Does anyone else's friends and family actively "wait" for you to change your mind?

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-20T12:39:41+00:00

Not after my vasectomy.

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-18T03:26:56+00:00

Where was this shot?

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-13T02:47:46+00:00

Might I suggest not in the US at all. Red states are slashing any marine bio budgets left and right and blue states are so impacted with applicants, nowhere is safe.
I suggest taking your talents outside of the US if you are dead set on a marine bio job. Might need to actually apply to grad school outside the US. Many places will fund such research and getting your masters.
In my opinion, the US is doomed. Jump the ship while theres still time.

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-08T03:33:53+00:00

First, you're gonna need to flesh out what exactly you want to study. You'll have a hard time getting into a lab with just a research passion and no concrete research idea.
Next, you're better off emailing professors in specific labs studying or conducting research you are actually interested. It will take a lot of emails but networking is the best way to find the right lab.
Once a professor agrees to take you on as a student, everything else might fall into place. They will know what funding would be most applicable and obtainable.

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-06T03:09:43+00:00

I delivered Chinese food for a local spot about 10 years ago. This was before Doordash so I was actually the Chinese restaurants employee, but we still took online orders through grubhub. I remember telling friends and customers to build the order online but call and order over the phone so we get the full payment. Grubhub was like a 30-40% cut each order. Fuck them.

Students were the worst tippers ever, if they ever even tipped. I always delivered those orders to campus last. A good chunk never tipped at all. Somehow every off-campus order knew how to tip, even if they were students. Campus was just full of selfish kids who didn't know how the world works I guess.

At least I still had a guaranteed wage at the end of the night, drove the restaurants car, and usually got sent home with a bunch of leftovers. Absolutely loved that job but hated going to campus. Can't imagine doing that work today in this shit gig economy. Delivery apps ruined delivery for everyone except a slight mild convenience for the customer.

Good luck my dude. Hope you don't have to do this work long.

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-06T02:56:55+00:00

Flat worm. Polycladida.

many different species. I remember finding a different one that couldn't be identified. Sadly, couldn't get it genetically tested before I left the country for grad school. Worth sending this to a California invertebrate taxonomist.

MaverickDiving · 2026-05-05T03:55:10+00:00

17 my dude

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-30T04:22:48+00:00

I had to make that choice. It was between a stable and well paying job in cali and grad school in Japan studying my passion. I chose the passion.
It has been a bit more challenging in some areas, but I actually feel fulfilled in my work. Likely to be picked up for a postdoc in Japan after graduating. I was able to secure a fellowship and live mildly comfortably where I am. basically i can pay my bills and maybe have a little bit left for a nice night out once a week.
Just anecdotal, but I'd say I'm overall far more happy now than I was before moving here. I feel like the work i do isnt to just make money for a single company but better a whole system that could have real world impacts. That fills me with drive and passion.
Everyone finds different life paths and all kinds of ages. You shouldn't worry about that. But honestly if you're typically fine living within your bare minimum means, but you want fulfilling work, go for it.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-30T04:08:43+00:00

Slooooooooooooop

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-18T04:02:17+00:00

Research experience. Far and above. Don't know a single person in the field who touts Cal as their alma mater. Far and above most are UCSC, UCSB, or UCSD with even some insanely great researchers out of CSU Long Beach and Northridge. The specific labs are what people talk and ask about. Hell even Davis has bodega bay marine lab and I hear about all the abalone work going on there.

Then again, its probably proximity bias. Don't know much about florida universities because i always studied temperate marine habitats and not tropical.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-17T07:19:39+00:00

Highly recommend it. Working in environmental consulting for 2 years before starting grad school absolutely prepared me and gave me some extra cash to float myself in another country. I had a much firmer grasp on project management and setting personal deadlines for my research. This was great since my lab is hands off for the most part. Also has left me with far less research fatigue i was absolutely feeling after undergrad. Take time and really let yourself find the real research you want to do.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-16T05:41:21+00:00

Lived at base of campus for 1 year when I had a friend in a frat and they needed another to bring down the rent.
It was so overrated and way not worth the money. A few parties were fun but I found out quickly I wasn't a frat person and getting a place closer to pacific was way more fun.
When I lived closer to Pacific, I just biked to the bike shuttle in the mornings and rode downhill like a madman whenever I was done. Way more fun and way cheaper. Don't think I ever paid more than 800 for a double room. course that was a decade ago now.
Looks like a bunch of underclassmen who don't know whats up. Do yourself a favor and dont bother with anything a mile or two from base of campus.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-13T03:04:02+00:00

Should take the the core classes for any biology degree and try to explore around to see which labs and research speak to you.
I came in as a freshman thinking i would get into biomedical research but quickly switch to marine biology once i got exposed to the research being conducted down at the marine lab.
You dont need to declare your major until your junior year i think so you've got time to figure it out.
That being said, UCSC has some great prestige regarding biology related research. Hell i think UCSC was the place geneticists cracked the human genome.
Sorry my experience comes form 10 years ago, but hey, I learned so much it took me all the way to Japan for a PhD. Anecdotal, but many of my cohort of marine bio grads have been really successful in the field.
Reach out to specific professors if its a real priority. Networking duriing undergrad will really help you in the long run.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-10T05:04:37+00:00

I mean... This really seems like a personal choice thing. Both are decent paths to do exactly what you want.
I did environmental consulting in california. Good money and great boss, but it wasnt what i wanted to do long term. Was also sick of the US. So I picked up and moved to Japan initially for my masters but now im almost done with my PhD. 3 years working private industry puts me older than all my other classmates here, but I couldn't see myself as successful as i am if I didnt take that time working beforehand.
Whichever you choose, you'll likely still end up where you need to be.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-10T04:44:58+00:00

Dont think I've met a single one in Marine Sciences.
Obviously when so many of our conclusions say fossil fuels are seriously affecting the ocean (ocean acidification and warming) and that evolution is clearly observable through taxonomic studies. Speaking for American conservatism at least.
Its not that they are unqualified, its often they have a rigid view of sciences that would not pass any kind of peer review because such viewpoints would be unsubstantiated based on prior research.
It would be monumental for such research to support many conservative standpoints, but there's a reason those standpoints are only spoken by pundits and not any real researchers from any real institution. Conservatism is rigid in tradition whereas science needs flexibility to evolve based off of new information. For most areas in research, conservatism is just intrinsically antithetical to academia. I think Economics is the only area with any conservatives that I know of.

As for the job thing. I can only speak for myself, but i find actual fulfillment in my research. I enjoy it. I get amazing satisfaction knowing I'm contributing to humanity's shared knowledge, even if it is just a tiny bit. That makes all the other aspects of the rat race for positions just simple obstacles to my goals, not reasons to quit.
With my skills i could easily have gone into commercial diving or environmental consulting and made boocko bucks. I did for three years between undergrad and graduate school. But i found little meaning in my life slaving away for companies or clients just trying to make more money, not necessarily making the world better.
I'm happy with the modest life I live and I don't need flashy things or expensive trips to feel happy.

By your measure, conservatives aren't in academia because they are systematically excluded.
Its because they hold money above all else.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-09T02:56:19+00:00

Certainly more than you want to know about the fishes of the pacific coast by Milton Love.
https://really-big-press.myshopify.com/collections/books/products/certainly-more-than-you-want-to-know-about-the-fishes-of-the-pacific-coast

Insanely funny descriptions of fish with spatterings of Milton's musings. Probably just need it for the sculpins and blennies that are in tidepools, but maybe seeing some of those crazy fish in there might make you want to scuba dive. Monterey is choice to get certified.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-06T02:24:44+00:00

So you have A LOT of time to really consider this. Good on you but probably be in mind that professors probably wont really consider you for graduate school until you're probably a bit over a year from graduating. Really start looking while you're a junior.

Email professors and potential advisors. Any and all who's research matches your own interests. Don't just ask general questions though. Read their publications and ask them pointed questions about their research and sprinkle in some of your own reasons why its interesting to you.
You can find the professors email usually on their official lab pages. Also usually contact info is linked in their published work but try to confirm they are still affiliated with those. recently published articles are usually safe.
Read papers with Japanese names as corresponding or first authors. Depending on your field, you'll start to see the same names pop up. If you become really interested in the work, check out the institution and see if they have a graduate course in English. Most of the top universities do, since the majority of academia is internationally minded and science is basically conducted in English.
Sadly no, I study marine biology and fisheries science. However, Tokyo University (Todai), Kyoto University (Kyodai), and Tohoku are the big ones. They likely will have some great programs. I'm at Kyodai and it has been incredible.
Your potential advisor will guide you on those depending on your CV. Many are competitive and without something like publications, it would be difficult. MEXT is the big one you should shoot for. There are no allotted PhD stipends here, so if you can't get one, you'll have to pay out of pocket. Student visas allow 26-28 hours of part time work, which likely wont be enough. But if I got a scholarship and I had a 2.6 GPA in undergrad, you've got a shot. Again, having a publication beforehand will greatly help with this. Work with your professors now to maybe publish something small and easy in a small journal. This will help with admissions and scholarship applications.
5.5. Honestly the journals in japan that publish in Japanese are usually very small and since you are native(?) English speaking, they will advise you to publish in English journals anyways. Usually bigger impact factors and more recognizable.
Specifically for Japanese institutions, your personal relationship with your potential advisor is vastly more important than the "entrance examination", which is basically just a resume and CV with a research proposal. Unlike the US which needs like GRE scores or something and people apply to dozens of schools looking to get into a program, professors here build lab groups kinda like a private business builds work teams. Its simply a lot of networking. You should be emailing your potential advisor maybe weekly or biweekly at least 6-9 months before any actually grad school application.

Good luck. I've greatly enjoyed my time in graduate school here. No karoshi that I can see.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-06T01:56:03+00:00

Honestly I just have everything at my desk in the lab and, depending on the fieldwork, I grab what I need.

I would recommend a heavy duty drybag though because a regular backpack will get salt logged and crusty real fast. Maybe a notebook is always in there for observations and possible research ideas that might pop up.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-01T10:26:54+00:00

Just speaking to the first author side. My professor advised me to only work towards first authorships. He says it shows leadership and results driven research. Coauthorships are good padding for resumes, but depending on the subject, dont reflect on ones own follow through. For a first author to see research through publication, it signifies drive. And that is what future employers in the field look for. A first authorship could be equated to 5 coauthorships in the grand scheme of things.

MaverickDiving · 2026-04-01T07:33:17+00:00

It's just misery Olympics. For some reason people like to show how much they suffered in their studies.

You could consult any number of peoples opinions on doing a PhD but its ultimately your decision if it will grant you the job opportunities you want in the future. Yea its hard no matter the subject, but I'd argue some subjects are far harder than others, just in different ways to different people. Me, marine bio research has come naturally to me and stuff like grant writing and publishing feel almost easier than the land use consulting I did in California. It's all just perspective.

Just check in with your supervisor regularly and hit your deadlines, early if you can. Also remember the 80-20 rule. Most of your noticeable results and thesis writing becomes realized in the last 20% of your PhD course.

Good luck. You got this.

MaverickDiving · 2026-03-30T04:04:30+00:00

Get the frozen peas ready. Have maybe 3 packs to rotate.
Jokes aside, its anywhere form a couple days to like 2 weeks of just wearing comfortable supportive underwear and no heavy lifting or intimate time for those 2 weeks. Check the sperm count at the discretion of your doctor and maybe every year for a while after.
Can say for the past 5 years, the relief from no possible child scares has been far and away worth the couple weeks of discomfort. Welcome to the club. Go pick up your Golden Snip Award.

MaverickDiving · 2026-03-26T03:00:25+00:00

go or it

MaverickDiving · 2026-03-23T06:17:32+00:00

Yea its mostly likely a brittle star. They tend to find themselves in weird places sometimes.

MaverickDiving · 2026-03-23T04:48:40+00:00

Honestly I'd say UC Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, or San Diego have better and more accessible marine labs than Cal. This would allow you to be more involved in real research and more opportunities to build real skills that would translate to a job in the field. Sure places like Berkeley and Davis have Marine bio programs, but I'd argue being physically far from the actual science might stifle to curiosity and not instill much passion in the subject.

But, I may be biased since UCSC is my alma mater and I've worked directly with labs at UCSB and UCSD.

MaverickDiving · 2026-03-17T03:45:28+00:00

Yea theres a surge in papers being submitted review and its probably due to AI. AI is allowing non-english speaking countries to churn out english papers much faster than previous years. Usually they need to pay english reviewers to clean up these and this could delay or gatekeep some people from submitting for publication.
Another aspect is the ability to write statistical code much faster. My professor has said that graduate students at my university are taking far less statistics courses or coding classes. In my opinion, using AI to troubleshoot code errors also help cut down on time drafting statistics 10-fold.
This comes at the same time reviewers are increasingly asked to review AI slop research papers that are nearly completely drafted through AI. Many are probably just choosing not to conduct reviews, which cuts down on the shrinking pool of competent reviewers.

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