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Published on: 8/8/2008
Last Visited: 8/31/2008
Cindy Martinez, American Geological Institute
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"In general, the market is hot," says Cindy Martinez, who analyzes geoscience workforce issues at the American Geological Institute (AGI) in Alexandria, Virginia.
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This hiring and firing pattern is "totally cyclical," Martinez says.
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The lack of available academic positions has left geoscientists who aspire to faculty jobs in limbo, often stringing together several postdoc positions as they wait for openings, Martinez says.The percentage of geoscience postdocs "has really gone through the roof," with about 58% of Ph.D. graduates pursuing postdocs in 2005 compared with 40% in 1999.That trend may soon slow if a combination of strong industry salaries and weak academic opportunities pushes some students to leave graduate school early."We're seeing geoscientists in droves going into industry with master's degrees and not staying on for Ph.D.s," Martinez says.