Shadowing is very important for jobs where the outcome of failure is potentially harmful or costly. Biological research is done almost exclusively through an apprenticeship-like training system, and part of that system is that you shadow a mentor when you start. (You’ll also continue to work closely with your mentor so that they can continue to supervise you personally for a long while before you’re allowed to work on your own)

My understanding is that hospital or medical work is pretty similar in that regard

The potential alleviation of suffering is great, the potential suffering is also great. There’s a reason nobody gene edits humans (with one notable exception…), and it’s not because it’s hard to do, I’ll tell you that much.

It’s at least somewhat reassuring that all scientists (except the one notable exception who shall not be named) is taking their time to really understand the implications of the technology.

Gene editing is, like many technologies, a tool, and it must be subject to guidelines and regulations to ensure that it can only be used for good. That much, everyone agrees on. The question that people still need to grapple with is where the line is drawn between acceptable and unacceptable editing.

I will also point out that there are ways to influence your biology without messing with your DNA. And similarly many ways to mess with your DNA that do not carry over to the next generation. All of these fall under the umbrella of gene editing but don’t fit the popular concept of gene editing (germline editing). These techniques are much less ethically ambiguous and many are already being used to help people. Here’s a fun video where a guy transduces a gene into himself to cure his lactose intolerance. It’s gene editing by technical definitions but not the type of gene editing that you’re probably thinking of.

https://youtu.be/J3FcbFqSoQY

There’s a saying in Chinese. It rhymes in Chinese (which makes it so much cooler) but the translated version is this:

Given equivalent units of gold and time, it is easy to trade time for gold, but it is challenging to trade gold for time.

Essentially, be wary of how much you’re devoting to your work, because it doesn’t matter how successful you are, you will never get your life back

There’s another one that I find to be very relevant with the times:

a boat with naturally straighten itself when it nears a bridge

It’s a descriptivist version of the English saying “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Essentially, problems have a way of sorting themselves out when things get desperate enough

My opinion? Decompiled software has always existed in a legal gray area, it just hasn’t been worth ruling on because of how challenging it’s been to decompile software. AI seems to have allowed sloppers to get in on the action, and given how many sloppers have zero concept of nuance, they’re being very loud about their efforts. In particular, releasing decompiled paid software seems like the easiest way to get companies on your ass. You’re probably breaking half a dozen established and existing laws, especially since some of these projects are selling their decompilation. I expect the legal system to step in and rule in favor of the companies.

To summarize, just like in every other field, AI sloppers are ruining it for everyone

AI-generated slop. This is a pretty basic story, you should have the basic capability of just typing out a couple sentences. Assuming that the entire account isn’t just a bot, of course.

You’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you. It reflects poorly on you if you don’t ask questions. Because it shows that you haven’t actually thought about how you plan to fulfill your job expectations.

Advice: do some research on the company, know what they do, know what you’ll probably do if you get hired. Then come up with questions - things that aren’t obvious through your research. For instance, ask them to talk about work culture, management style, expectations of your performance, etc. The exact questions will depend on the specifics of the job. But in other words, put some careful thought into envisioning the day-to-day activities of the company and how you foresee yourself fitting within that structural framework.

Second advice: search up common interview questions, and prepare an answer to them. It’ll be shame if you get tripped up on easy questions. For instance, you should know how to respond if they ask you why you want this job.

2000 a month is not enough to live on (California), but it’s also not nothing. It’s a pretty serious amount of money, especially if it’s given per month. For reference, the median salary in California is around 4000 per month before tax (according to US Census). If we assume that he is an average person from California, then he is giving you 50% of his entire income. He’s left with 2000 a month himself, which isn’t enough for him to survive. And California pays well, so if he’s not from California, then he’s likely sacrificing a lot more than in this example.

As a general rule of thumb, a single person’s salary in America typically cannot support 2 people, so even if he’s “only” giving you minimum wage, it’s still a very substantial amount of money. Also, 2000 a month is almost double of what you earn on federal minimum wage, so what your friends say isn’t even true.

Honestly, my read is that your friends sound problematic. It’s minimizing and downplaying his contribution and sacrifices, even if it’s meant to be a joke.