How bad is the theory market really? Can you say anything concrete about it?
Theory market
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The biggest problem is that you cannot place down. The lower rank you go, the lower demand for theorists there is. LRM schools do not hire theorists, period. So you are either a star or ending up unemployed. Plus, you don't have industry as a back-up.
Conclusion: if you are a genius, it is not a problem. Otherwise it is as bad as rumors go -
I was on the theory market two years ago, I had good pubs.
In my opinion, I was the 10th-15th best theorist on the market that year. I ended up at a place ranked around 100. There were maybe two or three more people that took lower ranked US academic jobs that year. I'd say there are no more than 15 US theory jobs in a normal year and 8 of those will be at top 20 schools.
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The biggest problem is that you cannot place down. The lower rank you go, the lower demand for theorists there is. LRM schools do not hire theorists, period. So you are either a star or ending up unemployed. Plus, you don't have industry as a back-up.
Conclusion: if you are a genius, it is not a problem. Otherwise it is as bad as rumors goWhy don't theorists have industry as a back-up?
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The biggest problem is that you cannot place down. The lower rank you go, the lower demand for theorists there is. LRM schools do not hire theorists, period. So you are either a star or ending up unemployed. Plus, you don't have industry as a back-up.
Conclusion: if you are a genius, it is not a problem. Otherwise it is as bad as rumors goWhy don't theorists have industry as a back-up?
Industry hates theorists. It has nothing to do with theorists abilities.
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The biggest problem is that you cannot place down. The lower rank you go, the lower demand for theorists there is. LRM schools do not hire theorists, period. So you are either a star or ending up unemployed. Plus, you don't have industry as a back-up.
Conclusion: if you are a genius, it is not a problem. Otherwise it is as bad as rumors goWhy don't theorists have industry as a back-up?
Industry hates theorists. It has nothing to do with theorists abilities.
I should add except for thetech sector, where theorists can find a home, but then you almost have to be a star to land those as well.
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The biggest problem is that you cannot place down. The lower rank you go, the lower demand for theorists there is. LRM schools do not hire theorists, period. So you are either a star or ending up unemployed. Plus, you don't have industry as a back-up.
Conclusion: if you are a genius, it is not a problem. Otherwise it is as bad as rumors goWhy don't theorists have industry as a back-up?
Industry hates theorists. It has nothing to do with theorists abilities.
I should add except for thetech sector, where theorists can find a home, but then you almost have to be a star to land those as well.
As far as I know most tech companies want people who do empirical work (I do not know any that really wants a theorist as a theorist). You might get a better chance as a theorist if you also do some empirical stuff, though having a theory JMP and being identified as a "theorist" still hurts you