My dream died, and now I'm here

This is my contribution to bring the "you" back into YouTube #uinutube

[veritasium]

After finishing my PhD I went to a university-led session on ‘What Comes Next.’ What I heard sounded a lot like “now, you beg for money.” It was so depressing to think about all the very clever people in that room who had worked so very hard only to find out they had no financial security and would be spending most of their days asking for money. I realized that even what I thought of as the ‘safe path’ was uncertain so I may as well go after what I truly want. That led me here.

[aerozg]

Hearing your story reminded me of that Franz Kafka quote:
“I was ashamed of myself when I realized that life was a costume party, and I attended with my real face.” I am glad you stood your ground after all. We need more people like you, and not just in Academia.

[soggytablet]

Your willingness to call 'bullshit' by its name is one of the reasons I watch your channel. Hats off, carry on!

[alexandrecaldeira]

This is the most important science education video I have seen in years. Nobody teaches you about "the system", they just point to the goal and tell you to go as fast as possible. I fully believe you have changed my career, for the better. Being at a loss of words, all I have is a heartfelt thank you!

[Tubeytime]

The real tragedy is that you almost didn't post this video. People NEED to know what kind of world we live in. This was more valuable than 99% of commencement speeches.

[BSkyWarrior]

As a grad student, I had a professor plagiarize an entire term paper of mine which he used as a chapter in his book. My complaint to him and the department fell on deaf ears. I was told that my worked belonged to the professor because all grad work belonged to the professor who taught me. What a bunch of garbage.

[kevind.mccarthy]

Thank you for sharing Sabine, we love you!

[charlesyamamura]

Very brave and honest testimony. Congratulations!

[ApprendreSansNecessite]

My jaw dropped. That was a very powerful testimony.

[moc]

I am PhDed in physics, from a highly reputable US university. I can assure you that her claims about how academia works--- the grad students and postdocs doing all of the work, the paper mill aspect, the huge overhead, etc.--- are entirely correct.

[Catcherinthecorn]

I love your honesty. My brother got a PhD in theoretical physics from an Ivy League university and he felt the same way you do. He left academia a while ago and works in software now, but he still does his physics and math research every day in his spare time. I admire him a lot.

[angelarch]

This is one of the best videos on science I have ever seen! I grew up in a highly scientific phd family, my dad with tenure and head of a lab at a top western university, and I can confirm everything you are saying is true-- and in fact MUCH much worse which I cannot discuss in the open. Well done and keep making videos!

[bedlambreakfast]

"He got angry, and I laughed at him..."

I love it.

[김병필-ek]

Dear Sabine, No, you have not failed. That you're not doing the "bs" scientific works doesn't mean that your dream of becoming a scientist failed. You're one of the best scientific minds, and your contribution to the field shouldn't be underestimated. You succeeded. Your dream is being materialized in a bit unique but beautiful way.

[angelicarosegalvan]

Hi Sabine, I’m a third year PhD student in bioengineering and I just want to say thanks for making this video. You’re the only person who I’ve heard describe exactly how I feel about academia. My dream has died too and most of the time I feel crazy because no one else seems to feel the same way, but thank you for making me feel less alone. You are brave and lovable ❤️

[paulbunion]

I am a retired hotel chef, so talk about different worlds. I discovered your channel a few months ago and watched many of your videos. Every one of them has enlightened me.
THIS ONE.... never have I seen you so obviously passionate in your presentation. In my little world your stock just went through the roof. My son in law is a chemical engineer in a small state university and I am going to forward this to him so that he can see that his frustrations are not a personal flaw but are in fact an indicator that he too sees the academic bullshit and it is real.
I am very happy to see you escaped the swamp and your explanation enhances the value of all your presentations, even those I do not understand. Please keep it going, I am a better person for it and I am sure many others are too, so academia's loss is our gain and you are reaching more inquisitive minds this way than you could have ever imagined
Thank you

[richardcoughlin]

Speaking as retired full professor (social sciences) at a research university in the in USA I fully support your decision. You play a vital role as a public intellectual helping to educate non-specialists about the state of scientific inquiry in the physical sciences. Your YouTube videos reach many more people — several orders of magnitude — than typical research publications read by a handful of specialists. So I say Bravo! Keep up the good work.

[soroosha]

That's exactly why I never went back to academia after my master's. It was all about what to do to get that extra grant. Everyone (including myself) was writing bullshit to get grants. I used to want to become a scientist since I was a child. The reality killed that dream for me too... I totally get it.

[landondyer]

My dad was a scientist, and I watched his constant struggle with politics and funding. He had a stress-related heart attack at 50; he survived it, but was never the same afterwards.

[FastEddy]

I was a design engineer and now am a farmer. I hear you 100%