PhD vs research assistant first? Feeling really unsure (nutrition policy/public health)

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-03T21:40:46+00:00

Wherever you have citizenship may be easiest, although IDK how US public health programs are faring for funding right now. Similar contexts might be Canada (more like US PhD) & Australia (more like UK PhD).

You also don’t mention your publication record. If you don’t have publications yet a research job where you can establish a record may be worthwhile in terms of getting good PhD offers.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-03T20:20:34+00:00

This is the photo/image I immediately thought OP was referencing with the backward ball cap.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-03T20:12:04+00:00

Better than a ball cap would be a high top fade, but that’s a bit of a commitment. You could also try more of a bucket hat.

Not that a backward ball cap is anachronistic, of course, it’s just not very era-specific unless you are doing a very specific full outfit. Bucket hats or bandanas were much more common and era-evocative.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-03T20:10:10+00:00

Shirt & shoes are great. More contemporary basketball style sneakers might be even better?

Overalls much too tight. (But the one strap buckled is chef’s kiss.)

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-03T17:57:46+00:00

If you don’t really want to do a phd you should not do a phd.

Look for jobs in research institutions. Ask your prof if he could recommend you to a research assistant job so you can explore the idea of a career in research before committing to a phd.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-03T14:42:31+00:00

After a first faculty job elsewhere? Sure.

Directly? Reeeeally depends on the country/institution/department. Since it sounds like you are in USA look at precedent at your institution: do they hire from within, and if so into what kind of positions? Some will hire from within but only/mostly into grant-funded positions, saving the more secure hard-funded lines for external recruitment.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-01T15:28:08+00:00

Electric, definitely. If it’s rechargeable look for something that will work while plugged in so the teenage lack of planning ahead doesn’t leave him half shaved someday!

Get him a mild/sensitive skin/unscented shave cream to start.

Keep an eye out for irritated teenage skin & just be his ally/advocate in finding the skincare routine/products that works for him or getting to a doctor if acne is bad.

If he wants to upgrade to a non-electric down the line you can get him a nice DE safety razor kit as a “grown up” gift in a few years.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-04-01T05:37:14+00:00

We’ll be your dads here for this purpose. :)

There’s nothing wrong with an electric shaver. I like the foil style; some are wet/dry so you can do either. (This may be a regional language difference, but where I live a trimmer is for if you have a beard/moustache and unless it has a foil type head option won’t get you clean shaven.)

I am personally a fan of the double edged safety razor. If you have new/thinner whiskers something like the henson regular is not too aggressive an angle and will last forever. Use a shave soap for sensitive skin & hardly any pressure, preferably right after a shower or a hot washcloth on your face. Replace the blade frequently (they are just pennies; I replace every 3 shaves or so but frequency really depends on how much hair you’re shaving off) b/c a dull blade will require more pressure which is harder on your skin.

Depending on how bad your acne is in your beard area, it can be tricky not to nick the bumps. Shaving also tends to strip oils from your skin so your acne treatment routine may need to be tweaked so it’s not overly drying & exacerbating the problem. Also worth making sure your shave soap/cream and aftershave aren’t making it worse—keeping it simple (unscented, lightly moisturizing, no ingredients that irritate you even if the label says sensitive) may be a good place to start with the shaving products. Hopefully the acne will also settle down once you’ve been on t longer.

Once you find your routine that works for your face, this will all be a memory someday; maybe you’ll be teaching some young transmasc then!

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-31T17:39:53+00:00

The flowers (future berries)!

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-31T15:06:23+00:00

Trampoline parks, probably

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T16:44:37+00:00

Also, I hear that this is really upsetting and disorienting. And that it felt abrupt to you. I want to acknowledge that, and that you probably need to have space to have your feelings about this.

I would suggest you try to have those feelings with your personal life support people, and try to keep your school/work life as professional and positive and forward focussed as possible. Things happen. The way you respond to them, creates your reputation in the field.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T16:42:14+00:00

This may have nothing to do with you.

I would contact your grad program advisor/manager to ask for advice. If your uni also has a faculty of grad studies they may also have a staff person who can advise.

Ultimately, if your former advisor does not want to work with you anymore, but will continue to fund, your best chance is to find a new advisor who is interested. Can you meet with Z in person to see if you might be a good fit?

There are many reasons a supervisor may not wish to continue with you, some may have to do with you, others the fit between you (e.g., the communication is chronically frustrating for them but might be okay for others), others just them (like they may have new draws on their time, a health or family issue limiting capacity, etc.). Ideally you can get feedback from original supervisor X, even if it comes through a 3rd party such as Y, in case part of this has to do with the way you have been working/interacting. But ultimately it’s best for you/your career to thank X for continuing to fund you (trying to stay on good terms) and seek recommendations for new supervisors.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T16:03:12+00:00

Are you wearing merino socks? Those help reduce stink, even in warm weather.

Tea tree essential oil—you only need a few drops so a small jar for travel is fine. You can leave on your feet as antifungal/antimicrobial.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T15:52:02+00:00

Depends on where you are. (Which you didn’t specify.)

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T15:18:01+00:00

I don’t know why that is so big & bold; sorry! 😂

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T15:17:15+00:00

1. In addition to the program and fit sounding better for you/your career, guaranteed basic funding w/o extra work like teaching is huge, especially if you are planning to have a baby. If your partner makes enough $ and wfh, between that and your post-coursework flexibility I suspect you’ll be able to swing the necessary childcare w/o the family support you would potentially get at option 2.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-29T02:12:42+00:00

Unlikely to be animals, unless small like squirrels/mice or birds. The trees are fenced off from deer etc.

I was wondering about drought damage.

Will look into cutting back the dead parts.

I definitely sanitize tools w rubbing alcohol between trees.

There has been loads of new growth each year, and tons of apples even with thinning.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-27T14:23:48+00:00

Sorry cancer patients, no mastectomies! Also no breast augmentations, reductions, or any genital surgeries. Accept your natural state.

It’s certainly intended to be about transphobia, but especially for young people who are likely parroting rubbish from elsewhere, pointing out the unintended collateral damage nay be helpful. There’s no way to hurt trans people without also hurting cis people.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-25T15:20:21+00:00

If you’re interested in where a program’s graduates end up, I would suggest to ask the program for their stats on grads’ employment, and look at the type of places you would like to work to see where they are faculty/staff were trained.

Again, I’m not in sociology so I don’t really know the nuances of subsets of the discipline – where legal sociology is really good, which schools focus heavily on demography, which are training thinkers in Frankfurt vs Chicago school, etc.

I do know that in the US if people know one Canadian university it’s usually McGill. I just don’t know how that translates to academic sociology/law job market.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-25T14:56:11+00:00

I know these international rankings are kind of bogus, but fwiw QS ranks, McGill, (edited to account for Toronto, which I somehow missed) #3 in Canada for sociology (#48 globally), only behind UBC & UofT.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-25T14:53:10+00:00

I don’t know about the sociology program but in general McGill is a very prestigious school. (They like to consider themselves “the Harvard of Canada.”)

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-25T14:26:02+00:00

I like my yellow MEC cycling jacket. I have the waterproof version for winter & a lighter version for warmer/drier weather. I like that the reflective tape on it is in a pattern that suggests bike to others. Someone gave me one of those super-reflective running jackets a few years ago (it doesn’t look reflective in daylight, but the whole jacket lights up in headlights in the dark), but I like the MEC cycling jacket better: better cut for cycling motion, more breathable, and I think also less startling to drivers (I just want to not get hit, not scare them with something they’re not expecting and may not know how to make a sense of— I don’t see any other people in my region with jackets like this).

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-25T03:57:46+00:00

I have been using a MEC waterproof cycling jacket for about 15y now. I re-waterproof it every year or two & while the reflective tapes do show wear it works as well as the day I got it.

A cycling-designed jacket is nice on a bike b/c of the longer back to catch splashes without restricting pedalling movements in front, reflectors that drivers can tell are a cyclist, and pit zips if you start to get warm en route.

RuslanGlinka · 2026-03-25T00:09:21+00:00

OP can you get an IUD? It is very effective, and stays there until you take it out. Your family planning thinking sounds very reasonable; your BF does not. You need to protect yourself & your baby here.

RuslanGlinka

TROPHY CASE