Do We Need to Train More Scientists?

Since I already questioned one conclusion of Thomas Friedman in a previous post, this seems like a good place to question another one.

His editorials constantly seem to urge us to increase our output of engineers and scientists. But an article in CNN's Money section suggests why we aren't likely to do that, at least for research scientists.

As the article points out, pay levels for research scientists remain depressed for years after they finish graduate school. On top of that, there are fewer positions than there are candidates.

This isn't a new situation. You'll find a detailed description of the problem in an essay by Jonathan I. Katz, a tenured university professor of physics. His article was written at the peak of the tech industry boom.

I'd suggest that the points raised by these articles tell us why students aren't becoming researchers. Students correctly realize that the opportunities remain very limited after an enormous effort in school. That's a bad combination.