Academic Career Clown Progression

Text on the meme

I'll just do a masters I'm definitely going to get a job after this PhD I'll just do one year of a postdoc I'm sure a tenure-track job in my field will open up soon

What it means

A person progressively applies clown makeup while moving from a master's degree to a PhD, a postdoc, and hopes for a tenure-track job. The joke is that academic career optimism gradually turns into looking like a clown, mocking the endless qualifications and uncertain job prospects in academia. It is used as a reaction to overconfident career plans or the bleak academic job market.

Objects

person / человек clown makeup / клоунский грим white face paint / белая краска на лице red nose / красный нос colorful clown wig / разноцветный парик клоуна makeup sponge / спонж для макияжа hand applying makeup / рука, наносящая макияж black clothing / чёрная одежда four-panel progression / прогрессия из четырёх панелей