From Science to Sci-Fi
The unemployed for obvious reasons a year in the community would be a remarkably good stepping stone the unemployed. Everyone willing to work and progress could leave with some savings and obtain skills + accreditations to help them if and when they decide to leave the community.
The late realizer; There those of us who very late in higher education, later during their career or even later still when nearing retirement that they actually have a deep interest or love towards science and research. In such a situation if they aren’t rich it is exceedingly difficult to change ones course in life. To retrain ones skills, to put aside potentially years of effort in another domain of study. There are the issues of age, status, children all of which can be factors which make it hard to justify the change.
Many companies nowadays allow for sabbaticals or prolonged breaks. If your company doesn’t allow this one could consider that a period within the community will leave with more experience than when you entered. The opportunity to join the community should never be taken away from an individual, although due to size constraints and numbers of members there might be a waiting list. An alternative might be a layperson position where one is actively involved with helping the community while remaining in their current position.
The community exists to educate, to improve, to research, to develop. Thus for those looking to forge a new path in the sciences, research or technology it is a logical place to come. There is no idea of necessary entry requirements per se and the only immediate issue might be life obligations that continue while you are involved (i.e. bills, accommodation, e.t.c.).
The Researcher or Academic; Some people love studying, researching and theorising about a subject. For them the love of their chosen discipline usually leads to a life of academic work or if very fortunate a paid position in a research lab like CERN that shares their particular interest. However, such organisations are not without pressures, teaching requirements, ownership of research, monetary issues and research being co-opted by other interest groups. There is no real security in any industry any more with the constant possibility that your research or project may well be retired before completed.
Now while I would never suggest that the community would remove all these problems with one magical sweep the whole community is, in its purist sense, a community of researchers and academics each on their own personal mission of expertise, discipline of focus and personal projects. The point of the community is to give autonomy, and to remove the chores and details of life that would have interfered with your work, research and study will be greatly reduced. The economic distractions and daily chores will be shared, you will be surrounded by people eager to improve and to discuss all subjects, collaborate and compete to march towards progress together.
The idealist; There are those who join an organisation even with its disagreeable elements because they firmly believe that it is their vocation and they have great conviction in the greater purpose and ideology of the group. Such people are easily the most dedicated of members in the community embracing its structures wholeheartedly.
The community is itself at this point the reason and thus it’s not necessary to consider further the motivations of people in this category. One can only hope there are a great number of people who will feel this way.
The recently graduated; The disillusioned worker has had a negative experience in the working environment. In contrast a recent graduate in the sciences with a fresh diploma, quite often, is in the opposite situation desperately trying to obtain a career in their chosen discipline. Many do succeed, with good grades and some knowledge of interviews they find research jobs, technical positions and programming jobs that require no previous experience. However the bulk of students even with a degree have huge difficulties. It usually requires 2 years experience to get a programming interview, and nothing is more common than finding trained and qualified scientists or programmers working as managers, accountants and businessmen. A compounding problem is debt most students at present leave education with crippling debts reducing their mobility and not allowing them the opportunity to travel, to get apartments and take chances and risks that are inherently necessary at the beginning of our careers.
Taking time after university to live in the community will help in a number of ways firstly there is the benefit of ways. Firstly, there is the usage of practically applied skills (work) from the first month. Giving the graduate much needed real-work experience. Secondly, there is the benefit of money, payments directly into savings accounts means that two or three years in the community could pay a large percentage or all of a students load, give him vital experience, do remarkable good to their health and confidence.
Dialectic techniques, teaching skills and mandatory lesson taking will also improve spoken skills, living on a strict diet with regular exercise will no doubt go towards some recovery of the usually destructive lifestyle of university. Finally there is the opportunity of networking with other transitory members of ones chosen profession and remaining in touch with the community as an aid to finding jobs and work long after leaving it behind.
In short they will get practical experience, money, improved technical skills, personal development training and much more.
