Anybody that has read at least one post of my weekly column, knows I am not shy about giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Or in this case clearly pointing at the problems in the academic world. Alba seems to have taken this one step further and asks:
Why is no one in academia happy?
Dear Alba,
Believe me, I see where this is coming from, but this might be taking things a tiny bit too far, don’t you think? I mean: it clearly is not possible that *no one* is happy in academia. Just as it comes without saying that clearly not *everybody* was kung-fu fighting, if you know what I mean.
Perhaps you are talking too much with people that transitioned to industry jobs, and they cannot stop telling you how it is all rainbows and sunshine and chocolate fountains on the other side of the fence. Though, as I already pointed out, they might be slightly exaggerating in their assessment and they certainly won’t admit to you if they indeed are.
But seriously, if you feel that *no one* is happy around you, perhaps is just time for a well-deserved vacation. It may help you get some perspective on your current situation and how to improve it. Worst case scenario you get to have a Mai-Tai on a sandy beach, which is already a pretty good shot at happiness, if you ask me.
Yours truly
The Sassy Scientist
PS: I might need another Mai-Tai. This one was a tad low on…perspective.
