Too Few American Scientists? Maybe Not

An anonymous reader writes "We've been hearing about bad K-12 science education, too few American science and engineering students, and the real-soon-now employment nirvana in technical fields for, like, the last 20 years. The reality: rising undergrad enrollments and unemployment rates, long years as an underpaid postdoc for those who finish a Ph.D. The Chronicle of Higher Education article quotes Harvard economist Richard Freeman: 'They're not studying science,' he says, 'because they look and say, "Do I want to be a postdoc paid $35,000 or $40,000 at age 35, with extreme uncertainty working in somebody else's lab, and maybe getting credit for my work and maybe not getting full credit? Or would I rather be an M.B.A. and making $150,000 and hiring Ph.D.'s?"'"

Comments

Re:You're obviously not a foreign student

[maximilln]

There are two types of foreign students: those who are wealthy enough to be here on their own money and those who are well-connected enough to be here on our money.

In the first case we don't need any more spoiled rich yuppie brats, no matter which nation they're from, we already have plenty of our own. In the second case we have plenty of our own citizens who should be receiving the generosity.

Re:After 25 years in engineering I went elsewhere.

[maximilln]

I don't have to suck up to my boss because my industry is a meritocracy

Is that red lipstick you're wearing or is that the LSD-laced Kool-Aid on your lips.

Every company is a "meritocracy" just like every company only hires the "best and brightest". It's in the yearly pep rally.