FLICKR, EASYLOCUMOne lasting effect of the great recession of 2008 is the now unemployed baby boomers, who were either forced into early retirement or outright saw their jobs disappear. Left in employment limbo of being “too old to hire but too young to retire,” the 55+ crowd—who, at one time made up about 40 percent of the workforce—was left with the almost impossible task of competing with the 20-something college graduates.
But what of the academic sector? Is the perception that tenure protects the academic elite from the harsh realities of life in private enterprise, based in reality? Indeed, at age 91 Leon Lederman still commands respect as an active scientist, as do Eric Kandel (84), James Watson (85), and E.O. Wilson (84). While most researchers do not have the high-profile credentials of these science luminaries, nevertheless many academics continue to contribute to their fields well into their so-called retirement years, their productivity keeping them safe from forced retirement through post-tenure review processes. What happens, then, to the 20-somethings looking for those elusive research positions and coming up short-changed because of reluctance by senior faculty and administrators to hang up their lab coats?
Research positions, even ...
