Science can be a waste

Things are going good, though I have not had much to write about in a long time.

I have been brain storming, and reading. So I thought at least I could share those.

These days I am reading The Promise by Pearl S. Buck, and so far its not one I would recommend because so far it seems to be written in very bad English. Still, I hope that it may have some historical value. A classic must be read, at the very least out of respect.

I have also been reading phys.org, a website that I enjoy reading for scientific value.

However, I often disagree with most of the articles in one way or another. In today's age of fake news, one must be skeptical and verify bold scientific claims. Today's scientific research may be falling into that corruption of fake newsery. Much of the science articles on these websites, such as sciencedaily.com, or phys.org, seem to be written primarily for entertainment purposes. A few times I have seen articles presenting old discoveries as though they were new. Almost none of the articles present actionable information. What is presented is trivial knowledge.

Perhaps it's the publish or perish Mantra that is driving science towards producing works of little relevance or applications? In the same manner the scientific literature and journalism, perhaps due to economic reasons, seems to be losing significance and clout, scientific institutions themselves, and many researchers are actually in a state of decline. Thanks to the rise of the internet, we can verify that there is a track record developing of unfulfilled promises and goals from both science and tech centers. It's almost as though we are treading water because the cost of producing a scientific achievement has increased. A certain revitalization is certainly necessary.

Studying science, in retrospect, was a massive career, and financial, mistake for me. I think it is now an obligation to my youngers to warn them to not follow such an atrophied path. Do not enter the sciences as a scholar for this is a big mistake. For some careers it may be a prerequisite, so that may be an exception, though perhaps you should consider entering the sciences as a capitalist, to avoid what may otherwise become a corrupt and debt filled endeavor.

These days researchers earn a minion salary, and for many, it's not a family wage, particularly when compounded with student loan debt. For many specialists in STEM, the jobs simply are not there as automation rapidly replaces entire divisions of staff. It is not financially worth going to college anymore to get into a low wage science job. It's a financial trap. Furthermore, researchers are often the first to be disposed of. The world no longer needs scientists, and it certainly needs fewer. If you are still fascinated by the sciences, try to find a way to start a business within the sciences, rather than spending a tremendous amount of money on college.

Going to college to study science may certainly be a waste of time and money. For me, life after graduation was a bit of a surprise because I actually had a higher standard of living as a student, so graduating was a financial step backwards. Most scientists earn less than most pizza delivery drivers. So why would you go to college to be sentenced with a life of low wages? It makes zero sense.

Science often does not allow scientists ownership or autonomy over their work because they are expecting that scientists are just there working for little out of charity, which is somewhat true. It's fair to say that scientists are not in it for the money, and most of them just want to help humanity. Still, it seems odd that these jobs require years of education and pay so little... This is not fair and certainly not sustainable. Soon you will find that you are spending your entire paycheck on just rent, just like when you were in college.

After graduating I quickly learned that there is no such thing as a family wage, in the cancer related sciences, and I had to make course corrections to survive. My degree seems to have little use outside of cancer genetics, so I have found myself working in construction, junk removal, roofing, and of course labs, all too simply keep a roof over my head. I quickly learned that business is more rewarding, and ironically, less risky. For those who love scholarship, business is definitely better than the publicly funded sciences.

Gen Z is reported to have a strong interest in entrepreneurship, and they are probably right. The fewer Gen Z that go to college, the wealthier they probably will be. The responsible path, is perhaps avoiding the false promises of college.

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