Tevatron To Shut Down At End of 2011

universegeek writes "It appears Fermilab's Tevatron will be shutting down by the end of 2011. Rumors confirmed today at the ISP220 conference say that the DOE denied further funding for the project. Looks like the LHC is our only hope in the hunt for the Higgs after all."

Comments

Re:Modern world has its priorities wrong

[Chris Burke]

If there were prospects for a young engineer from Oxford, maybe I wouldn't have done what most of the other engineering students did. I think it took one term before everyone realised you can work your ass off for decades designing stuff and getting paid peanuts, or you can work your ass off for a few years designing derivatives and get paid ten times that. Who in their right mind wouldn't go for the gold? That's what society is telling young engineers to go do.

Um, I may be getting paid peanuts compared to you hot shots in finance, but it's a pretty damn comfortable living, and I love the work both because it's challenging and because I'm making things that are real. Being able to actually go out and buy a ridiculously complicated achievement of technology, that I helped design, is very gratifying.

So to me your question sounds like "Who in their right mind doesn't prioritize making the maximal amount of money over making as much as they need and then some and enjoying what they do?" and the answer would be "Everyone who is in their right mind." Not to presume you don't enjoy what you do. But it strikes me as crazy to give up something I love and can make a good living at, for something I don't because it has a bigger payoff.

I can still completely understand what you're saying about where we as a society are directing young potential engineers. It's society itself that equates money with worth and tells people that they're suckers for merely being able to buy a nice home and car (and computer) instead of the bestest home and car. And we show them through actions that the engineers are disposable, and the financial analysts indispensable. Because the latter make more money and are thus more worthy.