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Jun 06, 2023
acx

Highlights From The Comments On The Academic Job Market

58 min • 8,016 words • 103 comments • 75 likes • podcast (41 min)
Scott Alexander summarizes reader comments on his post about the academic job market, covering topics like hiring practices, historical context, and comparisons to other industries. Longer summary
Scott Alexander summarizes reader comments on his previous post about the academic job market. The comments provide additional information on academic hiring practices, historical context for the current state of academia, and comparisons to other job markets like programming and publishing. Many commenters offer practical advice for new PhDs, with a common theme being the importance of research and publications over other activities. The post also includes proposed solutions to academia's issues and numerous warnings about the difficulties of pursuing an academic career. Shorter summary
May 17, 2023
acx

Why Is The Academic Job Market So Weird?

9 min • 1,217 words • 506 comments • 201 likes • podcast (8 min)
Scott Alexander examines the strange dynamics of the academic job market, questioning why colleges prefer new PhDs for tenure-track positions and proposing potential explanations for this system. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the peculiarities of the academic job market, building on Bret Devereaux's analysis. He notes the split between well-paid tenure-track positions and poorly-paid adjunct positions, and questions why colleges prefer hiring new PhDs over experienced adjuncts for tenure-track roles. Scott proposes that colleges want both teaching and prestigious research, leading to a two-tier system. He speculates on reasons for preferring inexperienced hires and hiring from outside institutions. The post concludes by questioning why colleges don't hire everyone at a low level and then promote the most successful, and why there isn't more competition between colleges for established star professors. Shorter summary
Jul 24, 2017
ssc

Targeting Meritocracy

14 min • 1,877 words • 605 comments
Scott Alexander defends true meritocracy against misguided critiques, arguing for a system based on demonstrated ability rather than educational credentials. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to various articles criticizing meritocracy, arguing that these critiques often misunderstand the concept. He defines true meritocracy as positions going to those most capable, regardless of their background or education. The post argues that the current system, which heavily relies on educational credentials, is not truly meritocratic. Scott suggests that fields should focus more on demonstrated ability rather than formal education, using programming as a positive example. He emphasizes the importance of defending the term 'meritocracy' to maintain a clear alternative to the current flawed system. Shorter summary