I wanted to go into academia but I don't have the balls. Now I'm at the cusp of graduation and unsure of what my options are.
I'll be finishing up my undergrad at the end of the month barring any unfortunate surprises. I will graduate with a fairly high GPA (although nothing too special) from McGill with a bachelors in Biology. I've always loved the idea of academia, but for the last year I've been reading articles that practically plead for me to stay away. My past considerations have focused around research, but med school and bio/biotech industry have also crossed my mind. There's also a whole world outside of science that I've never really considered. I've dabbled in graphic design in high school. It was really fun, but I always figured that I would make a better academic. I'd imagine most jobs I'd be interested in would involve reading/learning, information analysis, and stuff like that. I think I'm fairly well versed at communication, both written and spoken, but probably rusty in both in non-academic contexts. Honestly I do care about money. I expect to work hard, and I expect to be paid well for what I do. I'd also like to be paid for my expertise, not just for 'doing things.'
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posted by Strass
on Apr 6, 2013 -
14 answers
Wondering whether I should go for the PhD that I wanted when I went back to school, or whether it's more sensible to stay where I am and do a Master's first.
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posted by Scientist
on Jul 1, 2012 -
18 answers
How do you begin academic research? I'm abroad, trying to build connections, but I'm falling apart—what exactly does 'research' entail and how do I go about starting it? Expanded dumb confusion inside.
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posted by Papagayo
on Mar 25, 2012 -
13 answers
I'm not an academic, not trained in the art of research, and I could use some guidance. I need advice on how to identify and track down sources for a multi-year exploration of a topic.
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posted by croutonsupafreak
on Dec 7, 2010 -
23 answers
What are your tips and tricks for sustaining momentum and focus during longer-term research and writing projects?
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posted by oinopaponton
on Nov 13, 2010 -
6 answers
What is the best hardware/software system for keeping track of a) hundreds of academic papers in PDF form and b) my handwritten notes on these hundreds of papers? Bonus if the answer integrates with some sort of citation management software.
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posted by col_pogo
on Nov 24, 2009 -
10 answers
Academics, Researchers, and Writers: What software do you use for creating the graphics that accompany your journal (or mainstream) article submissions? I know this will be different depending on the topic, field, and journal. I'm trying to get a feel for the full range of choices.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow
on Oct 15, 2009 -
34 answers
Are there any academics who specialize in criticizing/studying academia? What are their names?
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posted by Dr. Send
on Feb 25, 2009 -
27 answers
I am looking for examples of 3D virtual environments created in a Wikipedia-like manner.
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posted by badstone
on Feb 14, 2008 -
9 answers
Researchers, academics, and readers: how do you deal with taking notes, recording passages, keeping a common-place book, and reading long books? What is your note-taking workflow?
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posted by josh
on Jan 19, 2006 -
30 answers
