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It& #39;s only hit me recently how much job insecurity contributes to my every-day stress, chips away at my #mentalhealth and overall hinders me science.
A thread.
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If you don& #39;t know me, I finished my PhD last year and started a postdoc
1/8
@AcademicChatter @PhD_Balance
A thread.
---
If you don& #39;t know me, I finished my PhD last year and started a postdoc
1/8
@AcademicChatter @PhD_Balance
I am lucky in that I got a 3 year position, so I have 2 years left. Except that means I need to apply for my next job in a year and therefore build up my assets NOW.
Not only is science competitive but I have a two-body problem: my partner is stuck in the UK
2/8
Not only is science competitive but I have a two-body problem: my partner is stuck in the UK
2/8
But UK science funding is forecast to tank after Brexit, and since I& #39;m French I will need a secure job to be able to come back to my family.
It affects me everyday, in everything I do:
I need my science output to not just be good. It needs to be remarkable and impactful
3/8
It affects me everyday, in everything I do:
I need my science output to not just be good. It needs to be remarkable and impactful
3/8
Given COVID I can& #39;t go to conferences to advertise my work, so as a young ECR I am less likely than ever to get my work noticed by my community.
Then there is science communication. It used to be a hobby of mine and still is, god I love it.
4/8
Then there is science communication. It used to be a hobby of mine and still is, god I love it.
4/8
But now I fear that I will "fail". At my hobby
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Side projects and social media DO take a lot of time and when it may have to become a source of income in the future, it is hard not to stress over it, not to see lower engagements (completely random) as personal failures.
5/8
Side projects and social media DO take a lot of time and when it may have to become a source of income in the future, it is hard not to stress over it, not to see lower engagements (completely random) as personal failures.
5/8
If my job wasn& #39;t insecure, I wouldn& #39;t be afraid to learn new things and potentially fail repeatedly before getting it right when working on a big science or #scicomm project.
But I& #39;m scared. I don& #39;t have much time.
If my job wasn& #39;t insecure, I wouldn& #39;t feel so devalued.
6/8
But I& #39;m scared. I don& #39;t have much time.
If my job wasn& #39;t insecure, I wouldn& #39;t feel so devalued.
6/8
Now don& #39;t get me wrong. I am very very very privileged.
But isn& #39;t it very telling that people at the highest levels of education and specialisation, who push the boundaries of human knowledge, still feel like the system doesn& #39;t care about them?
Late-stage capitalism is trash
7/
But isn& #39;t it very telling that people at the highest levels of education and specialisation, who push the boundaries of human knowledge, still feel like the system doesn& #39;t care about them?
Late-stage capitalism is trash
7/
I don& #39;t want this to turn into a socialist rant but you get the gist.
Anyways, if you feel the way I do, I see you. I& #39;m sorry.
If you support my work on here or elsewhere thank you. And when I respond to your tweets saying "it means so much", know that I mean ithttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏" title="Folded hands" aria-label="Emoji: Folded hands">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">
8/8
Anyways, if you feel the way I do, I see you. I& #39;m sorry.
If you support my work on here or elsewhere thank you. And when I respond to your tweets saying "it means so much", know that I mean it
8/8
