this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 92 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Me @37: I'm tired of my high paid IT work, imma quit and get a PhD in plant genetics...

Me @42: fuck

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago (1 children)

?

You sound like a sure thing for bioinformatics.

I mean, the pay isn't great but it's generally six figures even without a PhD

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Lol yeah... more maths, but you are correct

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Me @22: Boy, IT work sure looks fun and I love computers already so let me take out some student loans to become a cybersecurity specialist!

Me @29: Retail is fine too.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Getting a degree to work in IT seems weird to me, but I was admining before IT classes existed

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We're from a different era my dude. These days it's all analysts, architects and data scientist.

Who can't do jack shit without guys like you.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Except now we have to find jobs through connections because we aren’t getting past HR filters.

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[–] MyNamesNotRobert 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Same. Sometimes I wish I had instead spent all the money I saved and blew on college on anything else. I could have lost it all gambling. I could have spent it all on strippers. Or drugs. I could have bought a helicopter and thrown fistfulls of $100 bills out the window and my money would have still been better spent.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sitting on 18k in debt. I'd actually have a car instead of half a degree and a thumbs up from ECPI. Casino would be good too.

[–] MyNamesNotRobert 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yet they blame all the violence on marijuana.. What do they expect people in this situation to do, die? Fuck our broken society.

If they aren't going to make college classes less bullshit they least the could do is make them free. Whether I pass a class or not has always depended more on how reasonable they want to be about it.

If you're paying $100k just to be allowed to get a job, you should be entitled to that or a full refund regardless of anything else. Fuck everyone in charge of this joke of a society.

[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We live in a messed up world. Research regardless of whether it's successful or not should be making researchers some of the most highly paid citizens of our society. Documenting how things don't work should be as valued as documenting how things do work.

Labtechs shouldn't be making the equivalent of Mc Donalds workers (even though Mc Donalds workers should also be paid more).

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

The labtech problem is largely the fault of Quest and LabCorp in the US

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Documenting how things don’t work should be as valued as documenting how things do work.

This, all the way this!

Exactly where 'publish or perish' fails science and enriches publishers.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The 2008 crash I got a job at a call center and was working next to a person with PhD making $10/hr.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

I worked with an Indian gentleman with a MD doing basic labtech work. I have no idea why he settled for it, but it was no stress and he didn't have student debt so...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That was basically my dad, but at the meat counter at the local grocery. :(

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Me currently starting my 30s.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Hey it's a start.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I once had a guy at the local science museum tell me that attempting a PhD will either give you a mental illness or alcoholism.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Terrible take. You will get both, and a caffeine addiction

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Pfft I got all three and I’m a college dropout. You mean to tell me I should have a PhD by now?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Nah, I already got a caffeine addiction from the GCSEs.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I already had mental illness before I started!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Huh. Maybe I should put this ADHD to good use and get a PhD.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I have ADHD and finishing my PhD right now. My doctoral supervisor practically gave me free rein and I was able to let my creativity run free. This resulted in a new method in the field of ML that we now even have patented. But let me tell you, everything around it was hell. The teaching was exhausting, the lectures were exhausting and the publishing was exhausting. I'm glad it's over, all those boring tasks are really getting on my nerves and I'm looking forward to working in the industry soon. So if you really consider this, don't rush this decision.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

That's dope as hell! ML is already my hobby. Perhaps there is hope yet. Would love to read that paper when it's finished! Haha

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My anxiety became worse after I joined PhD. I started having panic attacks. I am glad I decided to drop out. After dropping out, I found that I had BPD. So turns out I already had mental illness and PhD just made it worse.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

BPD or PhD, close enough

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah, I learned my lesson after completing my master's.

It's all a scam based on pre-existing connections with the right socio-economic circles. I won't be here to see it, but hopefully the next iteration of human society will be less regressive.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Is master's degree common in the West?

Bachelor's degree is much more common where I'm from. After that people are usually keen to get a job and start earning.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's almost impossible to find a job as a graduate even with a master's degree. The industry has gone to shit.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

My wife, with a PhD applying for jobs 15 years ago:
"You're stupidly over-qualified for this entry-level job, we fear that you will leave us as soon as you get a better offer."
or
"You have the qualifications for his role, but you lack previous experience."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's becoming far more common, yes. I'm not really sure what all of these people are doing with master's degrees nowadays. But at least in the US, a master's degree seems to be the new bachelor's degree. Higher education is all a racket.

Granted, I do say this as someone with a master's degree. My master's degree actually was incredibly useful to me though and not something pointless like underwater basket weaving. Mine helped me make a healthy wage (at the expense of student loan debt, but it all works out).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What’s wrong with underwater basket weaving?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Nothing as a hobby. Good luck making a good amount money off of it though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

It's definitely somewhat common. Teachers in my state generally get one as part of the certification process. Management, especially middle or upper level can have an MBA. Some student athletes get them depending on how their scholarship eligibility works out. There was also a surge of masters degrees in the 08 recession, due to people avoiding the bad job market.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My coworkers laugh at me because I want a PhD so I can have the title of Dr. They think it's ridiculous. Now I HAVE to get a PhD. The hunt for suitable and affordable master's programs is tough. 💀

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

If a genie promised me at least one third of things I tried would be successful, I'd be trying a lot more things.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Me @27 IT is boring and the wages suck, I lack human empathy so I'll try Defense Contracting

Me @36 Well the money is great, but the risk of Engineers spilling national security secrets every day is stressful AF.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s easy, just pre-emptively fire any engineers who play world of tanks or war thunder.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I actually have a multiple choice question on my General User training that goes something like:

If someone attempts to elicit classified information from you, and a heated argument erupts, what action should you take?

A) Inform Company Security of the event

B) Provide a non-answer and defer or distract from the current line of questioning

C) Prove them wrong by giving them the classified information

D) A & B

So far no one has chosen C, thankfully.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You need "if you play a computer game and find they have technical details of a weapon system incorrect, what action should you take"

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

When you realize the world isn't worth saving due to 10% of the populace controlling the fate of the other 90%

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Idk, sounds like the world is at least 90% worth saving to me

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

This is a large driving force behind my ever developing depression

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