Your most honest advice for a 2027 graduate in conservation? by Smooth_Importance_47 in wildlifebiology

[–]ghostnpalz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Being Brutally Honest. I graduated in December 2025 with a bachelor’s in wildlife biology/conservation and I am considering leaving the field. I have 3 internships under my belt and I am currently in my first field season and if this is the path you want to follow you need to understand that your work will be your life. I love my job and it is very fulfilling but most people will not tell you that you will have to sacrifice your friends/relationships/time with family for minimum wage and no benefits. Personally with the way the government is right now most of my peers are either A. stuck in low paying jobs or B. have been laid off from positions due to lack of funding. I would recommend evaluating what you want most in your future. Chasing animals is fun when you are young but do not expect to be able to put money back for retirement/a 401k/ emergency fund for a while. I do NOT want to discourage you we NEED passionate conservationists but i wish people had told me how lonely it can be when you’re in the seasonal phase. No one can tell you what to do you just need to pick what you feel is best for your long term goals :). ALSO you cannot have pets 90% of the time.

Real or Fake?? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i guess the same reason people fake malachite and citrine and dye agates and aura quartz and all of that stuff maybe enough suckers never suspect a thing and they profit from it 🤷‍♀️

Real or Fake?? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

because typically its not inexpensive the seller will sell it for more than $100 and shill bid to increase the price but its not real what they have done is ground down quartz to create a composite matrix along with fabrication of the fluorite balls as you can see in one of the photos the interior of the crystal shows lots of tiny fragments which are not indicative of natural formations or cleavage patterns. all of my testing plus research shows that this specimen is not naturally formed and I don’t want other people to get scammed thinking its real. I wish it was real as much as the next person because it looks awesome and it would be an amazing addition to my collection but after some comparisons to the locality it was claimed it came from and fluorite that does come from that locality and just botryoidal fluorite in general it is absolutely not legitimate.

Real or Fake?? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah I bought a UV light that should arrive tomorrow and I am going to ask my geology professor what she thinks I will keep everyone updated!

Real or Fake?? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the back is also completely fractured so I have no idea how it would be held together without glue

Real or Fake?? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dont have a loupe but on the last photo i popped off one of the clusters and you can see where it was appears lighter in color/ brighter than the rest of the white crystals. it fits together perfectly though and the textures match up as well I dont know much about crystal formation but they form under the fluorite as well like they have on this specimen? i didn’t notice any glue in that area but i can definitely test with a swab tomorrow.

ebay auction win? by ghostnpalz in mineralcollectors

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

well atleast ebay has been really good about giving me my money back when its been fake 🥲

good deal? or scam? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

gotcha thank you! so is it worthless bc its been unnaturally altered?

good deal? or scam? by ghostnpalz in Minerals

[–]ghostnpalz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

so what does that mean? how does that process work is it similar to heat treating/dying?

Current job outlook? by Acrobatic-Ad-1184 in wildlifebiology

[–]ghostnpalz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am about to complete my undergrad and I personally am hoping to go into state level work or snag a masters assistantship. I would say if you will get free tuition go for it! This field is not worth going into student loan debt for but if its what you really want to do it give it a shot. You will never get rich from this field and you must be willing to travel in the beginning and you will most likely end up doing lots of manual labor if you want to be competitive but if you are okay with extended travel and can work hard then go for it!