Hi Laci,

I’m extremely neutral to the larger discussion, but there’s something I want to address here: having an undergraduate degree and a certification in a topic is great. It means you have some general training in the topics you’re making videos about. But the criticism that you don’t have a PhD isn’t a baseless appeal to authority, it’s a legitimate criticism. The process of getting a PhD, as I’m sure you know, involves years of intensive coursework, content knowledge exams, and extensive learning and specialization in a specific content area. I’m sure you know all of these things. My point in bringing these things up is that the considerable amount of work you’ve done to this point does not equate to the academic certification of getting a PhD. It just doesn’t. You can very well have a worthwhile viewpoint and information worth sharing without the degree. That’s fine. But there is a significant gap between someone who has an undergraduate degree compared to someone who has a PhD in the same field.

I acknowledge that this might seem like I’m saying you have to have a PhD in order to talk about these topics. I don’t believe that to be the case. I’m just saying that while I can appreciate your prickly response to being called out for lacking an advanced degree, it was a legitimate criticism in my opinion.