Lol, yeah. I had to pay for most of my M.S. though so I made negative money.
this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2025
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I did the same while working full time, it was worth it though, paid for itself within 3 years
I remember the distinct feeling of hazing from my professors. You know, "The reason you have to suffer now is that I suffered when I went through the same thing. If we fix the problem and stop the suffering, then all of my suffering would be meaningless, and that wouldn't feel fair to me."
I had a manager who wouldn't respect anyone who didn't yell at him. Seriously. He had serious anger issues and would fly off the handle over nothing. He directed a lot of shit at me in particular, probably because I've been traumatized by crap like this before and that sociopath probably sensed it. I wasn't yet aware of a lot of resources I know about today, didn't have the self-esteem I've since found, and I was homeless at the time (thank goodness, I had friends who let me stay temporarily), so I absolutely depended on this job.
One day, a coworker told me that he only stops picking on someone when they yell at him. Sadly, I can't give you the satisfying response you're probably expecting: I refused to yell at him. I thought the entire idea was absurd, extremely unprofessional, and had the potential to backfire terribly.
I wish I could say that was the last manager to pick on me, but thankfully the last one was a mental health professional and had the listening skills to take my feedback and the desire for self-improvement to act on it ... albeit only after she made me cry.
Man, I didn't mean to trauma-dump. But after the shit I've been through, I can't imagine attempting to pass such suffering onto others. I'm extremely grateful for the supportive environment that (usually) surrounds the therapy field. It feels good to be honest with managers and supervisors and know they respect constructive criticism. I can almost feel my heart healing.
"the cycle of trauma will continue"
Argument of defenders against student loan debt forgiveness
Sounds the same as MDs and residents.
What's with the recent influx of posts against higher education, or more in general, anti-education posts?
You're in the Science Memes comm. It's self-deprecating.
Around here, it's probably because people are deeply aware of all the problems and unaware of all the gains.
The neighbor's grass is always greener...
What are the gains?
Everyone I know with PhDs don't really get paid more for doing the same job(s) I do.
And some are in research so it's just a constant stress of continuing to get funding and stuff.
A PhD in engineering oriented industries will not get you more money unless you hit the jackpot (did some early LLM stuff for example).
You just gotta love the research.
Well, if they are doing the same jobs you are, then they aren't reaping any of the benefits.
They should be able to do some jobs that you aren't prepared for. Personally, I would say anybody not to do one unless they have an specific job in mind... Most people I know that did one while working are quite happy with the result.
Found the grad student! Which is it bud, history or art?
Masters in bioinformatics, but I'd be proud to be on art or history, your comments only reflects the limitations of your own weak mind. It's super weird, and telling, that you decided to single out history and art.
Classic Groening.
Hey I wasn't unable to finish my thesis, I hadn't even really started!
As someone who might be going to grad school soon to wait out this bullshit job market....ouch
Personally I can say turning my back on academia has made me a happier, healthier person.
A friend of mine is a professor in anthropology and he told me that he stayed in academia because he was afraid of change and academia was something he knew well.
I've heard that about prisoners.
Why would the prisoners know a lot about academia?
Prison is post-secondary for criminals
because he was afraid of change
I get that but the way I see it fear is a great motor and a horrible advisor. If you avoid everything unknown life will end up feeling lackluster and more dangerous than it actually is.
I was considering doing a masters in Germanic linguistics (graduated last year). I would've enjoyed it, but I have a job now that lets me actually save up money, while still allowing me to indulge my academic interests in my spare time, and I'm certain I made the right choice. I know for a fact that at the end of the day, doing a masters would have ultimately meant one or two years' delay to the start of my career and basically no advantage in the job market. Maybe this goes more for humanities students (although I imagine it's also the case for a lot of STEM students), but I think this video by Dr Jackson Crawford is a really good sympathetic and pragmatic approach for people considering going into academia.
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Whenever I think I'm fucking up I remember that at least I'm not spending 10 years learning to teach from those who couldn't do so they teach.