This post is for all of the younger or college age guys on here who might be interested in a career in academia or medicine. I can really only speak to this particular field, but it needs to be said.

For some twisted reason, there has been a false narrative circulated in STEM fields about women in those fields. There is this whole emphasis on equality and that "women can do science the same as men". And while I don't disagree, I've seen many female scientists and doctors that are truly as good as men are, if you are a man, DO NOT seek out primary mentorship from them. People are going to say this is sexist and it is not. I recognize that women can do science just as well, they have good ideas too just the same, but they can't teach you the skills you need to know to be successful as a man in science and medicine.

Let's just accept for a moment that women and men are different and that women in the science world are in the minority. Let's just eject from this conversations about anything to do with inequality or sexism or anything SJW. Let's just look at the facts. The fact of the matter is that men in science and medicine wear different clothes, their voices sound different, most people in charge are men, and men being men act differently than women. If you are trying to advance, the skills that women know for doing that and their experiences are not the ones that are going to help a man advance in those same fields. I know this firsthand. When I was in high school and in early college I primarily had female career mentors, and this was not super helpful in getting me to where I am now. As a man, you're not supposed to act the way female scientists do, learning to deal with women in science doesn't help you climb the ladder as they are often not the ones in charge, and honestly many of them aren't high up enough to help you anyway. I had plenty of female mentors and only one of them was marginally helpful in getting me anything (she was very high up in a medical school and got me an interview there, that was it).

You know what was helpful though? My single male mentor who actually did teach me how to act, what to say and how to say it, how to talk to other men in the field, and he was high enough up to open a lot of doors for me. The one helpful female mentor I had frankly was only helpful at times because she understands the 48 laws of power and knows how to climb the ladder but nothing she learned was going to help me because she is a woman and I am not. And you know what? All of the ambitious men I've ever met in my field have primarily male mentors. Seems like a coincidence, but it's not. Also just remember that many women want to mentor women and not men frankly, for feminist reasons or otherwise, on a subconscious level they may not be willing to support you wholeheartedly.

So to all you men out there, recognize that your female superiors in these fields are worth working with, but make sure you don't stake your career and all of your early learning on them. It will not go well for you. Make sure you learn in work the same as in sex from men. Do not fall for the PC SJW crap. That narrative tries to tell you it should not matter. It does though. And if you're smart, do what's good for your career and don't sacrifice yourself on the altar of feminism.