Another nice reference for prospective science majors (skills, careers, salaries)

[Lou347]

Who Speaks for Early-Career Scientists? - Science Careers - Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Faculty, Postdoc jobs on Science Careers

The key point, he says, is that bright Americans "are turning away
from science as a career because it offers a life of tremendously hard
work, delaying all sorts of personal milestones--starting a family,
buying a home--" while providing "almost no future job security." Nor
does Mark foresee improvement anytime soon. Even when there are "spot
shortages in scientists with specific skills," he says, "the problem
can be quickly fixed," not by raising salaries or improving working
conditions--measures that would tend to make science a more attractive
career to able young people--but "by hiring from abroad."

A precarious pyramid
"One has to be skeptical of [senior] scientists who say we need to
educate [or import] more scientists, because they have a great self-
interest," says labor economist Paula Stephan of Georgia State
University in Atlanta. "More [scientists] means they have more people
for their labs."

Also see


No Mystery Why Americans Shun Science Careers - Brainstorm - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Scientist shortage? Maybe not - USATODAY.com

What Scientist Shortage? (washingtonpost.com)

[user_id]

The disconnect here is pretty simple, science and engineering are not generic jobs. Although there may be a shortfall for scientists in some area, that does not mean there is a shortfall of scientists in general. When companies speak about shortfalls they have very particular skills in mind, not generalities.