Live data from Hacker News

Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

nature.com

91–100 of 242 posts

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this exactly the opposite of the current state? That the overwhelming power of Universities in the US is what spreads cultural and political movements? I think you could argue that the entire Woke enterprise is centered on Universities particularly elite ones.

> entire Woke enterprise How are you defining "Work enterprise"? Note: Work should be Woke. Error on my part.

No, no, I think GP means "Woke".

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#92

Universities are in trouble. I know of three that are unable to hire for senior and middle positions. They've been advertising for months. Here (UK), Brexit is partly to blame, along with post Cov19 fatigue, and aging population with many retiring. As I've said in other comments, the main problem is that academia has become hideously corrupted by "professional management" values leading to de-skilling as good people…

>unable to hire for senior and middle positions

As usual with these claims, chances are it's due to the fact that these positions don't pay enough to be competitive.

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#93

I'm surprised it took them so long to get fed up, reaching the mid-career level. I realized doing my PhD that all of academia is a toxic house of cards built on cheap grad student labor, foreign student tuition and grant beggary, and the false promise to students of at least an interesting (if not particularly well-paid) career. If it took you until mid-career to realize this . . . you weren't observant and I don't r…

>cheap grad student labor, foreign student tuition and grant beggary, and the false promise to students

Don't forget about those sweet, sweet tax-free endowment investment gains.

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this exactly the opposite of the current state? That the overwhelming power of Universities in the US is what spreads cultural and political movements? I think you could argue that the entire Woke enterprise is centered on Universities particularly elite ones.

Can you argue that is the source and/or the majority of the people? Maybe the views of a small number of academics have been amplified by those who have opposite political views and a dedicated audience

Not a Historian but it seems pretty clear that a lot of activism comes directly out of Universities. Berkeley is famous in that regard for example. These movements do tend to ripple across the country.

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#96
post #36

Here in the US, I expect a lot of K-12 teachers to be leaving the field. The additional demands created by Covid were the last straw for many. Their employment contracts are such that they have to give months of notice, so I expect all to be quiet until August, then panic everywhere as slots can't be filled.

(Public School) Teacher pay is largely structured to encourage retention. The salary is pretty lousy if you only do it for 2 years, but if you stick around for 40 years it is a well paying job in most States. The pay increases for seniority and the compounding interest of pensions add up to a very good salary. There is also the other problem that a lot of states require an education degree to teach in public schools…

It’s literally not structured to encourage retention, definitely not at the same school. Those salary schedules on district websites? Those are for new hires. So someone with 40 years of experience in one school will be paid less than someone hired with 40 years. Raises aren’t at all guaranteed each year and even when you do get them, they often don’t match the salary schedule of someone hired new to the district.

Also 40 years of experience doesn’t pay much in general. I was paid more as a new associate developer than I would have with 40 years of experience and a masters degree as a teacher.

Pensions don’t have compounding interest, they are defined benefits. And often they are in place of social security (though the amount you pay in as a teacher is basically equivalent to social security taxes). They can be good, but it’s risky and depends on the state. Lots of states like to raid the pension fund and then promise to make it up later (but rarely do). Cutting pensions is also a popular move to score political points, so it’s possible that you could always end up with little to nothing by the time you retire.

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#97

Universities are in trouble. I know of three that are unable to hire for senior and middle positions. They've been advertising for months. Here (UK), Brexit is partly to blame, along with post Cov19 fatigue, and aging population with many retiring. As I've said in other comments, the main problem is that academia has become hideously corrupted by "professional management" values leading to de-skilling as good people…

I don't know about other parts of the UK, but I interviewed for some (senior) lecturer positions last year and the salary was a joke by London standards. I'm not comparing to lofty SWE salaries here, but just compared to what it takes to make a decent living in London.

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#98
post #61

In the UK at least there is huge discontent about the recent pension cuts. The salaries already suck (especially in a technical field such as CS), but a 40% cut to pensions as a reward for the efforts put in to handle COVID is just too much.

The salaries suck but this is the UK. If you’re in the correct social class to be an academic you should have your own independent means, and use your academic salary as nothing more than rent for the townhouse you’re staying in while away from your country estate. /s (Somehow this is both sarcasm and the literal situation of people I know.)

[deleted]

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#99

Not sure I count as mid career yet(graduated 2018, starting PhD 2022) but I can certainly echo the sentiment. I work in life sciences academia and if it were not for me leaving for school I 100% would be swapping to industry. I’m even quitting a bit earlier than anticipated because I’m fed up. I’ve been getting a lot more recruitment outreach this spring, some good some bad. The biggest thing is that they’re offering…

Mid-career would be associate professor or equivalent in non-teaching institution, where you begin to establish your own group, and have your own doctoral fellows.

A postdoc/research associate would be early career researcher, where you still are a member of a research group, but might have bachelor's and master's students under your supervision.

Re: Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?

#100

Universities are in trouble. I know of three that are unable to hire for senior and middle positions. They've been advertising for months. Here (UK), Brexit is partly to blame, along with post Cov19 fatigue, and aging population with many retiring. As I've said in other comments, the main problem is that academia has become hideously corrupted by "professional management" values leading to de-skilling as good people…

>unable to hire for senior and middle positions As usual with these claims, chances are it's due to the fact that these positions don't pay enough to be competitive.

Maybe, but UK universities don't have much headroom. They can't raise their student fees past the government set level; the government funding per student has decreased; only the oldest institutions have massive endowments; and they don't spend crazy amounts on sport, admin or pampering students.

Some of them can try to squeeze their student base a bit more (increase accommodation prices, reduce subsidies in the food halls, etc) but the students don't have access to private loans so they can't afford much.

Post reply on HN