Salaries of PhD students and postdocs in many countries are extremely low and career prospects are very grim. How can one think of convincing the best minds to stay in research, under these conditions?
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Generally the people I've met in this situation aren't working for the money but for the love and passion of exploration, knowledge and making society a better place for their children / grandchildren.
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That’s great and all but what happens to those who can’t figure out or manage ways to make the monetary side of things work?
Just because it’s “passion” doesn’t mean you can keep exploiting people’s labor like this. Half my graduate training was spent on bullshit tasks.
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Don't get me wrong, I don't support businesses / owners exploiting people's labor. Especially in our economy right now where people have to charge basic essential items just to eat each day.
I would encourage anyone who is struggling right now to look at side gigs in this...
...economy to help with monetary issues, etc. One of the things I did was quit my job in DC and started my own business and I haven't looked back since (and I don't even have a graduate degree). I would encourage anyone to find something they are passionate about and find ways ..
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... to increase their income by exploring contract work, side gigs, etc. Anyway, best of luck to you! I'm sorry if you are struggling right now.