# Why I will never go into science **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 27, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922 "2012-03-27T03:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/41 "2012-03-27T12:35:29Z")
> [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#): > > it’s like being in the Roman army; you will be forced to march along as one part of a cube, never being able to run to the front lines Well, for what it’s worth: [Roman Infantry Tactics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_infantry_tactics#Layout_of_the_triple_line) [QUOTE=Wikipedia] Layout of the triple line Once the machinery was in motion however, the Roman infantry typically was deployed, as the main body, facing the enemy. During deployment in the Republican era, the maniples were commonly arranged in triplex acies (triple battle order): that is, in three ranks, with the hastati in the first rank (that nearest the enemy), the principes in the second rank, and the veteran triarii in the third and final rank as barrier troops, or sometimes even further back as a strategic reserve. [/QUOTE] Ah, so we learn the men called the “hastati” ran to the front lines. Who were these [hastati](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastati)? [QUOTE=Wikipedia] They were originally some of the poorest men in the legion, and could afford only modest equipment — light armour and a large shield, in their service as the lighter infantry of the legion. Later, the hastati contained the younger men rather than just the poorer, though most men of their age were relatively poor. Their usual position was the first battle line. [/QUOTE] So, in the Roman Legions, the poorer and younger men – not the men who’d “been in the game longer” – ran to the front lines. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/42 "2012-03-27T13:07:25Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > That’s why I want to do Science! instead of science. I want to someday seriously say “they all laughed at me! But I’ll show them! I’ll show them all!” Plus, you get to blind people. With science. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/43 "2012-03-27T13:18:06Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > C’mon, don’t keep us guessing! Since you won’t deign to “go into” science, what field have you chosen? > > Lemme guess… Art? I’m guessing the fabulous, challenging, rewarding world of the food service industry. Amiright? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/44 "2012-03-27T13:18:13Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Just out of curiosity, is there a job that doesn’t involve at least a few of the above? Anywhere? Especially the ones I highlighted? OP, you go and look for a job that doesn’t match that description. If you find one, come back here and tell us what it is. Bonus points if it’s something that is not illegal. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/45 "2012-03-27T13:41:14Z")
> [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#): > > I will never go into science because I just couldn’t play that game. The problem with science is that it’s full of centuries-worth of beauracrucy, red-tape, ego, tradition, pomp, busywork, constraint, heirarchies, power struggles, ethical debates, and the like. If you go into science it’s like being in the Roman army; you will be forced to march along as one part of a cube, never being able to run to the front lines, always constrained by scientist who’ve been in the game longer than you have and don’t want their ideas/egos/beliefs/way of life/et al trampled on. You’re now part of a system that’s designed to take longer than it should, so everyone works enough hours and gets paid enough money. > > Screw it. He’ll never go into science? Yay!!! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/46 "2012-03-27T14:00:47Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > He’ll never go into science? > > Yay!!! Yes. There are too many people trying to go into science as it is, at least in physics and astronomy. It’s not easy to get a job as a professor in those fields. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/47 "2012-03-27T14:10:40Z")
> [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#): > > If you go into science it’s like being in the Roman army . . . On the scale of “professions I never thought of as being alike”, “scientist” and “Roman soldier” are right up there with “actuary” and “gigolo”. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/48 "2012-03-27T14:23:14Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Yes. There are too many people trying to go into science as it is, at least in physics and astronomy. It’s not easy to get a job as a professor in those fields. Bio isn’t any better- I’m on a faculty search right and it’s amazing how many applicants there are- and most really qualified. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/49 "2012-03-27T14:48:16Z")
Speaking as a biologist PhD student, I have to say first that the OP’s description is quite foreign to my experience, and second that I’m beginning to get phenomenally depressed when people start talking about the job market. I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago and overheard the following paraphrased conversation between two researchers: “He said, ‘it used to be that I was worried that my students wouldn’t be able to find an academic job and would have to go into industry. Now he’s worried that they’ll be able to find any job at all.’” “I used to be worried about my students being able to find a job. Now I’m worried about keeping my own.” For this I’m going through how many years of poverty? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/50 "2012-03-27T15:58:39Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > The Roman army marched in cubes? Yeah, they were to die for. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/51 "2012-03-27T16:00:00Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > On the scale of “professions I never thought of as being alike”, “scientist” and “Roman soldier” are right up there with “actuary” and “gigolo”. Nonsense. They both are concerned with figures. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/52 "2012-03-27T16:09:48Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Speaking as a biologist PhD student, I have to say first that the OP’s description is quite foreign to my experience, and second that I’m beginning to get phenomenally depressed when people start talking about the job market. > … > For this I’m going through how many years of poverty? I’ll tell you a dirty little secret. Your job prospects after graduation are not a function of how hard you worked or how much you sacrificed in school. You can’t work your ass off in college or grad school to get a guarantee of a good job after graduation. You will meet people who took school a lot less seriously than you did, who are making as much money and have as good working conditions as you do. It’s not fair, and it is not good, but as far as I can tell, it seems to be true. It took me until well into my thirties to figure this out. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/53 "2012-03-27T16:17:50Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > Never realized the connection between Romans and the Borg. It should’ve been obvious, in retrospect. From **Freddie the Pig** : > [@](#): > > On the scale of “professions I never thought of as being alike”, “scientist” and “Roman soldier” are right up there with “actuary” and “gigolo”. Wait, you guys, slow down! I’m re-writing a lot of lectures here. Man, Cicero never talked about this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/54 "2012-03-27T23:48:30Z")
I’ll never go into science because the cake is a lie. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/55 "2012-03-28T01:12:04Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > I’ll never go into science because the cake is a lie. Someone left the cake out in the rain. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/56 "2012-03-28T01:25:29Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Someone left the cake out in the rain. Well it’s no use crying over every mistake you just keep on trying till you run out of cake! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/57 "2012-03-28T01:35:06Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ll never go into science because the cake is a lie. It is not! There was cake in the physics department main office just this morning. Banana cake with chocolate chips. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/58 "2012-03-28T01:39:35Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > I’ll never go into science because the cake is a lie. no cake, pi. ---
**Author:** ![Heller\_Highwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@Heller\_Highwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heller_Highwater)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/59 "2012-03-28T01:56:45Z")
[Quote=Voyager] [Quote=Freddy the Pig] On the scale of “professions I never thought of as being alike”, “scientist” and “Roman soldier” are right up there with “actuary” and “gigolo”. [/Quote] Nonsense. They both are concerned with figures. [/Quote] Wait. I’m concerned with figures whenever I’m trying to get a paper ready for publication. Does this mean that the only logical conclusion is that Roman soldiers are like gigolos, or have I been doing science wrong all these years? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922/60 "2012-03-28T02:33:51Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > no cake, pi. [MMM pie.](http://www.weebls-stuff.com/wab/pie/) [Hopefully it’s not made of lemons.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt6iTwVIiMM) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-will-never-go-into-science/616922.md?page=4)