A good read. The importance of being an idiot

Excerpt from: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/labor-market-freeze-phd-graduate-f8e17d7c?mod=mhp

JACK WEIS likes to joke that he’s just another unemployed guy living in his parents’ basement. 
That leaves out a few key details: The Salt Lake City native has applied to more than 2,300 jobs since he graduated from Princeton in 2024 with his Ph.D. in chemical engineering. And he stilldoesn’t have a job.
He first pursued corporate science jobs and prestigious postdoctoral fellowships at national laboratories. Then he cast a wider net, applying to software engineering and other roles. Eventually, he was getting ghosted for food-preparation jobs, including at a company that sells frozen crab cakes. 
For a time, Weis got a gig training AI on his expertise, including in engineering and fluid mechanics. That work dried up too.

THE SON of two physicians, Weis graduated summa cum laude from Rice University and enrolled at Princeton for his Ph.D. in 2018. His research on ice formation was cited by the Nobel committee when it awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2024.
He started looking for a job in earnest at a time when companies pulled back on hiring graduates after a pandemic hiring spree. 
Weis studied chemical principles and molecular interactions, and he aimed to work in science roles at pharmaceutical companies. The response to numerous applications was mostly silence, with a few rejections.

While preparing my viva slides, I discovered that I had incorrectly reported one hypothesis in my submitted thesis as supported when it should have been classified as not supported.

The coefficient was statistically significant but negative, whereas my hypothesis predicted a positive relationship. I mistakenly interpreted statistical significance as support without properly considering the direction. My supervisor reviewed the result and confirmed that the hypothesis is not supported. He acknowledged the oversight and apologised for missing it during the review. However, I am not going to throw my supervisor under the bus for my mistake. He has guided and supported me but this is my research and I take responsibility for what I submitted.

As far as we have checked, the other analyses are unaffected. However, I need to correct this hypothesis decision and the related interpretation, summary and revised framework. My viva is in 13 days and I am deeply upset. I keep asking myself how I could have missed this before submission. It has shaken my confidence and I am struggling to concentrate on preparing. I would appreciate first-hand experiences from PhD candidates, graduates, supervisors or examiners:

1. Have you discovered a misreported finding after thesis submission? How did you handle it, and what was the examination outcome?

2. Should I acknowledge the correction proactively when presenting the relevant findings, or wait until the examiners raise it?

3. Would a short correction sheet help, showing the original statement, the corrected hypothesis decision, and its implications?

4. How did you manage the anxiety and continue preparing after discovering an error so close to your viva?

5. Could this error cause me to fail my viva? I know nobody can predict my outcome but I would appreciate hearing how similar cases were handled. I feel awful and keep blaming myself for not catching it earlier.

I want to handle this honestly and responsibly. Any practical advice or similar experiences would help. Thank you 🥺.

Location: Malaysia, Field: Business Management

I’m a doctor!

Everyone likes the frog and I wouldn’t be a good art history PhD if I didn’t identify it. This is a ceramic effigy from West Mexico c. 300 BCE-500 CE. This is Comala Style from Colima.

I always thought I loved teaching but this semester I have a student who is so blatantly disrespectful and entitled that I don’t know if I want to do it anymore. I don’t have much of a choice during grad school because my lab is broke, but it just feels like even though the rest of my evals are exceedingly positive, there’s always one student that is so caustic that I don’t know how to recover from it.

Is this relatable or am I just a terrible instructor.

I'm an Indian student who recently started a fully funded PhD at a prestigious US university. I previously studied at IIT Bombay, where I genuinely enjoyed my research and the academic environment. For context I work in semiconductor engineering and nanotechnology.

Although I've settled in reasonably well here, made friends, and have no financial or academic difficulties, I don't feel particularly happy. It's not exactly homesickness, but rather a feeling of not belonging. I miss the familiarity of Indian culture, being around family and friends, and the general comfort and peace of living back home.

I also feel more aligned with the applied, engineering-oriented research environment I experienced in India compared to the fundamental-science-oriented environment here.

I'm considering leaving and potentially pursuing research or a PhD at a Tier 1 Indian institution instead.

My dilemma is whether the career opportunities and prestige of a US PhD justify spending 5–6 years away from a life where I feel genuinely happy and at peace. At the same time, I'm worried I might regret giving up such an opportunity.

Has anyone made a similar move from a US university back to India? How did it affect your career, and do you regret your decision?

Hi all!
I am supposed to defend my proposal in a month.
I dont know why but I am feeling extremely demotivated. My proposal write-up seems like trash to me and just the thought of going through the whole job hunt process being an international student, has literally ruined my night sleep.
I haven't slept properly in weeks. Is this normal? 😭

Location: US

Domain: STEM CS

How do you manage to write or motivate yourself on the weekends or holidays? I was initially quite motivated to do so for my literature review and reports, but now I struggle and just want to have a normal relaxing weekend. But with increasing deadlines this seems to be inevitable? Any tips?

There is this guy in the other lab where he is part of our joint project that I rely on him to do his job on time so I can work on my tasks. But this guy just isn't productive and isn't trying to be productive at all. He's barely in the lab and every time I see him he's always magically on his way to travel to somewhere else. When he delays his parts, I need to do them myself just so I don't waste my own time.

Often I booked him for a meeting and wait for him in the office for hours just to get him to say "oh no I can't come today" 15 minutes after the said time. Once I went there despite the weather wasn't great because we already PROMISED to meet. And he would just say "Hey, the weather is not good. How about we meet online." 15 minutes after the set time, and 5 hours later knowing the weather was not good.

And when I say performative, there are a few things:

1. When he has something to give to me, he always CCs his boss and my boss "on time" with a buggy version. I don't wanna just tell everyone it's buggy so I just texted him. And he would update it to a less buggy one without the CC.
2. He loves "asking questions" when his boss is present. Like during seminar and meeting he just tries to find questions to ask and mostly weren't even good and I doubt him if he knows what exactly he's talking about. But when his boss isn't here, he just scrolls his phone and even once played chess (on the phone) with another guy when a colleague was giving a talk.
3. He loves discussions when it's about himself. Like he would be all so friendly when he wants my input. I first thought "yeah sure I love to discuss about this and that too". But when it's not about his stuff, he just visibly loses interests and wants to get it over with.
4. Even in social gatherings, he seems to have a fear of being not the centre of attention. When he is not sitting in the middle of the table he would just go and switch with them and keep talking directing any topic to himself. And when someone else more shy is taking turn to start a conversation he would just raises his voice and talks over them.

I don't even care to social with him anymore but I still need and want to work with him professionally to finish the project. It's just so frustrating he plays two different faces in front of the people of different "ranks" and he's not really doing his job properly.

Hi all, I am guilty of not taking good decisions for myself all my life for my career but the most regretful decision I took is taking admission in Central University in a tier 2 city.

I took a 1.5 year drop after my masters for no apparent reason and told my family that I'll clear exams. Never cleared anything. (I'm not good with exams and I had personal trauma history resurfacing/ not trying to play victim card but yes, I couldn't overcome that)

Got PhD admission here and have been stuck for 1.5 years.

There are no facilities here to work. I have to send my samples outside and wait for months to proceed to something. Previously I worked in IIT and I was told that IIT labs had bare minimum facilities. Now I wonder how my university would be defined. I am trying to network with good lab people but at the same time I feel so much behind even with those in doing PhD in good private institutes. They even get grants to attend conferences abroad so easily. Will I be able to manage my career after this dip?

Although, I should say that I live with my family and I hated it initially. It wasn't easy to come back home after 6-7 years but gradually I started to like my stay. I am so out of touch with actual important people and actual research. Now I think what if I never dare to step out of this comfort zone?

Tldr; I got admission in Central Univ after wasting 3 years of my life with no facilities. How do I recover from this career dip?

TL;DR: Second-year Biostatistics PhD student looking to explore career options beyond traditional biostatistician roles. Particularly interested in careers where a PhD would be an advantage, with good earning potential and room for growth.

Hi everyone! :)

I'm currently a 2nd year PhD student in Biostatistics at a mid-ranked R1 university in the US, with a bachelor's in Pharmaceutical Sciences (outside the US) and a master's in Biostatistics (US).

I'm pretty set on going into industry after graduation rather than academia. I'm also an international student, so government jobs probably aren't very realistic for me due to visa restrictions.

I know becoming a biostatistician in pharma is a solid career path with good pay, challenging work, and plenty of responsibility. However, given the current job market and limited openings, I'd really like to broaden my options rather than put all my eggs in one basket. I'm especially curious about what other industries or roles might value the skills and training that come with a statistics/biostatistics PhD.

A little about what I'm looking for: Frankly speaking, I'm pretty ambitious when it comes to my career and earning potential. I enjoy challenging work, and I wouldn't mind a more competitive, high-pressure, or fast-paced environment if it meant greater opportunities for growth and the financial rewards reflected that. I think I handle pressure fairly well, and I'm more motivated by work where I can see tangible results from my efforts rather than waiting years for things to pay off. (That's partly why I moved away from lab work and pursued statistics in the first place lol)

Given that, I don't think academia, hospitals, or nonprofits would be the best fit for me. But beyond those, I'm honestly not sure what other directions I could realistically pursue with my background. Ideally, I'd love to find a career where having a PhD actually gives me an edge, rather than starting from scratch in a completely unrelated field.

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from PhDs who've gone into industry:

• What career paths or industries do you think are worth exploring with a statistics/biostatistics PhD, beyond the traditional biostatistician route?
• Are there any less obvious roles where PhD-level quantitative training is particularly valued or even required?
• For those who transitioned into a different field, how difficult was it to break in? And what skills or experiences would you recommend developing during my remaining PhD years?

I'm still relatively early in my PhD, so I figured now would be a good time to explore my options and see what I could work toward.

Thanks in advance for any advice or personal experiences!

I don't know how you guys feel about this, but this is what my experience with Indian academia has been like.

I did my integrated BS-MS from a reputed government university in India, and during the final year, I worked on my master's research project in life sciences. I never expected my master's work to be groundbreaking, but I genuinely worked my ass off and believe I have enough results to make two proper papers out of it.

The lab environment was pretty bad to begin with. PhD students were treated like daily-wage labourers, sometimes even worse. As a master's student, I worked on a part of the project, followed the directions given by my PI, and did my best to generate results.

When I was about to leave the lab after completing my degree, my PI rushed me to submit the manuscript. I did everything as instructed and submitted it in the required format. That was over one and a half years ago.

Since then, I've been asking for updates every few weeks or months. Initially, I was simply ghosted. Then I was told I'd receive an email soon. Nothing happened. Later, I was told the manuscript was being formatted. Months passed. Then came the excuse that publishing would require a substantial amount of money.

I understand that publishing costs money. I'm not expecting a publication in Nature or some high-impact journal. I'm talking about a perfectly reasonable paper in a decent, relatively low-impact journal. At one point, I even suggested putting it on a preprint server, but that suggestion was met with silence too.

And the most frustrating part? The paper in question isn't even the primary paper from my master's thesis. It's an extension of the work I did.

I see my friends getting their master's research published, while I'm still stuck asking for updates and receiving the same recycled excuses. I don't even know what to say anymore. I just wanted something tangible from all the effort I put into my research, something I could show as part of my scientific career.

I'm currently pursuing my PhD in Singapore, and the research environment here is quite different. I understand that research takes time, funding is limited, and publishing isn't always straightforward. I'm not asking anyone to publish every piece of work immediately. But there's a difference between genuine scientific delays and leaving someone hanging for over a year without any clarity.

Indian academia constantly talks about a lack of funding, but then why take on more students than a lab can reasonably accommodate? Why make students work their asses off if there's no proper plan to take their work forward? And why is there so little accountability when it comes to the time and effort students invest?

What pisses me off is that, as a student, you have very little power in this situation. You can't exactly confront your PI without worrying about the consequences. So you keep asking for updates, keep hearing excuses, and eventually learn to live with the disappointment.

I know ranting here won't change anything. I'm not even looking for a solution. I'm just tired of seeing how easily students' efforts can be disregarded when they've already given so much of their time and energy.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

I’m a PhD student and I recently started working as a lab TA for undergraduate students. I had a really embarrassing lab session and I can’t stop replaying it in my head.
During the session, I accidentally placed a cuvette in the wrong orientation in the UV-Vis spectrophotometer. My supervisor noticed and corrected me. She was very kind about it, but some of the students were watching and I felt incredibly embarrassed.
Later, I also misunderstood the save/export procedure of the spectrophotometer software. I had previously worked with a different instrument/software where multiple measurements could be saved/exported together, so I assumed this one worked similarly. Unfortunately, the data from one group wasn’t saved properly and they had to use another group’s data.
What bothers me the most is not even the mistakes themselves. It’s the way some of the students looked at me afterward. Since then, I keep imagining that they think I’m incompetent or that I don’t know what I’m doing.
I know logically that TAs can make mistakes, especially when using unfamiliar equipment, but emotionally I can’t let it go. I barely slept because I kept replaying those moments and imagining having to face the same students again.
Has anyone here made embarrassing mistakes in front of their students, especially as a new TA? Did it affect how your students treated you afterward? How did you deal with the embarrassment and go back to the next session normally?

I'm currently a junior majoring in finance, and until recently, I had never even considered pursuing a PhD. I always thought I'd get an internship, graduate, and work full-time in finance, but the closer I get to that, the more disconnected I feel from that future.

Recently, I started looking into PhD programs and the possibility of doing research and becoming a professor, and I've honestly never felt this excited about my future. I've spent the past week researching everything I can about it, and it's made me feel motivated about school in a way I haven't really felt before.

The thing is, I haven't always been the best student, so I definitely have doubts about whether I'm even capable of pursuing a PhD. I also know that actually doing research is very different from just being interested in it.

I guess I'm just curious how other people knew this was what they wanted to do. Did anyone else randomly discover they wanted a PhD after planning a completely different career? And did you ever doubt whether you were capable of doing it?

I don't really know anyone who's pursued a PhD, so I'd love to hear other people's experiences!

I got my major corrections at a UK university in a remote sensing/machine learning subject area. I am worried because the external examiner has misunderstood an aspect of my methodology which will influence how I respond to their list of corrections. Honestly, now that I've read the corrections and realised the methodological mistakes I'm surprised I passed at all.

It will be clear that by responding to the corrections, the new data I provide will reveal a whole new host of other problems the external examiner hasn't considered. So while I can "technically" respond to all the required ammendments, what the examiner will read will be different from what they are expecting.

What happens in scenarios like these? Can the examiner revoke my pass on the grounds that my thesis was even worse than it originally seemed? Can he respond with a new list of major corrections? It's important to note that his misunderstanding emerged from poor writing on my part, which was absolutely unintentional.

I have spoken to my supervisors about this and they said to just go ahead with their corrections. But to be honest I'm starting not to trust their judgement. They were surprised at the mistakes I made, which surprised me as they read my thesis before I submitted. They were surprised I got major corrections at all, they were adamant I would get minors at worst.

Any advice or insight, especially from people who have been external examiners themselves, would be really appreciated. Really stressing out right now.

Also, my PhD was in the field of remote sensing/machine learning so any insight from people in this field is welcome!

I have just started my third year as a PhD student and I am progressing sufficiently.

Still, income isn't that great and I was wondering if you have any advice for earning some extra money?

I am in Sweden and would prefer something remote. Doesn’t have to be more than €300-500 a month. I am in social work but have a background in public health and gerontology.

Is it okay to submit Statement of Purpose as motivation letter for PhD applications?

I have an experimental lead i want to investigate more when I ask my professor for contacting someone with facility to do some work. he said try to set it up it is very easy. I have been doing this for a quiet long time literally I have made 5 different set up. It feel exhausted and the theory part also I did what I can do. It fairly matching so i asked proffesor get some help from expert he is saying we have already matched the data. I am confused and feeling burn out.

My_qualifications: Ba Hons in History, MA in English from Delhi University and currently pursuing an MSc in Gender at LSE. With a year of experience in the rural development and health sector.

I want to make the best use of my year at LSE.

My topic is an intersection of Social Anthropology, Ethnography, Ethnomusicology, Gender, Folk and Post Colonial Theories. I want to explore ‘Third Spaces’ and Agency in Punjab through a study of select communities. The research would draw a comparison between two gendered spaces. The one for men was built around leisure, social interaction and was the outside. However, the one for women was built around expression through dance and music, and was also a space for craft creation. I want to explore both of these spaces. I understand that the topic is very nascent but I’ve been actively building on this.

I’m looking for ways through which I could streamline my topic and if someone could kindly guide me in the direction of what programs to apply to. I’m aware that I should be the one to do proper research and make informed decisions. I’m just looking for some starting points.

Whether the UK, or elsewhere is a better option, is another point I want to consider. Since the move I’ve made from India to London, it has been a rough transition to say the least and perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself and it is too soon to judge but I’d prefer living elsewhere. A small town with a relatively slow paced life is better suited for my liking. I’m sorry if I come off as entitled- it is understandable that one should be grateful for whatever opportunity they get and I shouldn’t be picky about what city I want to live in. However, it’s just a factor I’d like to consider.

Thank you.

Hi - I am doing a Phd in History and am using a macbook air and a 24 inch monitor - how many others have found it very useful to have an iPad alongside their laptop or is it just a ‘would be nice but not essential‘. I am open to getting one, but am interested to see if others found it really useful, thanks, Alan - based in UK and field is History - pure research with no classes

Hi I’m a 22 year old PhD student, almost finished with the first year of my PhD. I’ve learned a lot but nowhere near done. I’m so scared about what will come after my PhD. I like my lab and I like my supervisor and in another 2.5 years I’ll graduate and have to find a job. I’m so scared of change and new things and the uncertainty of what will come in the future. I don’t even know if I’ll stay in academia or get a job in the industry. I haven’t published or been to a conference yet. Should I be applying for teaching and other casual jobs or just focus on my PhD ? I haven’t been working because the stipend is enough and I want to focus on the PhD. But I’m worried I won’t have any work experience ? My field is in STEM. To people who finished their PhD, what did you do after ? How is it ? Let me know your experience.

Yesterday I passed my defence and I’m now a doctor in mechanical engineering (ballistic field).

Yayyy~

I’m a first-year PhD student in biomedical research, and I’ve been struggling with something that has started to affect both my motivation and my enjoyment of research.

Before joining my current lab, my proposed research project changed several times. This was stressful because I wanted to start my PhD with a clear direction and build something meaningful. I eventually started working on a new project that I genuinely find interesting, and I want to develop it into a strong publication.

However, another PhD student in my lab, who joined several months before me, seems to have had a very different starting point.

She was assigned a well-established project that was largely conceived and designed by our PI. The project is closely connected to the PI’s main research interests and grants, has substantial funding and multiple collaborators, and receives a great deal of attention and support from our PI.

The project has progressed rapidly, and our PI is now aiming to publish it in a very prestigious journal.

From what I can see, my labmate’s main role has been to carry out experiments planned by our PI. I understand that conducting complex experiments requires considerable technical skill, persistence, and hard work. I also recognize that I may not know everything she contributes behind the scenes.

However, she frequently complains to me about how many experiments she has to do.

I know she may genuinely be overwhelmed, and I don’t want to dismiss her struggles. But I find it emotionally difficult to listen to these complaints because I wish I had access to the same level of research opportunities, resources, and mentorship.

Meanwhile, my own project is still relatively new and doesn’t seem to receive the same level of attention or resources.

My PI has mentioned that the other student was fortunate with her timing, and that my project is not particularly urgent. I understand that funding priorities, existing grants, competition with other labs, and project maturity can all influence how resources are allocated.

Still, I can’t help feeling that our starting opportunities were very different.

What makes this especially difficult is that I’m genuinely passionate about research. I want to become an independent scientist, develop important research questions, and eventually lead my own research program.

I’m not simply looking for a prestigious publication. I want to become a better scientist.

At the same time, I would be lying if I said publications didn’t matter to me. I want to aim for high-impact journals too, and I worry that differences in opportunities and mentorship may affect my future career.

Lately, I’ve found myself constantly comparing my progress with hers.

Even when I make progress on my own experiments, I struggle to feel satisfied because I keep thinking about how much further along her project is.

I don’t want to resent my labmate. I know she isn’t responsible for how our PI allocates funding or mentorship.

But I also don’t want to ignore what feels like a real difference in opportunities.

I’ve even started questioning whether I made the right decision to join this lab, despite genuinely enjoying the research itself.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have experienced something similar.

How do you deal with unequal research opportunities within the same lab?

How can I advocate for more mentorship and resources without damaging my relationship with my PI?

Is it realistic to develop a strong, independent research project when most of the lab’s resources and attention are focused elsewhere?

And how do you stop comparing yourself with a labmate when those comparisons are starting to take away the enjoyment you once found in research?

I would especially appreciate hearing from people who have been through this situation and can share what they did, what worked, and what they would do differently.

Thank you for reading.