I am in higher level education in the public university system. I used to view academia as a source of hope in society, and perhaps a progressive institution in someways, or some kind of source of hope with their supposed focus on science and research. After some years here, this “image” I had of academia has been shattered.
What are your perceptions of academia and research institutions, as Marxists?
Students doing “proper” research don’t care about the outcome, they’re just doing it to publish something and have it to their name. They think it’s required to go on to the next stage for your doctoral, or they think it will command them a higher salary in the industry. That’s not how it should be. I’m going to propose an ambitious project and I’m 99% sure will be rejected, because institutions don’t have profs who can “guide” people for actually engaging work, even though the “guidance” that they give is utter trash because they literally couldn’t care less about the research themselves. Academia feels like a career path where you go to get snug and settle for a smaller salary than the industry but benefit by having job security through publishing pseudoscientific bs every few months.