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A comment on Goodbye Academia. Parent comment

Re:Goodbye Academia by santaclaus on Monday March 03, 2014 @09:59PM (#7338162)
So let's pick a mid-range public research university with mandatory salary reporting. I'm going to go with bio medical engineering at UNC Chapel Hill [1]. These cats are breaking 100k at associate professor. This is also just salary. Most profs I know take in another 30-40k a year between consulting, testifying as experts in court, etc. While 130 +/- 30k a year isn't going to catapult you into the upper echelons of the American elite, a guaranteed gig for life at six figures with benefits is hardly a bad way to live. Could these guys make more money in private sector? Sure. But they certainly aren't hurting either.

[1] http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/24/1011452/university-em...

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Re:Goodbye Academia by pseut on Monday March 03, 2014 @10:07PM (#7338186)
>Could these guys make more money in private sector?

Yes, maybe 5-7 times as much. The people you're talking about are exceptional. (How is UNC mid-range?)

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Re:Goodbye Academia by santaclaus on Monday March 03, 2014 @10:54PM (#7338367)
> Yes, maybe 5-7 times as much.

I do not think we are arguing here. My point is that good professors and good universities have a solid quality of life. Whether this reward system is the best for society in the long term is another question.

> How is UNC mid-range?

It ain't no Ivy.

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Re:Goodbye Academia by Fomite on Monday March 03, 2014 @11:52PM (#7338540)
> It ain't no Ivy.

...and I stop taking you seriously.

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