employment
grrlscientist | June 2, 2006
The NYTimes has an interesting article by Charles Morris about the parallels between (and the likely underpinnings of) the current state of American consumer confidence and consumer confidence experienced in this country in the late 1870s. Morris observes of the 1870s (and today);
Employment grew strongly, faster than the rate of immigration; consumption of food and other goods rose across the board. On a per capita basis, almost all output measures were up spectacularly. By the end of the decade, people were better housed, better clothed and lived on bigger farms. Department stores were…
grrlscientist | May 16, 2006When confronted with job ads like this, is it any wonder that people give up on their job searches?
Highly competitive postdoctoral position available in the Department of Evolutionary Biology at [name elided]. Applicant must hold a PhD in molecular biology or evolutionary biology with a cumulative grad and undergrad GPA of 4.0. Graduates of MIT or Stanford preferred. Minimum ten years' postdoc experience required, the candidate must also possess an IQ of 160, perfect spelling and grammar, and be prepared to write a 150-page "demo" grant application describing why you want to work for us.…
grrlscientist | May 8, 2006When a story by Money magazine first appeared that ranked the best jobs to hold in America, I was distracted with trying to figure out if my taxes had been accepted by the IRS and by the state of NY (electronic submission). But I ran across this piece again and I have been scratching my head ever since regarding their assertion that being a college professor is the second best job that one could have in America. [image: Money magazine]
Don't get me wrong; I wish to be a university biology professor because, despite everything, I still think it is the best job for me, but I never have engaged…
grrlscientist | March 19, 2006This was sent to me by a friend so I rewrote it a little and posted it here because I thought it might be useful to my blog sibling, Afarensis, in particular;
Anyone who has been job-hunting will probably agree that the interpretations for these bullet items (written in bold) that you typically see in job ads are (sadly) accurate;
Competitive Salary: We remain competitive by paying our employees less than our competitors.
Join our Fast-Paced Company: We have no time to train you and you'll be stuck introducing yourself to your co-workers.
Seeking Enthusiastic, Fun, Hard-Working People…
grrlscientist | March 14, 2006As some of you might suspect, employment -- especially those shit jobs to keep me alive until I find a position in academics -- receives far more attention and energy from me than it deserves. But I thought I had seen everything in the realm of employment possibilities, ranging from being a professional fluffer at a Westchester fertility clinic to a Manhattan dwarf hamster laughter therapist. So I thought it was a joke when I was told that I could be paid to work as an insurgent! All I have to do is carry a machine gun and let the American military shoot at me. Wow! I always wanted to dodge…
grrlscientist | February 7, 2006Why does it not surprise me to learn that the mouthy 24 year old punk, George Deutsch, appears to have never graduated from Texas A&M at all, despite claims to the contrary? According to Scientific Activist, who made this little discovery;
Although Deutsch did attend Texas A&M University, where he majored in journalism and was scheduled to graduate in 2003, he left in 2004 without a degree, a revelation that I was tipped off to by one of his former coworkers at A&M's student newspaper The Battalion. I later confirmed this discovery through the records department of the Texas A…