We’re all familiar with the archetypal ‘broke uni student’. They live off two-minute noodles, whinge about the cost of expensive textbooks and party until 3 am. I’ve even heard it said that poor uni student days are a rite of passage: everyone goes through them and it is just part…
In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel I should begin by stating that I am an academic editor. However, I am also a published academic. My field is Australian Indigenous history. In writing about the importance of academic editing, I am speaking as an academic with insider knowledge: as someone who…
Next to tuition, textbooks are one of the dearest expenses a university student will face. University-prescribed textbooks are the cornerstone of the textbook industry—a USD14 billion industry in the United States, and a AUD400 million industry in Australia. The price of textbooks has risen fifteenfold since 1970 and the average…
It’s Time for One of Those Seminars There comes a time in your career when you start attending grant application seminars. Often, these are put on by the university, and are filled with bright-eyed, bushy-tailed researchers just bursting with ideas they want to get funded. Picture this … the room…
Eleven years ago, I moved from Australia to the United States. The move required me to look for a new job. I had completed my laboratory-based PhD a year and a half prior to this. During my study, I realised that a career in research was not for me. I…
Are you currently completing, or about to start, a three-year undergraduate degree? Are you thinking about postgraduate studies in the future, but not completely sure if you want to undertake a career in research? Completing an Honours degree might be the right choice for you! What is an Honours degree?…
You’re probably familiar with the term ‘brain drain’. It refers to the loss of expertise and talent of Australia’s best and brightest minds as they are drawn abroad to find work (and much-needed funding) in their field. In 2016, News Corp Australia reported that one of Australia’s top four leading researchers…
Flexibility Working casually as an academic is somewhat flexible, particularly in research work, when hours can be put in around other commitments. ‘It was great at the time … I could work whatever hours fitted in with my family responsibilities. I could leave early to pick my daughter up from…
‘What are we going to do with you?’ said my supervisor, tapping at the table with his pen. ‘There’s no job for you here.’ I stared at my hands. I knew there was no job, nor the likelihood of a future job. In fact, I didn’t know if I even…
Carers returning from maternity leave or other career breaks often need to rebuild their networks, refresh their knowledge and reinvigorate their enthusiasm for their career. Conference attendance is a vital part of a professional career. But caring responsibilities can make it difficult or, at the least, financially very expensive to…