Oh my god those loop earplugs have been a lifesaver! Started using them about a year ago. Can’t recommend them enough for anyone else suffering

I have a condition called misophonia. Just kill me instead. Please.

The extractors are hit and miss for me. The glue trick sometimes works but sometimes makes it worse. Drilling it out works, but requires another set of work to reattach and is a bit scary to perform.

Before doing those, I’d recommend jamming a rubber band on top to gum up the hole, then trying to unscrew it through the rubber band. It works often enough I this before I do any of the other options above. Quicker and less destructive.

It’s so hard to figure out this stuff … but as a guy into computers who was debating going into academia instead of the field, this is what I did …

I took the money, but lived like I had only the academic salary and invested the rest. 15 years in, life is pretty cushy, I’ve found a relaxing niche in my field that I like my job, but it’s basically optional as long as I stay willing to live like an academic. But there were definitely some pains to get here. I might quit and go back, I might quit and travel, or quit and do a start up, but I like my job a lot now so I’m keeping at it.