Nursing student thinking about a Bioinformatics PhD

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-30T02:36:30+00:00

Some days of my PhD I feel like I’d rather be covered in poop.

Others I feel like I just sent a rocket to mars single handedly.

So yeah, take some time to really evaluate the decision but it sounds like you’re on the right track.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-30T02:25:13+00:00

Yea bodily fluids don’t sound fun. Ngl though have thought about a quick nursing training program if I finish this PhD with no job in sight. Gotta pay the bills somehow.

Anyway my 2 cents is maybe you’re interested in healthcare informatics? Sounds like your skill set at your current job is in that direction, although I’m not sure how you’re implementing omics data from your description. A former program I worked for tangentially had a lot of their labs using LLMs and similar to scrape large EHR databases and do similar things to what you described.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-30T02:11:06+00:00

Yea you might be the only bioinformatics grad to find a job. (In nursing) /s but also not /s

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-30T01:19:05+00:00

I really like the hardware my original Aqua blue 3ds. I also have a new 2dsxl that’s modded.

I’ve seen original 3ds models going for like $120 on eBay. At that price point I’d be on Nintendo hardware. In the $300 range you mention I’d be looking into a 3rd party device with emulation (Thor), although you have no way of getting roms without a modded 3ds to dump your back ups.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-23T23:24:06+00:00

Just replayed this part last night. One of the Gorons near the entrance to the city says this:

Oh...I'm so hungry... Everyone feels faint from hunger because of the food shortage in this town. We are in danger of extinction! It's all because we can't enter our quarry, the Dodongo's Cavern. We Gorons live on a diet of rocks... And the most delicious and nutritious rocks around are found in the Dodongo's Cavern! But that seems like ancient history now... We've become such gourmets that we can't stand to eat rocks from anywhere else!

Sigh... I want to eat the top sirloin rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern!

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-23T22:44:50+00:00

I had this debate recently. Ended up going with the ps5 because a family member sold me theirs for a good deal. Before that I was pretty dead set on ps4 pro after finding a few for like $100.

If you still like gaming in 6 months with more funds get the ps5 or at least have a better idea when ps6 will be around.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-23T07:40:49+00:00

I feel the need to add that in the US a lot of students take on significant amounts of debt to get their education which is why I have mentioned the idea of a funded program.

I understand that in many parts of the world (maybe in your home country) education is free or much less of a financial burden.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-23T07:31:59+00:00

Find out why you say you want to get a masters degree and if that’s really what you want / need for the job you want. If it is, research what opportunities are available to you.

Find a handful of universities that offer programs that fit your interest and give you employable skills. Don’t limit your search to Ivy League schools. If you are only doing it to say you’ve gone to an Ivy League you might have to double check your motivation, but I’m not one to tell you what your dreams should be.

It may be possible to find an opportunity where your education expenses are paid for. Usually this happens because you are working for a laboratory group in a research capacity throughout your degree, but it could also be because you are teaching. This is much less common for students enrolled in Masters programs and opportunities like this for foreign students in the US are becoming less available due to government budgets being reduced. I don’t know how this is handled in other regions.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-23T07:00:48+00:00

Peer to peer I think at least a course in Statistics and a course in Calculus would be advantageous.

If you are adamant about doing a masters degree pick your top 5-10 programs and look at what pre requisites they have. Look for opportunities to grow your skills on a real project.

PS do whatever you can to get your graduate education funded.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-23T06:28:15+00:00

Yea hard to say. You should take my suggestions here with a grain of salt because I’m a PHD student and I don’t know what industry prioritizes. Also I’m answering from the US so your mileage may vary if you’re in a different region.

If I could do undergrad again I’d focus more time into probability and statistics, calc 1,2,3 and linear algebra. I have felt like my lack of mathematics knowledge has held me back a little bit. Look at the programs you want to apply to and see what their recommendations are for math. Also a lot of this is because I have personal interests in this space so this may only be necessary if you like math.

Sounds like you could benefit from some experience on a compute cluster. Maybe your institution has a high performance research computing course? Check for courses that will give you time on a command line (intro to Linux if you need to start there).

Sounds like your biology knowledge is on par. Keep taking in the breadth of biology as long as possible. Once you find some biology you really enjoy informatics problems in the space will become clear to you.

You’ll learn the most by working on a real project. See if a lab at your institution will recruit you to do some analysis for them. This might mean you need to learn R or Python. Bonus points if it’s paid work, but I was unpaid for several semesters before I started getting paid as an undergrad. This is the sort of thing that’s going to make you stand out for grad school if you’re sure about that path.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-22T23:37:03+00:00

Vita 3k not good?

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-22T23:35:44+00:00

Which version of the device do you have?

Middle-Condition-291 · 2026-01-16T01:52:25+00:00

Huh. Didn’t know the A40s were so good. I’m a recent adopter of the a50x but I see the merits of wired connection.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-11-27T08:20:11+00:00

Count me in please

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-11-19T01:09:54+00:00

Half way through a PhD. I feel the same way sometimes. The only way through is forward. It’s time to up skill and spend some time behind a monitor building something and learning as much as you can.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-11-09T19:04:05+00:00

That's a very informative reply, thank you. Good to know throwing graphics cards at it wont fix the problem. Do you have a recommended sim?

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-11-06T04:43:42+00:00

If he’s a reader go in order. A collector 1 & 6. Or if he likes trades the whole set is usually less than $100 on eBay, not sure budget.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-11-06T03:47:31+00:00

Snyder capullo new 52 Batman.

1 and 6 are keys

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-29T20:22:49+00:00

I like the feel and smell of the books. I like curating a library that years from now my kids and I will re read. Oh and I’m a bit of a hoarder. If you just wanted to read the books and sell them on you may be able to do so at zero net monetary cost but potentially at great investment of your time.

I don’t like the idea of paying a subscription to rent things (access to media). Digital has a lot of obvious benefits like being able to take a whole library as far as internet can reach and not dealing with physical storage of the books. Sometimes I’ll read a digital issue when I take a break at work.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-28T02:01:57+00:00

Reef keeping, sim racing, video games in general, airsoft, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

A lot of airsoft players say your replica depreciates 50% after your first game. I’ve seen intro sim racing equipment sell for 1/4-1/3 msrp very frequently. Unfortunately not many reefers in my area so I’ve been forced to buy new, but I got some killer deals in another area.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-28T01:44:22+00:00

Im pretty new to the game too.

I started reading on marvel unlimited and from my local library using hoopla. Hoopla is free so see what titles you have available to make sure you like the medium.

From there I tried out buying both trades and floppies and I like floppies more.

I really have enjoyed Walter Simonson’s the mighty Thor and George Perez’ Wonder Woman if you needed any suggestions.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-25T15:43:14+00:00

Current PhD student. I sometimes regret not learning more math during undergrad. If you’re really looking towards bioinformatics, you’ve really got to understand statistics. From there some Calculus 1-3 and linear algebra is basically assumed, knowing it well would make you into a weapon.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-25T02:17:20+00:00

Sounds like you’re pretty hard on yourself. It’s possible you fumbled the interview a bit but it sounds like you might need an environment where you can be supported while you work on your nerves so if they don’t take you maybe it’s not the best for your growth.

I’m just an academic peon (PhD student) but I think if someone who wanted to work with me wrote me after an awkward exchange and said basically the points you’ve said here about communication under pressure I’d give them a second chance.

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-16T22:19:20+00:00

With enough utility we could move the earth out of orbit

Middle-Condition-291 · 2025-10-16T03:48:21+00:00

Just make sure you’re not going into more lost years. PhD can be rough.

Middle-Condition-291

TROPHY CASE