A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
If I can contribute anything: don't do a Ph.D. just because you're not sure exactly what you want to do.
It may work out in the long run (thankfully it did eventually for me), but a M.Sc. is much shorter, and you may be more employable with one vs. a Ph.D.
Although do what you feel, maybe just think of this comment if you're questioning.
(Also sorry, my experience is only in science)
I went to college and got a diploma, not a degree. That was because I knew where I wanted to be in the world. I was going to be a sysadmin/network admin/IT support. That was where I was going.
At the time, the available courses for system administrators that resulted in a degree didn't fucking exist. A big fuck all for degree programs. So I got a diploma, and went on my merry way.
I looked at available degree programs last year and there's still pretty much sweet fuck all for degree programs for IT support workers, with a few exceptions. A handful of colleges in my country now have some degree programs, and a couple have created one for system/network administrators. They're massively rare, and the only course plans are for full time class loads. You want to take the degree course, but you have to work? Get fucked. You're not getting anything.
I actually (foolishly) emailed some of the colleges asking if they would offer enough of the credits in remote learning courses that I could feasibly, eventually, get a degree. If someone could laugh over email, I'm pretty sure that they would have. Needless to say, the answer is a big fuck you.
Yet... I have well over a decade of real world experience and a lot of places are putting up job postings for sysadmin jobs asking for degrees plus years of experience.
So, essentially, they want me to go get a degree, probably in computer Science, which, by the way, isn't really computer Science. There's really no Science to it and the only relation to a computer is that you're doing programming. CS majors cannot do my job. They would be so bad at it, that I would laugh, then cry, knowing I probably have to fix all the fuckups that were just made.
So, they want to hire someone who can't do the work because they want and need a degree for a job that doesn't have a degree that actually teaches you the correct skillset.
The entire fucking job market is completely fucked. Unless you do development, GFL wading through all the asinine postings to find one that is reasonable enough to recognize that CS majors are not the people you want working in system admin positions.
The worst part is that businesses can't see what they're doing wrong. C-levels, owners and managers, have no fucking clue what I do, nor how I do any of it. Unless it's a company large enough to have a CIO that's got a lick of fucking sense, the job posting is going to be utter horse shit for the crap that they'll expect from you.
"Enjoys a fast paced environment" - you're going to be over worked.
"Works well independently" - because you're always going to be working alone, since they won't hire anyone else to work the job.
"Requires knowledge of: Windows server, VMware, networking, Wan/LAN, VPN, desktop, printers... " You're the only one working IT and you need to do it all.
"Enjoys a challenge" - nothing is under warranty, so every vendor will tell you to fuck off anytime you are in over your head and call in for support.
I've seen this shit so much over the past decade+ that's it's all shit. I don't even fucking read job postings half the time, if it has a salary to it that looks good to me, I check if it's "hybrid" (aka, in-office, but you can work from home, with managers approval that you'll never get), in-office, or remote. If it's anything other than remote, I'm probably moving on. If it passes those first two checks, I skim the requirements for "you should know" shit to determine if I'm working on a team, if they're actually looking for an IT person, or is this posting, just a poorly worded website design or coding job.... And if I don't see anything too stupid on the list I just throw them my resume.
Look, I've done this job long enough that I know my shit, I know I know my shit, and I couldn't give a fuck less if you call me or not. If you don't see my potential, your loss. I don't want to work for someone who is too blind to see that experience > everything, and that what I put on my resume isn't who I am. I couldn't possibly cram enough info into a CV to accurately convey the sheer amount of shit I've dealt with. Not even fucking close.... And if you need someone with at least 5 years experience with ERP-xyz-Max 2010, and won't even consider anyone who hasn't used that software, well, you're too dumb to be helped. Do you have any idea how much specialized software is out there? Give me a fucking break. My expertise isn't in one specific software, though I have a lot of knowledge of some of the more common ones... My expertise is decoding the shit pile that the publisher calls "documentation" to actually support the program well enough to keep it running. I RTFM so you don't have to.
There, I said it.
that’s because IT for the most part SHOULDNT have degrees… IT is a trade for the huge majority of people.
computer science is a thing: we need people to develop new algorithms, etc… but most people don’t need to know most of what’s in a compsci degree
but just like we don’t get structural engineers to do the plumbing and electrical in the buildings they design, we should have the plumbers of the IT world: developers who learned like a trade… 50% theory and 50% on the job training as an apprenticeship
we don’t need more compsci graduates… a degree isn’t some magic bullet - it’s a specific kind of learning that’s suited for a specific kind of profession
Third exists and makes me howl. https://missing.csail.mit.edu/
Wow. I don't even know what to say to that.
CS grads don't even get taught about the CLI?
That's embarrassing.
ironically philosophy majors perform better on graduate school entrance exams like the LSAT and GREs than most other majors, and philosophy graduates tend to be more successful and be better earners than other majors, notably than business major graduates
arugably, philosophy is one of the better majors in terms of outcomes
https://philosophy.unc.edu/undergraduate/the-major/why-major-in-philosophy/
This is PURE speculation, but I feel like this could be caused by the only people who feel comfortable getting a philosophy degree being wealthy connected people. I know a lot of people from my high school that have stereotypical "be poor forever" degrees and are doing great - but if you knew them in high school, you'd know that they had millionaire parents. All the poor kids went for safer degrees because they knew they'd need money.
To be clear: I love philosophy and think it is very valuable. But sadly it seems like something that only privileged people or the very passionate take a risk on.
That could also create a networking situation for even poor ones.
Yeah I agree, there is probably a bias effect here. That may or may not explain all of the difference. The one you've proposed makes sense.
Don't ya think this might be a bit bias? They have a vested interest to sell you a philosophy degree.
I used my philosophy of science classwork all the time in my engineering career.
What constitutes proof? What kinds of questions can you answer with data? When do we consider a pattern of behavior to represent the existence of some entity?
Being able to think about these kinds of questions with clarity is really helpful in diagnosing problems in large systems.
What constitutes proof?
Statistical significance.
I’ve worked with a few philosophy majors in various roles and they were more thoughtful about things. Like they learned how to think, not just what to think.
yes, though the facts and studies they link to remain true regardless - this is the strongest argument for getting a philosophy degree, it makes sense they present it
Learned CS/Coding at school, ended up with a factory job in manufacturing.
The meme is right, it is a pretty balling existence all things considered
I talked to a guy who had a master's degree in philosophy. He told me he worked for an investment firm.
Me: What do you do there, convince investment bankers not to kill themselves?
Him: Yeah, pretty much.
Me: 😳
So there is a way to use your philosophy degree for evil.
convince investment bankers not to kill themselves?
Sometimes there is great value in a job done poorly.
I'd think it'd be more ethical to do the exact opposite.
But then who would pay you
👋
I think we could crowd fund something...
I have a masters in philosophy.
I work in IT security and compliance. I'm getting promoted way faster than most of my peers who have masters in technology... because they are really bad at understanding new concepts and ideals and how to apply them. Their mental flexibility is limited.
Is that Mandy Patinken?
Going to college purely for a career is a hell of a gamble and the most likely positive outcomes are in fields where everyone fucking hates you (business majors, etc).
Go to improve yourself. Learn all you are interested in. Experience new things. For most jobs, nobody cares what your major is anyway. They care that you can focus on a long term goal and achieve it and a college degree demonstrates that.
Going to college purely for a career is a hell of a gamble
Sure, but it's a gamble that everyone tries to tell you is a sure thing in your youth, and they pile immense pressure on you to do. Maybe things have changed recently, but it hasn't been all that long since I was in high school, in the grand scheme of things, and I remember how you were basically treated like the world's biggest idiot if you didn't plan on going on to get a university degree. Maybe the only exception was if you were going to join the military, with the understanding you were doing so in order to get a degree on the cheap when you finished.
I think everyone who wants to do so, and who has put in the work to be at the appropriate level academically, should have the opportunity go and study at university, but I also believe that the vast majority of people have no need to do so, and ultimately will not benefit from it. Unfortunately, modern society treats universities not as institutes of education and monuments to the pursuit of knowledge, but as glorified vocational schools. It seems largely to be at the impetus of companies who have decided to externalize any training costs onto potential hires, substituting any sort of on the job training for "Did they check the box that says they have a degree?"
In the past 30 years, I've seen massive changes in how companies operate just by watching the sort of jobs my father could get. When I was a kid, he could get hired on with nothing more than "I like computers, I'll actually read the whole manual for the system I'm working on, and I understand there's a 6 month probation period to see if I actually do that." for jobs that he would be summarily screened out for today, despite having successfully done in the past.
Like, don't get me wrong, he's dumb as hell in a lot of ways, but I've still seen extra stupid stuff in his career trajectory that reflects this. I recall him being fired because he got an IT job at Ernst & Young that he'd been successfully doing for years, because they suddenly said "Everyone doing this job needs to have a degree and the following certifications, and if you don't have them and do this job now, you need to get them ASAP and reinterview for your role."
I'm not kidding I studied philosophy and now genuinely work in a factory as a mechanic. I've made it big according to this.
I majored in Philosophy and am now a commercial HVAC mechanic. 🤷
I have a degree in philosophy and I draw PowerPoint decks for other nerds to use and turn into data platforms that I used to build myself...
my boss got mad when trying to use the "Socratic method" on a project that I was contradicting them and questioning their every statement
?!?!?!!?
Looking down on manufacturing jobs is so cool.
How else are you supposed to look at conveyor belt?
With desire.
I didn't need to read that
ಠ_ಠ
I wonder if we can rival XKCD.
'There's a Darwin Award for that'
These two things can exist in harmony.
everyone looks down on people they feel are social inferior to them.
job, education, grammar, race, sex, take your pick.
job, education, grammar, race, sex, take your pick.
I'm gonna go with "calf muscles".
This simple statement encapsulates a lot about what has been going on in the world for the last 50 years. Or even since the Industrial Revolution. And explains a lot about “why Trump” and also a lot about why Trump will fail (not before tearing us all down first.)
This is a funny meme but biotechnology manufacturing is big worldwide and needs STEM degrees for entry level
Look, as a 40yo I have to advise new kids to yes, do what you want, but research the market first. If you want to do Philosophy to be a teacher great, but if not mayber try other areas like socialology or history that have a slightly better market..Or just learn IT because that's the future and you are never out of a job
Computer science graduates have one of the highest rates of unemployment
Really? I mean I'm not in the US but I never had a problem.
Like currently, in the US; there was an article about it floating around Lemmy a couple days ago. Oversaturated from a decade+ of telling everyone to go into compsci, and now companies are cutting staff
or just study what you want and get job skills separately.
our education system shouldn't be teaching job skills anyway. it should be teaching higher order skills and the jobs should be training you at the specific job. most of the job skills you would learn in school will also be a 5-10 years out of date when you enter the workforce. or, if you are really lucky, your company will will be operating on skills from 20-30 years ago and your 10 year old skills will make you seem like a genius
This often cited study from 2012 reported that something like only 27% of those with bachelor's degrees were working in a field related to their major. It's over 10 years old but there's no reason to assume that the general broad principles don't still apply in the modern economy.
University educations have never been intended to be mere vocational skills programs. Being able to research, read, and write critically are important broad skills that are useful in life (including in the workforce), and most jobs out in the world don't actually require significant specialized education.
People who work in sales, management, design, logistics, event planning, contracting, marketing, advertising, finance, real estate, and things like that don't need particular degrees to do those jobs, but most of the white collar world has degrees. There's nothing wrong with majoring in English literature and then going into software sales, or majoring in history and going into logistics, or majoring in philosophy and becoming a journalist. It's not like you get a free pass to stop learning once you're in an industry, and keeping up means learning things that weren't even known when you were in college.
It's liberating when you realize that the choices you made at 18 don't box you in for life. You have the flexibility to make career changes into different industries, different roles, different cities, and different employers when you realize that most jobs can be learned as you go.
And most jobs suck, so it's worth finding something that fits your strengths and ignores your weaknesses, so that it's just easier for you to do.
Not really. I'm not sure how it ended up so rounded, but getting a degree is more than just "get skills for the job". When you are getting any bachelor's degree, you also have to take a certain amount of history, music appreciation, etc, heck my school even required lifetime fitness. It's also learning alongside your peers to suffer together, I mean work together.
Also, for something like engineering, you don't want a job to teach the basics of safely designing a building. You want that in school so when your job asks you to do something dumb, you can explain to them why it is unsafe and correctly refuse.
I like how my friend put it: "You COULD go to a technical school to get a job, but you wouldn't be very interesting to talk to."
Ugh and I just imagined if they made something like "Walgreens pharmacy school" that would train you to be a pharmacist but only for Walgreens. Imagine if your ability and certification to work in any field was tied to a specific company. No way to leave to CVS or whatever unless you go to "CVS pharmacy school". Sounds awful.
that's not true. maybe you were required to do that, but every school is different and maybe have entire dropped the trad liberal arts or general ed requirements. my college had no such requirements you should take whatever you wanted as long as you had a major.
some schools still also only offer liberal arts style degrees and have no technical degrees.
This is really the type of scholarship you would expect in a capitalist society.
Essentially, big corpos would scout HS and undergrad students for prospective employees and offer them tuition and a job contract, with payback requirements if they don't graduate and fulfill the contract. Pretty much the same deal and college/pro sports.
Especially in industries that have or are forecasted to have a big skills-gap.
Despite sounding dystopian AF, it still somehow sounds better than what we have now.