Latest / R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Talking About Money in Academia Feels Like Betrayal
As a professor, I live in a strange contradiction.
Students assume I’m wealthy.
Colleagues know how much free labor this profession demands.
The truth?
Professors could earn more in private industry. Many of us walked away from lucrative careers. I was a chemical engineer before academia — and I gave it up.
Why? Because there’s supposed to be more to life than money. But here’s the tension:
• If you admit money matters, you’re accused of betraying the profession.
• If you ignore money, you’re told you’re naïve.
• If you talk about both — the humanistic side and the financial realities —…
The skinny
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