I'll add my anecdata to this. The lab I got my Masters in was, well, saddening. So were all the other labs. My SO has a higher degree in another field from anot

I'll add my anecdata to this. The lab I got my Masters in was, well, saddening. So were all the other labs. My SO has a higher degree in another field from another location. My SO's lab was ok, well maybe okay-ish, but all the other labs were similarly saddening. I remember one student who just couldn't laugh. Sure a chuckle here and there, but not real laughter. When we'd go grab lunch with a prospective new student, he's warn them off academia altogether. Such lunch meetings weren't all that uncommon with people in other labs. Maybe our experiences were unique and rare, but they felt more common than not.