I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here, in more ways than one. I’m sure there are other factors involved, but simply the fact that the path to an academic career involves a period of semi-nomadic existence must discourage a lot of people, especially if they feel a biological clock ticking. Add to that the fact that postdocs are often treated as junior researchers, incapable of pursuing their own ideas, and forced to work on a faculty-member’s pet project until they achieve tenure themselves (at which point they can enforce their pet projects on the next generation of postdocs), and the academic career path doesn’t look so wonderful.

I can’t help feeling that this deals a double-blow to the progress of science. Large numbers of innovative young people (including women and minorities) are discouraged from pursuing a research career, reducing the diversity of ideas being studied. And those young people who make it through the system often can’t do the work they want until they are in their mid-late 30s, and are no longer the young, innovative people science needs. It’s no surprise that Einstein did his most ground-breaking work while employed in a patent office rather than a university.

Well yeah, except for the fact that they were too busy working (and society pretty much demands that they be too busy working) to actually spend time with their kids. They very likely miss their kids’ first smiles, first steps, first words. But other than that, no issues whatsoever. Nope.

Yeesh.

The lousy job market kept my wife at home with our son for three years while I took class overloads. I envied her every day as I drove away from the house.

JIM