Scientist Shortage

I recieved this from ABC news mail this morning:

*Govt audit finds Australia facing scientist shortage*

A Federal Government audit has found Australia is facing a severe shortage of scientists.
The Department of Education and Science has found within six years there will be a shortage of 20,000 scientists and engineers.
Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training Julie Bishop says there needs to be a national framework to address the problem.
She says children and students must be encouraged to study in the field.
"We must increase the number of students going into teaching in these areas so we can increase the number of high quality teachers in our schools," she said.
"It will take a coordinated comprehensive effort across the nation and that's what I'm calling for.
"I am aiming for a national approach to science education across the country."

It is all very good and well to say we need more education in the sciences and that will encourage people to go into science when they get older. They have a problem though. That problem is that there is no reward for being a scientist. You work through school and then into undergraduate university then Honours and then a PhD. You are 21 at the end of undergraduate and more like 25 by the time you finish your PhD. You have been scrapping a living off of very little for 7-8 years by this time and you are looking forward to earning any money that might support a slightly better life style Then you can finall get a paying position as a postdoctoral fellow and ear $50 000 a year. That position will only last a few years (3 max mostly 2) then you will have to prove that you are a good little researcher so that you can get another Postdoc (Mostly it will be at another institute). If you are really lucky you will get a pay rise up to 55-60K a year. Your pay wouldn't be likely to rise above 90K a year, unless you are truely exceptional and get one of the 2-4 Federation fellowships that are offered each year. To get these though you would have to be in the top 0.01% of researchers and be increadibly highly recognised.

Lets contrast this with two other situations. An Engineer and a Tradesman. The Tradesman leaves Highschool at the end of year ten and starts in the trade earning a pretty abysmal wage, but they are still earning more than the people still at school. In their last yearof their apprentiseship they would be earning about 34 000 a year. After that as a fully qualified tradesman they could definately be earning between 50 and 70 thousand a year. So by the time a scientist leaves undergraduate uni the tradesman has been earning money for about 5 years and they earnings are up around 60 000 a year. The scientist still has a Honours year and a PhD to go (which will take between 4 and 6 years all up) while the tradesman continues earning maybe starting there own business and earning even more. This senario definately put being a trady as a much better option than being a scientist.

The next comparison between the Scientist and the Engineer you might think is more fair as both groups have to go through University. Neither then will be able to earn much in the way of money untill they have completed their Bachelors Degree. The engineer doesn't have to do a Honours year (though they could and it wouldn't hurt thier career) or a PhD and in their first year out they can be earning over $100 000 a year. My friend dave, his first job out of uni earned him $110 000 a year.

In conculsion if you want more scientists you need to make it an attractive option. Otherwise people will do degrees that will make them a living, or they will take up a trade. Given the options I think you would have to be crazy like me to want to do Science.