What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists.
Lengthening doctorate and post-doctorate training allow science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Ph.Ds. to persist in high-intensity academic research environments at the cost of significant lifetime earnings. Using the largest longitudinal survey of U.S. Ph.D. recipients, I construc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285550 |
| _version_ | 1797802637526040576 |
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| author | Stephanie D Cheng |
| author_facet | Stephanie D Cheng |
| author_sort | Stephanie D Cheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lengthening doctorate and post-doctorate training allow science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Ph.Ds. to persist in high-intensity academic research environments at the cost of significant lifetime earnings. Using the largest longitudinal survey of U.S. Ph.D. recipients, I construct career paths for 135,599 STEM research doctorate holders over six job types and two employment statuses. Examining Ph.D. cohorts in four major STEM fields from 1950 to the present, I find evidence that the increasingly prevalent postdoctoral position allow STEM Ph.Ds. to remain in high-intensity academic research positions, albeit not necessarily on the tenure-track. However, these research opportunities come with an approximately $3,700 deduction in annual earnings per postdoctoral year. Taken together, STEM Ph.Ds. must weigh the non-pecuniary costs of remaining in academic research with this earnings loss to determine if postdoctoral positions are a worthwhile investment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:09:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-362182ffea9e4c809192c4fe7921dfeb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:09:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-362182ffea9e4c809192c4fe7921dfeb2023-06-16T05:31:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01185e028555010.1371/journal.pone.0285550What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists.Stephanie D ChengLengthening doctorate and post-doctorate training allow science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Ph.Ds. to persist in high-intensity academic research environments at the cost of significant lifetime earnings. Using the largest longitudinal survey of U.S. Ph.D. recipients, I construct career paths for 135,599 STEM research doctorate holders over six job types and two employment statuses. Examining Ph.D. cohorts in four major STEM fields from 1950 to the present, I find evidence that the increasingly prevalent postdoctoral position allow STEM Ph.Ds. to remain in high-intensity academic research positions, albeit not necessarily on the tenure-track. However, these research opportunities come with an approximately $3,700 deduction in annual earnings per postdoctoral year. Taken together, STEM Ph.Ds. must weigh the non-pecuniary costs of remaining in academic research with this earnings loss to determine if postdoctoral positions are a worthwhile investment.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285550 |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie D Cheng What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists. PLoS ONE |
| title | What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists. |
| title_full | What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists. |
| title_fullStr | What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists. |
| title_full_unstemmed | What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists. |
| title_short | What's another year? The lengthening training and career paths of scientists. |
| title_sort | what s another year the lengthening training and career paths of scientists |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285550 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stephaniedcheng whatsanotheryearthelengtheningtrainingandcareerpathsofscientists |