Dear Annelidans
The loss of marine invertebrate courses is symptomatic of the situation
today.
I developed my interest in the diversity of marine life as a small boy
rumaging around in rock pools. When I got to university (Wales, Bangor) and
took the course in "Invertebrate Form and Function" it confirmed that I had
made the right decision in choosing to study marine biology. Since then I
have completed a PhD and spent six years in Chile studying meiofauna on the
coast of the Atacama desert. All of this I have thoroughly enjoyed. Last
year, for reasons more personal than professional, I took the decision to
return to the UK. Since then I have been unemployed. Each day I get emails
from jobs.ac.uk, and depressing reading they make. If I was into
biotechnology and genetics I would be quids in, but I'm not. Few jobs require
the skills I have, fewer still are post-docs. It has been a frustrating 12
months and if I don't find a job soon I'm going to have to seriously consider
a career change.
Not because I want to, because I don't, but because I have to.
Biotechnology has hijacked the government sponsored research agenda.
Taxonomy and ecology would appear to be insufficiently lucrative.
Matt
--
Dr. Matthew R. Lee.
11 Briar Drive,
Heswall,
Wirral,
Merseyside.
CH60 5RW
United Kingdom
leemr at btopenworld.com
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