Fermilab Users Meeting Particle Physics Career Satisfaction Survey

Gender, year of birth, marital status, family status, and academic history

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1. What is your gender?    Male Female

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2. What is your marital status? (please choose one) Married Significant other Single Divorced/Separated Widowed

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3. What is your (four-digit) year of birth?

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4. If you have children, please give the (four-digit) years they were born (otherwise leave blank):

Child#1

Child#2

Child#3

Child#4

Child#5

Child#6

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5. Please give a brief history of your work
(leave irrelevant fields blank, and express years with four digits. For your current position, leave "End Year" blank):

	Start Year	End Year
Undergrad
Grad
Postdoc #1
Postdoc #2
Research Scientist
Assistant Prof.
Associate Prof.
Prof.

Perception of job, work performance, and work environment (remember, the survey is completely anonymous, so please be as forthright as possible in your responses)

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6. Please rate your level of happiness with your current work situation (please choose one) very unhappy unhappy somewhat unhappy neither happy nor unhappy somewhat happy happy very happy

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7. How many hours do you currently work per week, on average?

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8. In your opinion, how many average work hours per week ideally achieves a good work-productivity/private-life balance?

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9. How do you perceive your work effort relative to that of your peers? (please choose one) I work a lot less hard I work less hard I work about average I work harder I work a lot harder

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10.(a) How many editorial boards have you served on in the past five years?
10.(b) How many committees (not EB's) have you served on in the past five years?
10.(c) How many presentations have you made at physics conferences in the past five years?

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11. Do you consider yourself to be currently in the "academic pipeline?"
ie; are you on a career track that (theoretically at least) can ultimately end in a tenured professorship at a research university? (please choose one) yes no

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12. Do you think it likely that you will attain a tenured professorship at a research university in the future? (please choose one) have such a position now very likely somewhat likely somewhat unlikely very unlikely

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13. Do you ever consider leaving particle physics to take a job in the private sector? (please choose one) never infrequently somewhat frequently very frequently

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14. Five years from now, do you think you will still be working in particle physics (either in the academic pipeline or not)? (please choose one) very unlikely somewhat unlikely somewhat likely very likely

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15. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: "My boss/supervisor/advisor/institute actively fosters my career success in particle physics" (please choose one) strongly disagree somewhat disagree ambivalent somewhat agree strongly agree

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16. Do you agree or disagree with these statements:

• "If I took a job in the private sector, I feel I could probably return to particle physics if I changed my mind after SIX MONTHS"
  (please choose one) strongly disagree somewhat disagree ambivalent somewhat agree strongly agree
  
• "If I took a job in the private sector, I feel I could probably return to particle physics if I changed my mind after a COUPLE OF YEARS"
  (please choose one) strongly disagree somewhat disagree ambivalent somewhat agree strongly agree

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17. If (theoretically, and also as either a male or a female) you wanted to TAKE AN UNPAID LEAVE-OF-ABSENCE to care for a newborn baby or seriously ill family member, how much leave do you think you could realistically take and still have the support of your employer/supervisor/advisor, and also still have your career track completely unaffected (except delayed by the amount of leave you took)? (please choose one) no time off less than three weeks three weeks to six weeks six weeks to three months three months to six months six months to one year one year to two years more than two years

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18. If (theoretically, and also as either a male or a female) you wanted to WORK PART-TIME to care for a newborn baby or seriously ill family member, how long do you think you could realistically do this and still have the support of your employer/supervisor/advisor, and also still have your career track completely unaffected (except delayed by the cumulative amount of lost work time)? (please choose one) none less than three weeks three weeks to six weeks six weeks to three months three months to six months six months to one year one year to two years more than two years

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In the following two questions please check all that apply... to select two or more, hold down control key (command key on a Macintosh) while clicking mouse with some browsers you don't need to hold down the control key to make multiple choices

19. What things do you LIKE about particle physics?
(click all that apply)

Interesting work/intellectually stimulating "I love physics" Good pay Prestige of working in physics academia Flexible work hours Competitive work environment Opportunities to travel Enjoy teaching/mentoring Joy of discovery "Freedom to work on projects that interest me" Low stress work environment Able to have a good balance of work and private life Challenging work Many opportunities for leadership Supportive work environment Job stability Lots of available jobs

20. What things do you currently NOT LIKE about particle physics, either specific to your personal situation, or in general?
(click all that apply)
NB: most of these "dislikes" are quotes taken from responses to a previous survey

Two-body problem makes finding a job difficult Have to travel too much Have to move too often for jobs/impermanence of jobs Lack of jobs in geographically appealing places General lack of jobs Visa problems complicate getting a good job Takes too many years to ultimately get tenure Lack encouraging mentor and/or positive role models Too little direct involvement with people in day-to-day work Many people in field seem really unhappy Field is too conformist Traditional definition of "successful career path" in particle physics is too rigid Funding for research is hard to get Don't look forward to spending rest of life writing grant proposals Poor wages Long hours Inflexible work schedule Job is too stressful Work is too challenging/feel inadequate Too many meetings Have to serve on too many committees Dislike having to teach or mentor Work doesn't directly benefit society/humankind Poor family-life/work balance Not enough time for hobbies and private life "No matter how hard I work, it is never enough" Feel too much pressure to be "a leader" Field too competitive/cut-throat/back-stabbing Hostile work environment "I hate my supervisor/boss" Job duties monotonous Find the available jobs in the field uninteresting Lack of gender diversity in field is unappealing Perception of an "old boys" network Want to start a family, but leave options and/or part-time work options are nonexistent or poor Sexual harrassment Perception of subtle or overt gender discrimination, experienced by self or others Perception of subtle or overt parental-status discrimination, experienced by self or others Other form of subtle or overt discrimination (race, etc)