If Airlines were armies, United and Lufthansa would be invincible. Their meals betray it -you know, the stronger an army, the worse the food it distributes. I am just out of a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, and not only all my bones are complaining, but my stomach is sending me serious SOS signals: of course, since after close examination of the provided chicken dinner, I bailed out.
If you are still deciding on what career to undertake and you like to travel with class and comfort, do not pursue Science. Scientists -most of them, at least- get to travel a lot, but the default is economy class. Which is fine for short flights, of course, but it does affect your well-being on long intercontinental flights. I have friends who took on a career in finance, others who got a job in Brussels at the EC, still others who became politicians. And they not only all make more money than I do, but they also travel quite more comfortably, in business class. Evidently, our society thinks that being a Scientist is a mission, and that we do it for the glory.
Of course, I should avoid complaining about wage and benefits. Science IS a mission, and I would do what I do even if they did not pay me a salary. The real benefit is not a business-class ticket: it is to know, deep inside, that you are following the narrow path which has lead humanity out of the dark ages, and which might make us reach goals which are unthinkable now. Plus, collider physics is just way cool!
