A place to dump content I feel like creating... a cathartic outlet, if you will... I like documenting my hobbies and projects. I'm a biologist, I have two snakes, (a corn snake and a ball python), and I like drawing (mainly fish) so these things are typically the main focus of this channel. I did a PhD and it was awful, so you can expect content regarding my problems with academia as well. I also occasionally discuss other subjects important to me in form of video essays. Sometimes I also make content about mindless, inane things I want to share.
Marie curie fellow here, final stages of phd in biochem / mol bio / enzymes in belgium, targeting R&D in private sector next. Very well explained, definitely can relate to many points and confirm pretty much everything. I've seen and heard several cringe shitty occurrences, from psychology to archeology, not only life sciences. personally I enjoyed my phd only by periods, a lot a lot of frustration and inefficiencies, but I was lucky enough to be in a univ that is quite friendly and understanding, my supervisor was even too much loose if anything. And in belgium you have a decent salary (maybe 2200€) even at the phd level, which is uncommon. At least until you are within the nominal duration of the program, if you are one of the fast kids (unlike me). But yeah, lots of loneliness and necessity to solve stuff on your own, somehow. Lots of maintaining appearances over substance. Plus constant instability and being, now much older, at the "same" starting point. Today I'm happy about the ton of things and skills I've learned, but at an untold price. I will always wonder what if I did something else, I will never be sure this was the right choice.
There are those saying that there PhD was awesome, exciting, people were supportive and they finished it with celebration and sense of accomplishment. Their world, seemingly built from gummy bears, filled with rainbows and warmth is a path which they can take barefoot, because every surface has floor heating and there is always ice cream at hand. Cute puppies accompany people everywhere. And there are those, that sit at the dark corner, cigarette lit, tarnished, misbegotten, truly downtrodden by the entire PhD experience that was a crucible of anguish, pain and questionable sacrifice. Disillusioned down to their pain-engulfed core. Their commitment an edifice to initial ignorance is part shame-inducing, part-burden that is hard to get rid of.
Man I'm a first time snake owner to be in belgium and finding supplies is just so difficult. I have the same enclosure for a ball python. I've been looking up stuff for over two years and finally made the decision to just start buying stuff and begin to build. I don't have the snake yet because I'm very unsure about how I'm going to heat the place. I wanna use a heat mat and a heatmat only. However the base of the enclosure is so thick, I'm going to have to put the heatmat inside. But I don't trust it under the substrate. I think it's going to catch on fire. What do you think?
Perfect video. I was kicked out from postdoc by not prolonging my contract. Information came one week after my Mom funeral. I was told to organize myself and stop crying. I did not know how to start even.... i got my corporate job and recovering. Academia triggered my bipolar disorder and i regret getting PhD. It is not worth it. Academia is a Ponzi scheme. Everything bad about corporate is 10 times worse in there
My ball python likes to watch certain tv programs and not others; she likes things with music, and royalty specifically. She will also be more friendly with certain people
I only did a BSc and MSc in theoretical physics at Imperial and Oxford who, as you say, should have more resources to support students and I’ve already had enough. I’ve already developed several health problems during my MSc from working non-stop with only 2 days off over 9 months and I cannot imagine it getting worse or even staying the same
@cathy outlet Thank you for this video! I'm in the process of adopting my first baby snake and am super excited 😁!! Would it be advisable to use two deep heat projectors instead of a heat lamp on one side and a DHP on the "cooler" side? Additionally, I was considering incorporating a UVB light to provide some lighting, which is why I am hesitant about using a heat lamp (too much light).
First-year Optics PhD here. I really love what I’m working on, but the stress of first-year classes and the preliminary exam on top of trying to keep up with research has me at 3 rn
Hey you guys, I don’t know about you But I am pretty sure the Males are larger than the females, Rattlesnakes are a type of pit Viper, Male Vipers are Larger than Females
Bit late to comment but my new ball python arrives in a week and it is amazing to see how they can behave when given proper welfare. I have a big viv + UVB for mine and am hoping to experiment with free roaming and buy a cat tree for her to see if she likes it. I'm glad your baby has such a good life with you
PhD student in Astrophysics Mental health started at an 8, but gradually dwindled to a 2 during my first 2 years. Finally sought out mental health support, and 6 months later I'm a 5. This help includes medication and taking 3 months off (paid, thankfully). My mental health is stable, but I'm certainly not happy, just counting down the weeks and months until it's over. Now I'm stable and sufficiently 'ok' to push through to the finish and hopefully reap some benefit from having a PhD through the rest of my working life. My supervisor is thankfully quite understanding and not too pushy, but I can't help but recognise that I've not met his expectations for a PhD student. The constant stress is all-consuming. I really try not to work evenings or weekends unless I've had a bad day/week and procrastinated instead of actually working. Still, the notion that I could be working instead of living my life is always in the back of my mind, and I never truly feel at ease.
As an oldtimer who finished a Ph.D. in 1970 at age 24 and had a permanent professorial job ever since, my experience was entirely different. I loved mathematics from childhood and whatever time I spent doing it was a pleasure rather than "work". It was usually in my head even when I indulged in "leisure" activities such as hiking or canoeing and there were plenty of those. My supervisor was pleasant, did not help me in any way, but did not obstruct me either. So what was different then? The main reason was that good jobs were abundant until about 1975, when the doors closed for about 20 years, resulting in a "lost generation" of would be academics. Formerly "nice" people became no longer so very nice. Even after jobs started to open up in the 1990s, vicious competition has prevailed, because too many people decided to get a Ph.D and assumed they would get a good job, but there are simply not enough of those to go around. The other reason is that no labs were involved.
PhD in virology here, i would class me as a 10, My lab has been very supporting and healthy, however i also have the fact that my personal life has been a 0, so my phD is my happy place far away from my other problems, i was a victim of domestic and economic violence by my ex-fiance, to the point that i ended up with broken ribs, My lab collegues helped me to escape him. i'm mexican and he is french, i'm doing My PhD in France so he had the uperhand if i wanted to go to justice....but i have my work so everything is ok.
I‘m so sorry you had to go through all that and I am glad you were able to get away and that your PhD was a form of escape for you. Glad you had such supportive colleagues! Just goes to show how varied such experiences can be
Hi! So i started following your Chanel which is great since i'm also living in France, i think i got the same terrarium as you, can You confirm if it is an reptiterra terrarium?, i'm a little concerned about sealing but if it's the same, then i can relax a little (i sealed it with epoxy resin anyway but i was concerned about the tickness of the layers), i got two ball pythons (so double trouble), thanks!
Hi there! It was actually not a Reptiterra terrarium but a German brand. However, since you sealed it with epoxy resin you should be more than safe in terms of waterproofing :) I recently obtained a DIY OSB terrarium second hand that was sealed with resin and I‘m really happy with it
my utube recomm are rigged this video with the animations were sooo well done,should have gotten it earlier,even i am thinkinh og getting a phd,this helped thanks a lot
PhD grads "struggle" because they failed life 101 - what do you plan to do after you get your PhD? If candidates don't investigate the school they are studying in and their placement rates and simultaneously do not research the job opportunities in their particular field with a doctorate - then they reap what they have sown.
The French understand and can communicate in English. But they choose not to - refuse to, and promote French. The reason for the job spec in English is that it’s the global language of business and the only language to be taken seriously for any academic paper .
That depends on the wattage of the projector, the required temperature, the type of terrarium and the ambient temperature of the room. For example, if you have a 4x2x2 wood or plastic terrarium for a ball python in a normally heated room, than a 100 watt projector should be more then enough
that's a great video . Yes I watched to the end .I could probably be classed as a DIY pro since I do it for a living so it was funny watching you with that drill😅
I agree with most of what you said - except the language. You were the problem in that case, as most researchers speak or know at least another language besides their mother tongue.
Hey Cathy, thank you so much for making this video. It’s been really helpful and I’ve switched from CHE to DHP because of it. I did have a question for you and was wondering if you could help. Would it be beneficial to have my hot side with a DHP and my cool side on a basking bulb with a dimmer? I’ve been struggling with keeping my cool side above 73 unless I turn up the heat in my apartment. Thank you for your time
A halogen flood bulb would be more natural and beneficial than a DHP. The levels of infrared A and B they produce more closely mimic the sun (DHPs produce barely any IRA, the most beneficial heat wavelength).
Apart from tbe stupid concept ( bit strange for people claiming to have brains) is there a concept or series of measures which quantify the advancement of whatever you are "researching " ? In other words, I'm guessing private enterprise ( maybe less so in biological) can way surpass results of those writing papers for no money. So what are you academics demonstrating ? And is there another way of arriving at the same result ? (The answer is yes to this). Time for a broom in the university cupboard
I love the video dope set up I build my 4 month old ball Python house out of a i entertainment stand I made him a big home so he can live in it forever
I got my PhD 3 years ago and I cannot overstate how painfully accurate this video is. Thank you so so much for bringing to light these issues, the word really needs to get out about the truth of academia. I myself have personally been bullied at the workplace just like you mentioned, this has everything to do with the toxic environment around me and states nothing about my personality (I have a very low tolerance for working long hours...) Typically I cry myself to sleep every night with my sketchbook beside me, drawing 8 hours a day and posting my garbage to tumblr because I am literally unable to contribute anything more interesting in people's lives. Thankfully I have a youtube channel where I ramble about my thoughts incoherently. And everyone loves the videos I post! It's really nice to read the end of positive and supportive comments because I am not a flawed human being, I'm perfect the way I am no matter what they say!!!
Is it a big problem if i have my deep heat projector installed over the right side where the vents are on the lower part? Its already installed so im asking if its worth moving it like u have yours. Thank you for helpful video
Oh yeah, as a proud corn snake keeper myself I can confirm on the eagerness to give fingers a try lmao! They usually figure it out… but you can definitely see the gears turning in their little head
Speaking of work time, a recent EU law mandates electronic tracking of working hours. Shortly after this we had a meeting with the president of the research organization I work at. Of course the question about how this will be addressed was asked and the answer was shocking to me. We have been told outright that the tracking hours would lead to being "less competitive" in the academic sphere and that "science compatible solutions" will need to be found before the tracking can happen.
Ah yes, that law “hit” our non-academic workplace recently resulting in some interesting feedback (mainly people complaining about the extra effort required for tracking and worrying that higher ups can now see how often they work less than 40 hours a week lol). After finding out about it I wondered how/if it will be implemented in academic institutions… and your organization’s response doesn’t surprise me in the slightest! It really remains to be seen if it will improve anything or if institutions will just find a way to work around it…
My Guyana red tail is kept in a 8ft long and 6ft high viv. It is positioned at the side of my bed! Every morning as soon as I wake she will climb her tree and perch there until I go to sleep where she will make her way back to her hide at the bottom! She has done this for 9 years! If I'm out for the day, I will get home to find her back in her hide! I work from home, and as long as I am working in my bedroom office she will stay on her perch out in the open!
Thanks for posting this. I have kept many common and less so species for over 50 years,some of which I have bred. I've also had the benefit of many wild interactions in Africa. It's clear to me that your care and husbandry of your animals is very good, IMO. I agree with all you say here about behaviour,but I am still unconvinced with what you say about these animals recognising us as keepers. You may be quite correct though and I am not picking any argument!
Ma boi is almost the same. Except that he would only remember the places where he can do mischief, like my cable management net, power outlets, that hole on my subwoofer 🥲 He used up all the space in his lil noggin to memorize these places that he once spent almost 10 minutes poking around trying to find the entrance of his sky hide 😂 I always take him out for a short walk in my building and he seems to enjoy that. I once stopped for too long to talk to one of my neighbors and he became increasingly wiggly overtime. Once I started walking again, he plopped down in my cuddle and casually sniffed around as if he was roaming. He’d get very excited from time to time and seem to be attracted by something, and sometimes would reach out to boop and tongue flick on my chin/nose like “Did you sense that!?”
