one else's journey a little better.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I had such good intentions when I started my PhD that I was going to finally fully understand statistics. Now I’m at the data analysis stage and I’ve just got to do the stuff without fully understanding how the maths behind it works.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do!",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I had such good intentions when I started my PhD that I was going to finally fully understand statistics. Now I’m at the data analysis stage and I’ve just got to do the stuff without fully understanding how the maths behind it works.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Yes. I think about this a lot. I just try my best to learn as much as I can in the moment.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I had such good intentions when I started my PhD that I was going to finally fully understand statistics. Now I’m at the data analysis stage and I’ve just got to do the stuff without fully understanding how the maths behind it works.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Me every single day. I feel stupid all the time. In my field. But i know I’m not that stupid maybe (?)",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I had such good intentions when I started my PhD that I was going to finally fully understand statistics. Now I’m at the data analysis stage and I’ve just got to do the stuff without fully understanding how the maths behind it works.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I feel a lot of anxiety related to this. I also get very anxious about the need to circumscribe whatever it is I'm writing to a reasonable, cogent \"message\" – I keep seeing holes in everything I write and wanting to fix them. I mean, some of those gaps must be dealt with, but you also just have to say enough at times and leave things for the next paper/dissertation/presentation.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "You can only do what you can do. As philosophers and songwriters have observed, no one gets out alive. There is no official checklist to complete for the academic career roleplaying game. Despite all the cliches, life really is a journey and not a destination. Whatever you choose to focus on, make it count. On that journey wherever it takes you, try to make every one else's journey a little better.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do!",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Yes. I think about this a lot. I just try my best to learn as much as I can in the moment.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Me every single day. I feel stupid all the time. In my field. But i know I’m not that stupid maybe (?)",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I feel a lot of anxiety related to this. I also get very anxious about the need to circumscribe whatever it is I'm writing to a reasonable, cogent \"message\" – I keep seeing holes in everything I write and wanting to fix them. I mean, some of those gaps must be dealt with, but you also just have to say enough at times and leave things for the next paper/dissertation/presentation.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This is sometimes why I watch Groundhog Day on repeat. Imagine getting to do each day over and over again before we get it right? And what can’t we do that? Haha... besides the whole time dilation thing.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Yep, this is pretty much how I feel all the time. No matter how much I learn, there will always be so much I will never be able to learn if only because the limits of life expectancy. But I'll be damned if I don't try to fit in as much as I can in the mean time!",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "RELATABLE. struggling with the same this at this point i my life",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What's even stranger, is learning your professors, who are at the top of their field and extremely knowledgeable, are subject to the same lack of knowledge, because they simply forget. The reason why they keep telling us to read their articles, is because they wrote it down so they wouldn't have to remember. If they've since moved on in subject matter, they may not remember much of what they wrote. This is as true for us as it is for them. So with that understood, I've come to terms that the project of the the graduate thesis (and by extension academia), is the fine art of IDENTIFYING and WRITING only that which you are able to know. You can't know everything, so writing around what you know and don't know becomes the skill. Sorta like when I told my gf when she started a new job at a maddeningly byzantine organization: sometimes the meta-job IS the job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I'm only 23, I don't believe it yet",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "You can only do what you can do. As philosophers and songwriters have observed, no one gets out alive. There is no official checklist to complete for the academic career roleplaying game. Despite all the cliches, life really is a journey and not a destination. Whatever you choose to focus on, make it count. On that journey wherever it takes you, try to make every one else's journey a little better.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do!",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "You can only do what you can do. As philosophers and songwriters have observed, no one gets out alive. There is no official checklist to complete for the academic career roleplaying game. Despite all the cliches, life really is a journey and not a destination. Whatever you choose to focus on, make it count. On that journey wherever it takes you, try to make every one else's journey a little better.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this!",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Yes. I think about this a lot. I just try my best to learn as much as I can in the moment.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Sorry to hear this. As someone who nope-d out of academia pretty much after defending, I have mixed feelings about this, but they're mostly positive. There's a part of me that wishes that academia was what I dreamt it was, and a part of me that wishes I had succeeded, despite it being not what I had hoped. But I don't regret anything. I went to grad school because I loved science - not for the money (lol), or the prestige, but because I loved it as a way of acquiring knowledge and learning about the world. That's still true today, and it will probably be true my whole life. For me, that realization helped me overcome what I think a lot of people fear when they think about leaving academia: \"Will I ever be able to love something as much as this?\" And just like the ending of a bad relationship, despite my feelings to the contrary at the time, the answer is yes. But more importantly, it doesn't matter even if the answer is \"no\", because from what you describe, it doesn't matter how much you love academia, academia does not love you back.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "It doesn't even pay in prestige tbh. It's not like socially people give a shit whether you have a PhD or not. > Why did I do this to myself? It may have been a hard outcome to predict ex ante, or your risk management abilities may be lacking, or somewhere in between. There's no point now in punishing yourself for a decision you made years ago. tbh after 2 postdocs and 10 papers in mid-tier journals, I'd start looking at Plan B. At a certain point you should move on.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Sorry to hear this. As someone who nope-d out of academia pretty much after defending, I have mixed feelings about this, but they're mostly positive. There's a part of me that wishes that academia was what I dreamt it was, and a part of me that wishes I had succeeded, despite it being not what I had hoped. But I don't regret anything. I went to grad school because I loved science - not for the money (lol), or the prestige, but because I loved it as a way of acquiring knowledge and learning about the world. That's still true today, and it will probably be true my whole life. For me, that realization helped me overcome what I think a lot of people fear when they think about leaving academia: \"Will I ever be able to love something as much as this?\" And just like the ending of a bad relationship, despite my feelings to the contrary at the time, the answer is yes. But more importantly, it doesn't matter even if the answer is \"no\", because from what you describe, it doesn't matter how much you love academia, academia does not love you back.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I can relate. I found a decent position, but I've always kept my eye an the market and applied to the more \"dream\" schools since I've graduated. I only had one finalist interview at a \"fancy\" school. As usual, someone better connected than me with more pubs got the position. It's really rough out there. I can really relate to what your saying. My PhD experience was traumatic, and my advisor committed suicide when I was writing. I was almost booted from my program because the other major professor didn't like my topic. I was able to graduate super fast, but I think maybe only recently can I honestly say that it was worth getting the degree. Once of the things that I've had to do is branch out a bit into other areas of interest, and be flexible with the work that I do. Don't box yourself in to the tenure track only dream that gets sold to us. It's just not possible for most of us. Focus instead on what you can do creatively, and how you can make a living at the same time.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Sorry to hear this. As someone who nope-d out of academia pretty much after defending, I have mixed feelings about this, but they're mostly positive. There's a part of me that wishes that academia was what I dreamt it was, and a part of me that wishes I had succeeded, despite it being not what I had hoped. But I don't regret anything. I went to grad school because I loved science - not for the money (lol), or the prestige, but because I loved it as a way of acquiring knowledge and learning about the world. That's still true today, and it will probably be true my whole life. For me, that realization helped me overcome what I think a lot of people fear when they think about leaving academia: \"Will I ever be able to love something as much as this?\" And just like the ending of a bad relationship, despite my feelings to the contrary at the time, the answer is yes. But more importantly, it doesn't matter even if the answer is \"no\", because from what you describe, it doesn't matter how much you love academia, academia does not love you back.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Sorry to hear this. As someone who nope-d out of academia pretty much after defending, I have mixed feelings about this, but they're mostly positive. There's a part of me that wishes that academia was what I dreamt it was, and a part of me that wishes I had succeeded, despite it being not what I had hoped. But I don't regret anything. I went to grad school because I loved science - not for the money (lol), or the prestige, but because I loved it as a way of acquiring knowledge and learning about the world. That's still true today, and it will probably be true my whole life. For me, that realization helped me overcome what I think a lot of people fear when they think about leaving academia: \"Will I ever be able to love something as much as this?\" And just like the ending of a bad relationship, despite my feelings to the contrary at the time, the answer is yes. But more importantly, it doesn't matter even if the answer is \"no\", because from what you describe, it doesn't matter how much you love academia, academia does not love you back.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I can relate. I found a decent position, but I've always kept my eye an the market and applied to the more \"dream\" schools since I've graduated. I only had one finalist interview at a \"fancy\" school. As usual, someone better connected than me with more pubs got the position. It's really rough out there. I can really relate to what your saying. My PhD experience was traumatic, and my advisor committed suicide when I was writing. I was almost booted from my program because the other major professor didn't like my topic. I was able to graduate super fast, but I think maybe only recently can I honestly say that it was worth getting the degree. Once of the things that I've had to do is branch out a bit into other areas of interest, and be flexible with the work that I do. Don't box yourself in to the tenure track only dream that gets sold to us. It's just not possible for most of us. Focus instead on what you can do creatively, and how you can make a living at the same time.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "1. Go apply for industry jobs 2. Get an entry level job 3. Be happy when you see your first pay check that's double the money for less work",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This question is for OP and anybody who has completed a PhD program. What did/does your program do in regards to helping with job placement, making connections, etc.? I'm asking because several of the programs I'm looking at boast about high job placement, particularly in academia, post-PhD program. ... If it matters I have my MBA, and I'm looking at PhD in Business programs.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "1. Go apply for industry jobs 2. Get an entry level job 3. Be happy when you see your first pay check that's double the money for less work",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "1. Go apply for industry jobs 2. Get an entry level job 3. Be happy when you see your first pay check that's double the money for less work",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "1. Go apply for industry jobs 2. Get an entry level job 3. Be happy when you see your first pay check that's double the money for less work",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Surely you must have some teaching or research skills of some sort? Or did you go down the path in such a way as to avoid teaching at all costs? I know some who did this - one coworker in particular treated his TA work like a joke and his students rated him with 1's and 2's on RateMyProfessor. Regardless, setting aside community college, there's also high school. I know that many people sneer at it, but personally I hate the attitude that \"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.\" We've all had good teachers and terrible ones. Being one is the good ones is an accomplishment, whatever the level. But of course, a degree isn't just about teaching, and usually trains many skills. Perhaps you learned some coding or technical writing? It may just be that you're looking at the wrong jobs, or that your expectations are too high. Technical writing ability is valued in research and business alike. Coding and numerical skills, whether in python or excel or something else, can also be valuable. I'm sure you have some skills you can market. You may just have to go about it in a different way. Finally, it's also tough out there right now. The economy is sagging, partly due to covid. People are struggling. Don't go to hard on yourself.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "OP, please in no way take this as me being condescending in anyway. I just want to pass on what I have learned by *just* squeeking by into a TT position. 10 papers (unless they are all first author papers) is not enough to get into a TT position these days. I want to be clear that I think that paper count is an absolutely stupid metric to put the majority of a hiring decision on. If we're all being honest, number of papers is almost entirely correlated with how well funded and connected your group is, which of course you as an individual have very little control over. I fully acknowledge that I was extremely fortunate to be in a high output group and I know this is primarily the reason I have gotten this position. I just feel it's better to shoot you straight now and get an honest take. With all this said, I still fantasize about industry positions with their higher salary and normal work hours, so the grass is always greener. Edit: my context is through Chemistry. So apply the appropriate amount of salt",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This question is for OP and anybody who has completed a PhD program. What did/does your program do in regards to helping with job placement, making connections, etc.? I'm asking because several of the programs I'm looking at boast about high job placement, particularly in academia, post-PhD program. ... If it matters I have my MBA, and I'm looking at PhD in Business programs.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "OP, please in no way take this as me being condescending in anyway. I just want to pass on what I have learned by *just* squeeking by into a TT position. 10 papers (unless they are all first author papers) is not enough to get into a TT position these days. I want to be clear that I think that paper count is an absolutely stupid metric to put the majority of a hiring decision on. If we're all being honest, number of papers is almost entirely correlated with how well funded and connected your group is, which of course you as an individual have very little control over. I fully acknowledge that I was extremely fortunate to be in a high output group and I know this is primarily the reason I have gotten this position. I just feel it's better to shoot you straight now and get an honest take. With all this said, I still fantasize about industry positions with their higher salary and normal work hours, so the grass is always greener. Edit: my context is through Chemistry. So apply the appropriate amount of salt",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "If you want money, academia is the wrong place. You'll have much more financial success going corporate, but less freedom on what you want to do. It's hard, but you've just gotta weigh up on what you want more and if you want seriously higher pay that corporate is the way to go",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "OP, please in no way take this as me being condescending in anyway. I just want to pass on what I have learned by *just* squeeking by into a TT position. 10 papers (unless they are all first author papers) is not enough to get into a TT position these days. I want to be clear that I think that paper count is an absolutely stupid metric to put the majority of a hiring decision on. If we're all being honest, number of papers is almost entirely correlated with how well funded and connected your group is, which of course you as an individual have very little control over. I fully acknowledge that I was extremely fortunate to be in a high output group and I know this is primarily the reason I have gotten this position. I just feel it's better to shoot you straight now and get an honest take. With all this said, I still fantasize about industry positions with their higher salary and normal work hours, so the grass is always greener. Edit: my context is through Chemistry. So apply the appropriate amount of salt",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "OP, please in no way take this as me being condescending in anyway. I just want to pass on what I have learned by *just* squeeking by into a TT position. 10 papers (unless they are all first author papers) is not enough to get into a TT position these days. I want to be clear that I think that paper count is an absolutely stupid metric to put the majority of a hiring decision on. If we're all being honest, number of papers is almost entirely correlated with how well funded and connected your group is, which of course you as an individual have very little control over. I fully acknowledge that I was extremely fortunate to be in a high output group and I know this is primarily the reason I have gotten this position. I just feel it's better to shoot you straight now and get an honest take. With all this said, I still fantasize about industry positions with their higher salary and normal work hours, so the grass is always greener. Edit: my context is through Chemistry. So apply the appropriate amount of salt",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "OP, please in no way take this as me being condescending in anyway. I just want to pass on what I have learned by *just* squeeking by into a TT position. 10 papers (unless they are all first author papers) is not enough to get into a TT position these days. I want to be clear that I think that paper count is an absolutely stupid metric to put the majority of a hiring decision on. If we're all being honest, number of papers is almost entirely correlated with how well funded and connected your group is, which of course you as an individual have very little control over. I fully acknowledge that I was extremely fortunate to be in a high output group and I know this is primarily the reason I have gotten this position. I just feel it's better to shoot you straight now and get an honest take. With all this said, I still fantasize about industry positions with their higher salary and normal work hours, so the grass is always greener. Edit: my context is through Chemistry. So apply the appropriate amount of salt",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Surely you must have some teaching or research skills of some sort? Or did you go down the path in such a way as to avoid teaching at all costs? I know some who did this - one coworker in particular treated his TA work like a joke and his students rated him with 1's and 2's on RateMyProfessor. Regardless, setting aside community college, there's also high school. I know that many people sneer at it, but personally I hate the attitude that \"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.\" We've all had good teachers and terrible ones. Being one is the good ones is an accomplishment, whatever the level. But of course, a degree isn't just about teaching, and usually trains many skills. Perhaps you learned some coding or technical writing? It may just be that you're looking at the wrong jobs, or that your expectations are too high. Technical writing ability is valued in research and business alike. Coding and numerical skills, whether in python or excel or something else, can also be valuable. I'm sure you have some skills you can market. You may just have to go about it in a different way. Finally, it's also tough out there right now. The economy is sagging, partly due to covid. People are struggling. Don't go to hard on yourself.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "A friend of mine used to say that we'd committed financial suicide by getting PhDs. For whatever it's worth, you're not at all alone in being disappointed by what your graduate studies led to.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This question is for OP and anybody who has completed a PhD program. What did/does your program do in regards to helping with job placement, making connections, etc.? I'm asking because several of the programs I'm looking at boast about high job placement, particularly in academia, post-PhD program. ... If it matters I have my MBA, and I'm looking at PhD in Business programs.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This question is for OP and anybody who has completed a PhD program. What did/does your program do in regards to helping with job placement, making connections, etc.? I'm asking because several of the programs I'm looking at boast about high job placement, particularly in academia, post-PhD program. ... If it matters I have my MBA, and I'm looking at PhD in Business programs.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This question is for OP and anybody who has completed a PhD program. What did/does your program do in regards to helping with job placement, making connections, etc.? I'm asking because several of the programs I'm looking at boast about high job placement, particularly in academia, post-PhD program. ... If it matters I have my MBA, and I'm looking at PhD in Business programs.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "A friend of mine used to say that we'd committed financial suicide by getting PhDs. For whatever it's worth, you're not at all alone in being disappointed by what your graduate studies led to.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "If you want money, academia is the wrong place. You'll have much more financial success going corporate, but less freedom on what you want to do. It's hard, but you've just gotta weigh up on what you want more and if you want seriously higher pay that corporate is the way to go",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "A friend of mine used to say that we'd committed financial suicide by getting PhDs. For whatever it's worth, you're not at all alone in being disappointed by what your graduate studies led to.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "A friend of mine used to say that we'd committed financial suicide by getting PhDs. For whatever it's worth, you're not at all alone in being disappointed by what your graduate studies led to.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "A friend of mine used to say that we'd committed financial suicide by getting PhDs. For whatever it's worth, you're not at all alone in being disappointed by what your graduate studies led to.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Surely you must have some teaching or research skills of some sort? Or did you go down the path in such a way as to avoid teaching at all costs? I know some who did this - one coworker in particular treated his TA work like a joke and his students rated him with 1's and 2's on RateMyProfessor. Regardless, setting aside community college, there's also high school. I know that many people sneer at it, but personally I hate the attitude that \"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.\" We've all had good teachers and terrible ones. Being one is the good ones is an accomplishment, whatever the level. But of course, a degree isn't just about teaching, and usually trains many skills. Perhaps you learned some coding or technical writing? It may just be that you're looking at the wrong jobs, or that your expectations are too high. Technical writing ability is valued in research and business alike. Coding and numerical skills, whether in python or excel or something else, can also be valuable. I'm sure you have some skills you can market. You may just have to go about it in a different way. Finally, it's also tough out there right now. The economy is sagging, partly due to covid. People are struggling. Don't go to hard on yourself.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What you are describing is the result of the expanding federal granting program in STEM field that support doctoral student tuition and multiple post docs all overseen by a single TT professor. This was a cheap way to get the research done by talented but underpaid people. Since the TT professor is not retiring and universities are not expanding their TT faculty there are no jobs to absorb these talented people. The only thing to do is to find another place to use your talents and love of science. Try drug companies, journal editing and science publishing, science publications for the general public, start thinking out of the box. A former doctoral student of mine became a nurse. With your science background you could get your degree in about a year. Certain nursing fields, like nurse anesthetist, can make $200K+. There are Physicians Assistants programs. You may have to go back to school but there will be a job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "If you want money, academia is the wrong place. You'll have much more financial success going corporate, but less freedom on what you want to do. It's hard, but you've just gotta weigh up on what you want more and if you want seriously higher pay that corporate is the way to go",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What you are describing is the result of the expanding federal granting program in STEM field that support doctoral student tuition and multiple post docs all overseen by a single TT professor. This was a cheap way to get the research done by talented but underpaid people. Since the TT professor is not retiring and universities are not expanding their TT faculty there are no jobs to absorb these talented people. The only thing to do is to find another place to use your talents and love of science. Try drug companies, journal editing and science publishing, science publications for the general public, start thinking out of the box. A former doctoral student of mine became a nurse. With your science background you could get your degree in about a year. Certain nursing fields, like nurse anesthetist, can make $200K+. There are Physicians Assistants programs. You may have to go back to school but there will be a job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What you are describing is the result of the expanding federal granting program in STEM field that support doctoral student tuition and multiple post docs all overseen by a single TT professor. This was a cheap way to get the research done by talented but underpaid people. Since the TT professor is not retiring and universities are not expanding their TT faculty there are no jobs to absorb these talented people. The only thing to do is to find another place to use your talents and love of science. Try drug companies, journal editing and science publishing, science publications for the general public, start thinking out of the box. A former doctoral student of mine became a nurse. With your science background you could get your degree in about a year. Certain nursing fields, like nurse anesthetist, can make $200K+. There are Physicians Assistants programs. You may have to go back to school but there will be a job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What you are describing is the result of the expanding federal granting program in STEM field that support doctoral student tuition and multiple post docs all overseen by a single TT professor. This was a cheap way to get the research done by talented but underpaid people. Since the TT professor is not retiring and universities are not expanding their TT faculty there are no jobs to absorb these talented people. The only thing to do is to find another place to use your talents and love of science. Try drug companies, journal editing and science publishing, science publications for the general public, start thinking out of the box. A former doctoral student of mine became a nurse. With your science background you could get your degree in about a year. Certain nursing fields, like nurse anesthetist, can make $200K+. There are Physicians Assistants programs. You may have to go back to school but there will be a job.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Surely you must have some teaching or research skills of some sort? Or did you go down the path in such a way as to avoid teaching at all costs? I know some who did this - one coworker in particular treated his TA work like a joke and his students rated him with 1's and 2's on RateMyProfessor. Regardless, setting aside community college, there's also high school. I know that many people sneer at it, but personally I hate the attitude that \"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.\" We've all had good teachers and terrible ones. Being one is the good ones is an accomplishment, whatever the level. But of course, a degree isn't just about teaching, and usually trains many skills. Perhaps you learned some coding or technical writing? It may just be that you're looking at the wrong jobs, or that your expectations are too high. Technical writing ability is valued in research and business alike. Coding and numerical skills, whether in python or excel or something else, can also be valuable. I'm sure you have some skills you can market. You may just have to go about it in a different way. Finally, it's also tough out there right now. The economy is sagging, partly due to covid. People are struggling. Don't go to hard on yourself.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "If you want money, academia is the wrong place. You'll have much more financial success going corporate, but less freedom on what you want to do. It's hard, but you've just gotta weigh up on what you want more and if you want seriously higher pay that corporate is the way to go",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "What is it in? Can you go into industry?",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "If you want money, academia is the wrong place. You'll have much more financial success going corporate, but less freedom on what you want to do. It's hard, but you've just gotta weigh up on what you want more and if you want seriously higher pay that corporate is the way to go",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I do. I did have some good things happen but I am quite disappointed. It's not you, it's the system. You have to be at the right place on the right time. If you feel like staying in academia, take the admin route. Working in admin is more secure, gets you on track and later on you can move to the research side. Thee is no point in trying to get a goodjob in academia, the generations before us have occupied those positions and won't let go their good salary and pension.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "If you want money, academia is the wrong place. You'll have much more financial success going corporate, but less freedom on what you want to do. It's hard, but you've just gotta weigh up on what you want more and if you want seriously higher pay that corporate is the way to go",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Surely you must have some teaching or research skills of some sort? Or did you go down the path in such a way as to avoid teaching at all costs? I know some who did this - one coworker in particular treated his TA work like a joke and his students rated him with 1's and 2's on RateMyProfessor. Regardless, setting aside community college, there's also high school. I know that many people sneer at it, but personally I hate the attitude that \"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.\" We've all had good teachers and terrible ones. Being one is the good ones is an accomplishment, whatever the level. But of course, a degree isn't just about teaching, and usually trains many skills. Perhaps you learned some coding or technical writing? It may just be that you're looking at the wrong jobs, or that your expectations are too high. Technical writing ability is valued in research and business alike. Coding and numerical skills, whether in python or excel or something else, can also be valuable. I'm sure you have some skills you can market. You may just have to go about it in a different way. Finally, it's also tough out there right now. The economy is sagging, partly due to covid. People are struggling. Don't go to hard on yourself.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Have you considered breaking into consulting or investment banking? I've heard that PhDs in those industries are valued a lot.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way?",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "Don’t blame yourself, Covid destroyed the job market. Try looking at industry jobs.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I currently teach high school... We plan to be open face to face, once a kid gets COVID we're out for a week and anyone who was in class with that kid is out an additional week for quarantine... In a school with almost 2k students. Yeah, ok...",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I’m surprised that USA Colleges are having face-to-face classes at all. It’s a high risk activity considering the potential outcome. Here in Australia where we are in a lot better position regarding COVID we are expecting to teach remotely from day 1.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I currently teach high school... We plan to be open face to face, once a kid gets COVID we're out for a week and anyone who was in class with that kid is out an additional week for quarantine... In a school with almost 2k students. Yeah, ok...",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "My uni is gonna be all remote at least",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "I currently teach high school... We plan to be open face to face, once a kid gets COVID we're out for a week and anyone who was in class with that kid is out an additional week for quarantine... In a school with almost 2k students. Yeah, ok...",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This is the correct take.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "In all honesty; it's not going to happen. They *intend* to open, and they'd vastly prefer to open from a revenue perspective, but at the same time they're all quietly planning for the possibility (or, rather, probability) of online-only instruction. Eventually, they'll start acknowledging it.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "My uni is gonna be all remote at least",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "In all honesty; it's not going to happen. They *intend* to open, and they'd vastly prefer to open from a revenue perspective, but at the same time they're all quietly planning for the possibility (or, rather, probability) of online-only instruction. Eventually, they'll start acknowledging it.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | true |
[
{
"content": "My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ",
"role": "user"
}
] |
[
{
"content": "This is the correct take.",
"role": "assistant"
}
] | false |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.