formerly good vibrations edition

Previous Thread: >>16717506

This thread exists to ask questions regarding careers associated to STEM.
>Discussion on academia-based career progression
>Discussion on penetrating industry from academia
>Or anything in relation to STEM employment or development within STEM academia!

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Information resource:
>https://sciencecareergeneral.neocities.org/
>*The Chad author is seeking additional input to diversify the content into containing all STEM fields. Said author regularly views these /scg/ threads.

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>>16736021 (OP)
How to get FREE resources (study material, question blocks..etc) as a med student? Everything I've seen for now is paid.

Any advice for a cowardly pharmacist with a personality disorder no faang internship and a measly 125k salary?

>>16736037
How are you only making $125k as a pharmacist?

>>16736027
Don't you "Doctors" have your own containment thread? This thread is for failed STEM academics.

7, soon 8, months of applying and hardly getting phone interviews. Graduated 7 months ago, B.S. M.E. with a robotics minor. No FE and no internships though. Am i just fucked? is it over?

>>16736082
>Not getting phone interviews
Fix your resume
>Not getting offers after the interview
Fix your personality

does anyone have any lecture videos from universities for physics 1,2, 3 and calculus 1-3.
>khan academy
no i want a university lecture

>>16736109
https://openstax.org/
> Nooo I'm a zoomer I don't know how to read!!! I need something I can watch while scrolling reels!!!
https://www.youtube.com/@TheOrganicChemistryTutor

> Captcha: VGAYJ

>>16736099
I’m not OP, but how do I fix my personality? I’ve gotten half-way decent response rates on my applications, like almost 10%, but I really need an offer to not continue working retail while I collect unemployment. I’ve been rejected or ghosted by every job I’ve made it to the final interview for

I’m a pretty mediocre candidate, so I just bullshit really really hard

>>16736109
Read good old trusty Stewart Calc 1, 2, and 3 book. Then go take physics 1, you dont need physics 2. If you want more physics then search quantum mechanics and themodynamics on youtube, maybe electrostatics. Find youtubers that follow griffiths for qm and em and schroeder for thermo.
Everything is is unnecesary unless you actually want a degree

>physics PhD
>unemployed
>work on expanding skills
>make shitload of projects with actual applications in free time
>recruiters say "they all look impressive but we really need someone with EXPERIENCE" so we're gonna ask you to stay unemployed for a few more months
i'm actually pretty close to being homeless because of this lol, easily the worst decision i made with my life so far

Other than academics and career experience, how do you make yourself more marketable in STEM? Assume, for the sake of argument, that connections are not an option (as they are an option in most fields and it's a trite answer)

>>16736473
Hey, uh...if you got a PhD why didn't you take an entry level job in the field? Like a gopher or an assistant or something?
That's basically what I'm doing to get my dick in the door of working in civil engineering and science (I'm trying for both because fuck it; despite people saying We NeEd EmPlOyEeS bAdLy they don't have lots of positions open and they want to drag their asses on hiring)

I have the right background to be in quantitative trading. Maybe as a quant dev or hft dev or as part of their AI/ML team. But is it even worth trying? Seems like the interviews require years of preparation.

Also I'm no IMO/IOI medalist so I doubt I will even get an interview in the first place.

>>16736473
at least it isn't just physics. i'm a chemistry PhD in a similar boat. it took 9 months for me to start as an overpaid entry level analytical chemist with my theoretical chemistry background, then i got 2 years of experience and got fired so now i'm back to getting rejected by everyone even after multiple interviews.

>>16736473
this is normal for every industry job
have you tried national labs?

>want to get into the data field with a physics bachelor's
>specifically data scientist
>can't start with data scientist role because companies want either a masters or experience with data
>decide to start as a data analyst
>can't do that either because everyone and their mother goes for this braindead role
>have no experience so I have to start some trash data role
it feels like I'll land a data scientist role in 5 years best case scenario. any advice from databros?

>>16736500
Dude data anything is the worse fucking job to try for right now.
First of all because of all the competition and AI hype.
Secondly because LLMs are already good enough to do 99% of data science tasks.

My advice: focus on something hardware, get an MSc or PhD if you must.

>>16736493
>national labs
nta but this is bad advice in general because
1. Basically doesn't apply except to USA
2. Even in the USA, those jobs are really only ever obtained by the inside track. Some of these labs are basically 100% people who all know each other way before they ever applied. The openings are just there for legal reasons.

>>16736483
> Other than A and B, what characters are in the string "ABC"? Assume, for the sake of argument, that C is not an option.
Uhh, sorry but that's basically only what recruiters pay attention to. I guess projects? but that only works if you have the above stuff otherwise >>16736473 happens.

>>16736488
> no IMO/IOI medalist
Then you probably dont have the right background, save the time and grind for a career people are hiring for

>>16736511
Qrd on 2? One of my advisors recommended interning at one of them

>>16736485
>Hey, uh...if you got a PhD why didn't you take an entry level job in the field?
is this sarcasm i'm just not reading right or something? that's what i'm trying to do

>>16736021 (OP)
I wasn't admitted in any of the master's degrees I applied to because of low gdp. should I kill myself?

>>16736594
They're asking for experience, that's not entry level. Like I mean jobs that ask for like 'high school diploma' and no experience. You're applying for like shit that wants a bachelors degree.

>>16736592
>Then you probably dont have the right background

Yeah, I think so too. It gets so annoying. Every time I ask for career advice, people are like, "oh you studied math and physics, just go be a quant, lol" as if it's the easiest thing in the world. I bet hardly 5% of math and physics PhD would make it through the 7 rounds of quant interviews.
I'm more into numerical/HPC programming and all adjacent math but it's hard to find places who hire for this stuff. It's either AI or Finance and both are hyper competitive.

>>16736644
Dam bro is from low GDP country... Lmfao. It's ok ESL bro what is your GPA?

>>16736686
lmao I never seem to remember that combination of letters. GPA doesn't work the same as in the US in my country, if you pass everything with the minimum mark you get a 5 and if you pass everything with the maximux mark you get a 10. I have a 6.2

>>16736294
If you're getting interviews, it's because your resume qualifies you for the job. All you need to do to have a successful interview is make decent conversation: don't stumble and mumble, have questions (even if they're fucking stupid, a dumb question is better than none at all), make a personal connection. Ask the interviewer how they got started in the company. Ask about their background and what motivates them about their work. When they ask you questions about the future (where do you see yourself in x years), have an answer that segues into a question about growth within the company (I'd like to get into a process development role eventually. Does this company offer training opportunities or job shadowing for getting into such a thing? Etc.)

It's lip service and all you have to do is learn what a company wants to hear. They're fucking embellishing the truth so that's exactly what you're gonna do. Am I gonna tell an interviewer that I plan to jump ship after 1-2 years for a better paying job? Fuck no, they're gonna believe that I want to settle and grow with the company. Fuck em.

>>16736691
>>16736686
according to an online tool, that is equivalent to a gpa of 2.1

>>16736682
In your case it might be worth considering EE-adjacent stuff like controls, you could get some kindergarten level job doing process automation at a factory for $60K or something, or grind a bit and work for defense, depending on how badly you need a job rn

I graduated with a masters in bioinformatics a few years ago, what are the prospects?
What jobs?

And can I start my own business?

I recently got fired because the company overhired me.

>>16736682
Yeah it's so funny the way people throw around quant like it's a regular job. There's probably 3000 quant positions world wide and every single Chinese genius on earth is your competition for them. Woe betide you if you didn't go to MIT.

>>16736646
>They're asking for experience, that's not entry level
lmao what year are you from?

>>16736502
I just fall asleep studying anything other than data, since data actually interests me.
tragic

Could be worse. You could have a math PhD like me

>>16736021 (OP)
OP, how about a more comfy image next time?

>>16736109
>no i want a university lecture
Yes:
https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/recordings.html

Is a graphics programming job the best of academia and industry? You get to genuinely use math to solve genuine problems, it pays well (I think), it's a part of entertainment or medical industry, which is always going to be in demand.

Is teaching hs really that bad? I love jks in anime.

>>16737251
the only ones who like to teach hs are paedophiles

>>16736893
bro just be a quant 300k starting let’s go!!!

>>16737229
No. The best job of Academia is being a University President and getting to jerk off most of the day.
The best job in Industry is being a major shareholder.

>>16736893
That's 300k starting in San Francisco or new york

I'm so desperate for actual mentorship I started to cold email local mid size companies. It's so fucking retarded to have a job but zero direction and a tech grifting boss, I think I'll even consider a pay cut. Long term if I stay I'll atrophy I can't even bring myself to study on my own time because work is just 8 hr daycare where I just have to look busy but all I do is play dwarf fortress and vibe code using open source libraries.

I graduated April 2025 technically but has this job since April 2024. Do my chances of getting an actual, work my ass off job in R&D/firmware as a junior go up or down as time goes on? I'm not learning anything and I have a physics degree so it's difficult to compete with EE/SE guys even with a lot of research experience/work experience through uni.

>>16737471
Do a phd

>>16737471
we physics grads are truly lost in this day and age huh

>>16737471
Become a self learner.

>>16737471
>I have a physics degree so it's difficult to compete with EE/SE guys
No, it is not, it just takes a bit of work. I did it.
t.Physicist

>>16737515
Low key already am, just hard to do it when you have zero inertia because you do nothing all day for 8 hours and you can get away with it. I did buy some textbooks on shit like Kalman filtering so I'll start working on projects if my recent batch of job apps L out.
>>16737496
Guess I'd have to do a masters first. I've been thinking about it if I can't move on. Grades not amazing, .4 below cutoff for non thesis based but I think my ex-supervisor would give an ok letter of recommendation.
>>16737513
I genuinely can't understand how my classmates who are 4.0 bots without any research or technical club experience going to fare. But hey here I am with a B- GPA on a good day and more years of experience than degree years as I've double stacked clubs and research can't find a good job. Fuck my chud life type shit.

>>16737530
>Guess I'd have to do a masters first. I've been thinking about it if I can't move on. Grades not amazing, .4 below cutoff for non thesis based but I think my ex-supervisor would give an ok letter of recommendation.
There are places that will let anyone in for a master's. Especially in physcs which is not that great for employability.

>>16737528
How did you get a competitive edge? I'm going to self study PCB design and Analog/Digital Comm stack stuff / PWM and Kalman w/ some C specifically on STM32.

>>16737537
I had a solid background as an assembly programmer from an earlier hobby and was able to leverage that in high speed DSP asssembly programming and low level chip architecture. As a hysicist you will have an edge when it comes to interfacing with real life things and not just providing one set of signals to another chip when you can keep everything so abstracted it barely makes sense.
You can also show you edge if you get a /ham/ license and work on digital modes and advanced signalling. The dude who made FT-8 is a physicist with a Nobel Prize. This digital mode swept out the competitors.

>>16737530
Masters takes a 3.0 in a lot of places. Your GPA is below 3.0?

>>16737647
Yeah I know, 2.65 cumulative hence why I said .4 below cutoff. Bit of a regret but I justified it by working research 20hr a week concurrent to full course load + putting in 20-35 hours a week on a technical club.

>>16737663
Oh. Sucks. You could always do another bachelors to raise your GPA

>>16737663
Do a masters in Europe where they let in anybody

got accepted to the master's program at moscow state university. they have a great physics program and full scholarship. should i do it bros

>>16736021 (OP)
>it's another episode of dealing with a fart huffing retard without an engineer degree designing and commissioning a facility design, doing it wrong, and then getting mad at me for trying to fix them
God damn it I hate working for a defense contractor.

>>16738194
Yeah why not man. I heard Moscow and Novosibirks have great universities. I would do it if given the opportunity.

>>16734333
How do you get a postdoc at a prestigious uni? Is it even possible to bootstrap yourself out of irrelevant euro shithole hell? Or is the only way out doing undergrad at a prestigious uni?

My country has two "top" unis (both globally irrelevant) and I hold degrees from both. But I don't have a top50/top100 degree and the only way people from my country can even get into those is by having their parents pay up way ahead of time to get an international cert of some kind because they don't accept a regular high school education from here.

>>16737471
>job in R&D
get in line buddy. the line starts with >>16737496

>>16736052
>failed academics
I never wanted to be one, I just wanted to be a fucking programmer and make money.

>>16738211
IKTF

I’ve gotten to the point where I just let motherfuckers fail and swoop in after they’ve given up to charge them double what it would’ve cost to do it right the first time.

>>16738296
It's mainly connections. Look at it from the professor's point of view. They'll get a shitload of applicants, 87% of the ones that should be Einstein by their CV are actually mouthbreathing retards. Especially if the money is tight, or the group small, it can be a huge blow if the postdoc is shit. So many of them would rather hire the guy they know for sure is gonna at least turn up in the morning with their pants on and not be a total dipshit, rather than roll the dice on an unknown quantity that's better on paper.

Not all hiring happens through nepotism. If you come with your own funding, it obviously is less of a gamble. If you've got stellar outputs, well, at least you've been able to get yourself great outputs which is what academia is all about at the end of the day.

The hiring standards for postdocs are basically whatever the professor feels like they are. If they like you, they can hire you regardless of how well you stack up to the competition. Formally universities say they try to prevent this, but it's mostly posturing.

Finally, postdoc is a slave bitch position and just doing a postdoc at a prestigious uni is not actually that prestigious.

I have the choice between two student assistent positions.

One is basically a glorified art project but it's an extremely reputable national science institute. The other is dealing with actual cutting edge research but just at my mid-tier college.

Which one should I pick?

>>16738404
>Finally, postdoc is a slave bitch position and just doing a postdoc at a prestigious uni is not actually that prestigious.
I will unironically take any job that lets me leave this country because it should help me learn the language and bootstrap my way into a different job in the target country.

I could try to get like an electrician cert in Germoney while doing a postdoc.

>>16738499
>mid-tier college
>dealing with actual cutting edge research
it isn't. learn to recognize when people are blowing hot air.

>>16738574
>>16738404
as for the
>own funding
part; how the fuck does that even work? I only have experience working on Horizon projects and national research grants that are awarded to whole teams in my institute, typically as part of a larger consortium. In fact I'm running some work packages with multiple employees in a couple of projects despite still technically being a PhD student at this point. How the fuck do people find money for employing just themselves? Closest thing I've done are some quick jobs for technology commercialization but those require access to institute IP and facilities even if I were to only bill my own hours.

Why do so many STEM jobs require Master's degrees? I remember hearing before that master's degrees were "pointless" and to either get a BS or Phd.

>>16738576
Ehh, depends on the field and college, you might have some specific respectable niches even if the median researcher from your uni is utterly useless, like petro/geosci programs in gulf coast universities. Would agree that >>16738499 should pick the brand name project anyway though, unless the uni research is working perpetual motion machines or some shit.

>>16738576
>>16738804
I would be the research assistant to a post-doc who is part of a group of a star professor at my college. In fact he is basically the reason that national science institute moved to our campus in the first place because of his research output.

So it's basically:
Shitty project + the international brand recognition of the national science institute vs. getting into the group of a single star professor and maybe get a recommendation letter out of it while contributing to actual research (it's not a teaching/tutor position).

>>16737251
One of the most stressful and demanding jobs around in return for hate from your employers, abuse from parents and abuse from snotty kids. All of whom you are powerless against. You will be paid 40 hours and work 80. If that doesn't sound enticing then don't forget you also get a barely-above-poverty wage.
If you are man then any rumors of being a creep (often maliciously invented and spread by some little shit) will get you fired and blacklisted.
Don't do teaching at any level. Not preschool, not middle school not high school, not college and not university. University being the least shit of the bunch.

>interview for junior pay bracket technical job in EE
>2025 grad, experience, etc.
>request references, think it's in the bag
>no references actually contacted, follow up
>"sorry goy, you can't intuitively build out 6 layer high temp PCBs intuitively on day one and we hired a foreigner who will do this for 60k"
Can't have shit even with small companies. West is cooked if it's unwilling to invest in their youth.

>>16739059
What about university professor
>summers off
>high pay
>get to discuss interesting things
>access to university resources like gym
>people think youre smart
>TAs do all the heavy lifting

>>16738721
>Why do so many STEM jobs require Master's degrees?
It makes it easy for HR to whittle down the pile of applications.

Is a PhD worth it? I’m seeing such discontent with academia as a whole and I’m a terrible student but I wanted to apply math in industry, like that was my dream job. I just don’t wanna waste more of my life for a piece of paper just to have no career prospects. Feeling lost. Anons please help

>>16739745
>I wanted to apply math in industry
Those jobs don't exist, bro.
I'm an applied math MS.c. grad with a PhD in AI/ML and I would have loved nothing more than do something with Math in industry. Especially numerical math. But those jobs literally don't exist.

>>16739083
It's a career requiring a 20 year hazing ritual (with no guarantees of being able to stay in the pipeline) to get to that point thoughever.

I'm in a nuclear engineering program in France. The French are pretty good at nuclear tech, but I'm wondering are there good opportunities in the US nuclear industry? The future seems brighter in the US. I hate speech restrictions and the whole degrowth ideology.

>>16739814
Nuclear is booming in the US right now, if you want to try to get in on it this will probably be the best chance you'll ever get. It would be a lot riskier than just sticking to the stable French market tho.

>>16739060
>West is cooked if it's unwilling to invest in their youth.
Indeed, and it is getting worse. With AI, tere is a thought that you can eliminate most if not all junior positions and have mid level people do it all, with AI assisting them to up the productivity. The problem is, of course, that mid and senior level people have once been a junior, and now this segment is essentially shot.

>>16739083
You are smoking the good stuff if you think the pay as a professor is good in any context