Linked Questions
14 questions linked to/from How hard do early-career academics in the United States work, really?
25
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Math Professors -- On average, how many hours per week do you think is required to gain tenure? [duplicate]
I have a question particularly for the math professors here. I just finished my second year as a PhD student at a top30 University, passed all my qualifying exams, and I've begun working with an ...
6
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2
answers
504
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How do academics (faculty members, PhD students, etc.) balance their work and life? [duplicate]
How do academics (faculty members, PhD students, etc.) balance their work and life?
I am a PhD student and I find myself spending at least 10-11 hours working everyday.
Sometimes even 10 hours is not ...
3
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0
answers
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What hours do researchers work in the Unites States? [duplicate]
After staying in a US university (specifically MIT) as a visiting scholar, a colleague of mine says that most of research labs are still working at midnight. I suspect that he is exaggerating. Don't ...
101
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8
answers
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Is it true that PhD students need to work 10-12 hours a day every day to be productive?
I hear a lot of people brag or complain about how many hours they have to work for their PhD. Is this the norm? And if so is this really a wise choice to make? Do students really 'work' during this ...
83
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10
answers
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Stay in academia or become professor without overworking, is it possible?
I am referring more to young scientists after the PhD than professors, although I am also wondering about people with a stable position.
I see many people overworking themselves, burning-out, being ...
79
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7
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Can I be a good scientist if I only work in working hours? [duplicate]
I am doing postdoc in developmental biology. Recently I started to leave work at the lab, meaning that I don't work at home anymore. Before I spent many hours at night (at home) analyzing my data; now ...
44
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12
answers
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Is it typical to work 60 hours per week as a PhD student?
I was wondering whether this was just a local phenomenon or it's the generally accepted status-quo around the globe.
Preface:
In my part of the world (German-speaking Europe), we have a terribly ...
66
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5
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Is it normal for professors to not have families or not spend time with their families over the holidays, due to pressure of work?
My sister is a professor. I was visiting her over Thanksgiving break and my father (who is also a professor) told me not to hang out with her because she had a grant proposal due. Is this normal for ...
30
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10
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How much vacation time is typical during a PhD in the United States?
What is the typical amount of vacation time, per year, during a PhD program in the United States. I am particularly interested in 1. PhD programs in the physical sciences, and 2. PhD programs at ...
58
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2
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How do we end the culture of “endless hours at work”?
In many of the research groups I’ve worked at or visited, there is a culture that endless hours in the lab equal successful researcher. (I am in a theoretical field, so requirement of long-running ...
12
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2
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How to arrange sabbatical leave?
Sabbatical leave is very common as it is nice to spend a year as a visiting professor in another university and experience a new environment.
It is very beneficial for the host university to have ...
10
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2
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Do interviews require taking vacation days?
When interviewing for a new position, is it common practice to count the days spent on interviews as vacation days?
It wouldn't seem unreasonable to count these as vacation days, except that I could ...
10
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1
answer
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Do academics actually work "full-time"?
My current postdoc position requires that I work 41 hours per week during a 5-day work week. As my first post-graduate position, I decided to take this seriously and actually track my hours. (People ...
2
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2
answers
420
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Feeling pressured to work
I'm a first year PhD student and the last month has been nothing short of a crucible of stress. I had to do 2 exams, wrote a 3k approval thesis, finalise my research objectives, plan the project and ...