u/Low_Aioli2420

Not sure why I didn’t see this coming. The writing was definitely on the wall. My boomer mother has no idea what’s going on around the world and for being a college educated woman is surprisingly ignorant in general. At first, it was catching her showing my baby AI slop Jesus + children YT videos to “entertain” him. I quickly put a stop to that but I guess since my mom doesn’t live near us and rarely has any opportunities to solo babysit, I didn’t think to have a larger discussion around social media and AI use and safety. I blame myself. I was too lenient. I didn’t stop her from sharing photos of my son I shared with her on her FB, IG, or WhatsApp groups because I know it brings her so much joy to do so. I figured she’s private and I double checked her settings and friends/followers and it seemed ok. I also share few and select pictures of my son on my private accounts so it seemed hypocritical to not let her especially if I can control what images she has and ensure they are ones I am comfortable being shared (no identifying information, nothing inappropriate or objectionable, etc). But I severely underestimated how this boundary could be so quickly crossed….

On her FB, she posted a picture of a toddler in front of some angel statues in a garden. I didn’t even recognize him at first. It was so wrong. It was my son but it wasn’t. Sure, it had his hair and his ears and even his birthmark but his face….was wrong. I don’t know why I found it so incredibly unsettling and disconcerting. Maybe this is something that’s already getting normalized in a world of AI but I can’t help but get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach about it. Seeing my child doing something I know he’s never done, wearing clothes he’s never worn, in a place he’s never been just really freaked me out. I know this is why they recommend to not put any pictures of your kids online. I guess I always hoped if the few pics I do share did happen to leak into the WWW that it would be diluted by the innumerable quantity of pictures and data that is shared globally each day. But I never thought it was going to be my family to directly feed the beast.

So…PSA: talk to your Boomer today about AI and internet/social media safety!

I left my Postdoc after one year 4 years ago after a recruiter found me for a spatial biology CRO. I worked as a lead scientist where I developed and validated spatial biology assays for use in clinical trials, validating biomarkers, etc and managed all clinical assay execution (phase 1-4), data analysis, reporting, etc. I was laid off in January 2025 and decided to take some time off to travel, visit family abroad and then also move my family to the Atlantic corridor. I did “light” job hunting during that time where I applied broadly to posted jobs via LinkedIn but didn’t tap my network or anything. I was surprised to get 0 callbacks to any (80+) applications during those 8 months but thought perhaps without the extra effort of tailoring my resume etc, it was the cause of the lack of callbacks.

Once we moved, my husband was settled in his new job, etc, I started looking more seriously in the Atlantic corridor for translational med scientist, biomarkers scientist, or clinical scientist positions but despite company referrals for the few positions that have opened, I am still not getting callbacks for interviews for them. I know the market is over saturated and undoubtedly, my 15 month gap is hurting me as well. Outside of some manuscript reviewing and staying up to date on the industry, I haven’t found a way to stay active.

I really hate this idea but I’m starting to think about going back to an academic postdoc (presuming I could even get one). I don’t want to lose my scientific career and an income (even if much reduced than what I used to make) would be nice (even if I’m in the privileged position to be able to continue without one for awhile longer).

Any thoughts on this route in this market to keep my career on some kind of life support?