tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post2611928005941684193..comments2024-03-29T09:05:29.819-04:00Comments on Chemjobber: A sobering aspect of the Internet and chemistry jobsChemjobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-86147558701269098352015-08-18T19:02:04.939-04:002015-08-18T19:02:04.939-04:00If you truly believe that women on average make 3/...If you truly believe that women on average make 3/4 of men for the same job, the following book can be informative. It basically says that men and women are paid the same, on average, for a specific kind of job, but that men tend to occupy riskier but better well-paid positions compared to women. Boo-hoo to you back.<br /><br />www.amazon.com/Why-Men-Earn-More-Startling/dp/0814472109/<br />NMHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-44171241449964048232015-08-18T18:49:44.650-04:002015-08-18T18:49:44.650-04:00Dear White American Christian Male Scientist - try...Dear White American Christian Male Scientist - try working in industry as a woman, especially in Process Chemistry. Boo hoo for you. It's tough out there for all us, and women are not only underrepresented, relative to graduate rates, but underpaid as well. For doing the same damn American job. Women need to feed, clothe, house, and educate their children just as much as you do. Women deal with rampant sexism in industry on a day-to-day basis. Some places are better than others, but its palpable everywhere to varying degrees. Its damaging to not only women, but to the departments, and to the companies that hire them and them discriminate against women scientists. For no reason other than that they are women. <br /><br />Its ridiculous to complain that the world has moved on and become less rosy for you. The western companies have outsourced our projects to the east, and the east has become somewhat westernized in the process. Milliions have been lifted out of poverty. However, the west has become easternized at the same time, where we no longer value individual lives and quality of products as before. This should not be a zero sum game. It should be possible to improve jobs and lives in the east as well as the west. Are we not problem solvers? It is not up to the MBAs and accountants to solve problems - they have shown themselves to be incapable. Instead of whining, we should put suggestions, ideas, and a strategy together, for use at our individual companies to demonstrate how the eastern and western companies can work profitably together sustainably. We will save our own jobs in the process. I nominate CJ's site for such ideas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-6791223967239196532015-08-18T18:35:05.032-04:002015-08-18T18:35:05.032-04:00I'd guess that most Mexican chemists are worki...I'd guess that most Mexican chemists are working in the US. Probably a few still in Mexico are employed in 'high-profit, high-risk pharmaceutical start-up ventures.'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-65351331725912988982015-08-18T17:47:35.388-04:002015-08-18T17:47:35.388-04:00From the National Center for Education Statistics:...From the National Center for Education Statistics:<br /><br />"In fall 2013, there were 1.5 million faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions: 51 percent were full-time and 49 percent were part-time. Faculty include professors, associate professors, assistant professors, instructors, lecturers, assisting professors, adjunct professors, and interim professors."<br /><br />"In fall 2013, of all full-time faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, 79 percent were White (43 percent were White males and 35 percent were White females), 6 percent were Black, 5 percent were Hispanic, and 10 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander. Making up less than 1 percent each were full-time faculty who were American Indian/Alaska Native and of Two or more races. Among full-time professors, 84 percent were White (58 percent were White males and 26 percent were White females), 4 percent were Black, 3 percent were Hispanic, and 9 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander. Making up less than 1 percent each were professors who were American Indian/Alaska Native and of Two or more races."<br /><br />A more informative chart showing representation vs. faculty employment type can be seen at:<br /><br />https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=61<br /><br />@"biotrolltoreador" - it is asinine to ignore the existence of employment diversity mandates - at the institutional and government levels - and pretend they have no impact on actual hiring decisions. Moreover, the biggest gains in diversity in academic employment have been among women (now strongly represented) and Asians (now overrepresented, at least in reference to US demographics) - so trolling about African-Americans misses the point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-43954387243643108492015-08-18T17:27:49.474-04:002015-08-18T17:27:49.474-04:00Maybe I won't vote for Trump after all *sigh*...Maybe I won't vote for Trump after all *sigh*<br /><br />http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/18/politics/donald-trump-immigration-policy-tweets/index.html<br /><br />We STEM workers are toast.NMHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-19157714193009782572015-08-18T17:14:40.974-04:002015-08-18T17:14:40.974-04:00We'd all like to think so.We'd all like to think so. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-16532793886872372122015-08-18T16:26:21.431-04:002015-08-18T16:26:21.431-04:00Actually, being a white american male IS, albeit p...Actually, being a white american male IS, albeit probably slight, disadvantage in hiring for many kinds of academic faculty. At the RO1 I work at they hired one faculty member who was 1/4 american indian, and I was told by my advisor (a faculty member) that was a major consideration over other candidates for the position. More than slight at the community college I am an adjunct at, which strongly promotes the concept of diversity to get low income students to attend, and the faculty is disproportionately (but not majority) minorities.<br /><br />I think all things being equal it is a disadvantage these days to be a white male in consideration for faculty positions, on the whole. May not be a huge one, and other issues are likely to be more important.<br /><br />NMHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-90923247092193855212015-08-18T16:22:03.972-04:002015-08-18T16:22:03.972-04:00CJ's silence here speaks volumes.CJ's silence here speaks volumes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-48266618540676191942015-08-18T16:17:13.747-04:002015-08-18T16:17:13.747-04:00maybe you should stop trolling and something usefu...maybe you should stop trolling and something useful instead...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-65889541811840792762015-08-18T16:14:30.777-04:002015-08-18T16:14:30.777-04:00It's all starting to make sense....The America...It's all starting to make sense....The America hating liberals are forcing universities to hire visible minorities and women....makes sense: look at all those African Americans on the faculties in the chem. depts at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (and look how much that # has shot up since America elected a Kenyan as President....)....yup, you nailed that one! <br /><br />Man, it sucks to be a straight white Christian healthy male with a full head of hair in America, we just can't get a break!<br /><br />(apologies CJ....no more).biotrolltoreadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-4373678453560300212015-08-18T16:03:15.239-04:002015-08-18T16:03:15.239-04:00So, these institutions are ABSOLUTELY FREE to choo...So, these institutions are ABSOLUTELY FREE to choose the best candidate? They have NO diversity mandates to comply with? There is NO legal threat of discrimination if they don't hire a candidate from a protected class? They have NO political axes to grind at given candidates' expense? They have NO political reasons to support one candidate over another? They have NO student demographic changes that they want to address by preferential hiring?<br /><br />Pull the other one, it's got bells on it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-25708726447080124232015-08-18T16:01:10.270-04:002015-08-18T16:01:10.270-04:00"Hey, let's double- no, triple the price ..."Hey, let's double- no, triple the price of higher education, then hire people who can barely speak English to deliver the lectures for STEM classes!"<br /><br />"Great, then when no-one wants to go into STEM because they can't understand the Profs or TAs, we can import more from overseas! Win-win!"<br /><br />Guess it all depends on how you define "the very best". Best able to run a lab full of people from their own country?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-62526740091451332762015-08-18T15:53:07.114-04:002015-08-18T15:53:07.114-04:00" damn foreigners to steal American jobs........" damn foreigners to steal American jobs....." Yea, that is kinda of going on in academic faculty positions (at least), as there are plenty of native-born american chemists who would love to have a faculty position which is taken by a green card holder or newly minted immigrant citizen. <br /><br />So the question is this: do we want the jobs in america to go to the very best no mater where in the world they are from, or should we prefer, almost to an exclusive degree, these positions for native-born american citizens (of all races and stripes)?<br /><br />Lucky for the immigrants that has been decided in their favor.<br />NMHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-31449008878581650812015-08-18T15:36:55.065-04:002015-08-18T15:36:55.065-04:00No one is forcing you to comment here, anon. No one is forcing you to comment here, anon. Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-77835141573473278602015-08-18T15:26:32.538-04:002015-08-18T15:26:32.538-04:00For my part, I refuse to apologize for having firs...For my part, I refuse to apologize for having first been insulted and then censored.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-81544748660007899192015-08-18T15:23:46.443-04:002015-08-18T15:23:46.443-04:00There is no reason to believe that government agen...There is no reason to believe that government agencies are disinterested regulators for the public good. They are self-interested and highly political entities, most concerned with their own expansion and maintenance and the welfare of the single political party they overwhelmingly support.<br /><br />The science of anthropogenic climate change is suspect. It has failed to advance beyond hypotheses, and still fails to account for non-terrestrial and numerous terrestrial factors and their impacts on earth climate. The data collection is suspect. The management and integrity of collected data are suspect and have included distortion of existing data, manipulation of data sets to exclude inconvenient data points, and use of model data to replace actual data. The resulting models have repeatedly been embarrassingly wrong. The tactics of "climate change" adherents have included emotional appeal, disaster movies, bullying of dissenting scientists, squelching publication of opposing studies, over two decades of proclaiming imminent disaster, and proclaiming consensus when nothing of the sort exists. At that point, anthropogenic climate change really ceased to be credible as science.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-26932328977916954422015-08-18T15:20:30.619-04:002015-08-18T15:20:30.619-04:00"@ Chemjobber - I did NOT bring up the topic ..."@ Chemjobber - I did NOT bring up the topic of the EPA in this post, that was biotechtoreador - 8/17/15 11:01 PM"<br /><br />This is true and I apologize to CJ for straying off topic. Not a lot of action in btech stocks in August and I REALLY REALLY like the EPA and any other tax and spend liberal ploy to boost the economy of other countries and to make it easier for damn foreigners to steal American jobs.....<br /><br />I wonder if when Hillary wins dem nomination she can put Bill on ticket as VP? Now that's be something! Would not even be a contest.biotechtoreadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-70207091552933870172015-08-18T15:15:27.267-04:002015-08-18T15:15:27.267-04:00As of 12/31/09 PFE had 116,500 employees and a sha...As of 12/31/09 PFE had 116,500 employees and a share price of and a price/share of $14.70. As of 12/31 the # of PFE employees was down to 78,300 (a drop of 35%) and the share price was at $28.86 (an increase of 95%). A more valuable company with fewer employees does seem better to me. <br /><br />I get that share price may not be the perfect metric for productivity, but the end of the day (note, MBA jargon) it's the only one that matters. <br /><br />biotechtoreadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-22016787749036000952015-08-18T15:00:39.598-04:002015-08-18T15:00:39.598-04:00I guess your thinking is, if Hillary were elected ...I guess your thinking is, if Hillary were elected it would be far less comedic. Nothing to see there, not at all. What e-mail server? What embassy? What "pay-to-play" scandal? "I ate a burrito!" as community outreach.<br /><br />Or just imagine Biden as president. Let the pool party begin! He'd be on Russian TV as the latest exemplar of American intelligence round the clock. I always thought "foot-in-mouth" disease was restricted to livestock, but thanks to Joe, we know better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-87879928850133937302015-08-18T14:57:51.072-04:002015-08-18T14:57:51.072-04:00I guess Pfizer's trying this in-house, so I gu...I guess Pfizer's trying this in-house, so I guess we can see what it does to productivity (and whether the distinct incentives of contractors versus employees or the lack of copresence of different capacities has any ill effects). I just wonder if having everyone make things while you grab the value-added parts and make the money is sustainable (by "sustainable", I mean "beyond the duration of employment of the people implementing these models"). It's also a question of how smart the hands are, how much pay rates increase, and how much political, social, or environmental pressures increase (particularly once you've committed irrevocably to such a model).Hapnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-56373616860175203942015-08-18T14:52:17.702-04:002015-08-18T14:52:17.702-04:00Actually, some strong comparisons with Uber and ta...Actually, some strong comparisons with Uber and taxi industry. Sucks for taxi drivers that they poured tons of $ into licenses (a NYC taxi medallion used to sell for >$ 1 mill) only to have a bunch of hipsters with smart phones use private cars but, again, no way to get that cat back in the barn. biotechtoreadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-16321612813823910562015-08-18T14:49:46.754-04:002015-08-18T14:49:46.754-04:00@ Chemjobber - I did NOT bring up the topic of the...@ Chemjobber - I did NOT bring up the topic of the EPA in this post, that was biotechtoreador - 8/17/15 11:01 PM.<br /><br />I would have thought that a blog concerned with issues of chemistry and chemistry employment should have some interest in the actions of the EPA, particularly when the EPA is involved in a large-scale public health scandal involving their mismanagement of toxic pollutants, the toxicity of some of which have been discussed in other contexts in this forum. Their employment practices, I would have thought, would also be relevant in a forum that routinely discusses underemployment of qualified chemists. <br /><br />If someone is going to make a statement about "the architect of climate skepticism" they fully deserve to be called out for wearing aluminium headgear, particularly if they've already attacked other commenters for either their supposed political affiliation or practicing "pretend science." "Civility" used as a defense for political partiality is neither civil nor objective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-83345680160002853502015-08-18T14:46:41.845-04:002015-08-18T14:46:41.845-04:00On actual topic of post, really this is a classic ...On actual topic of post, really this is a classic example of creative destruction. Better communication, and more liberal trade policies (think Ross Perot's 'Giant sucking sound"), closed the R&D arbitrage. Was economically inevitable and it's actually surprising there are still any bench chemistry positions in the US paying >$75K/yr. It is odd Mexico hasn't gotten in on this, but I'll bet it's only a matter of time. biotechtoreadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-60835495349808148982015-08-18T14:23:31.542-04:002015-08-18T14:23:31.542-04:00I'd vote for Trump for sure if he put Sarah Pa...I'd vote for Trump for sure if he put Sarah Palin (or, in a pinch Michelle Bachmann) on his ticket as VP. Purely for comedic value, and would have downside that I'd move back to the non-US country I came from to steal jobs from Americans. Be really funny, though.....biotechtoreadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-27326492532586920882015-08-18T14:16:29.608-04:002015-08-18T14:16:29.608-04:00So you will vote trump for that reason alone :/ T...So you will vote trump for that reason alone :/ There was a time in this country when people used to vote on more things rather than what's best for them personally. Nowadays, everyone I meet seems to be deciding their votes on one issue, be it welfare, immigration, abortion etc. <br /><br />Trump is an insult to all conservatives including conservative doners who had the courage to put their idealism in front of their business interests and donate only to one party, instead of trump who donated to everyone and then goes on a stage to brag about it while seeking nomination from one party while refusing to rule out a 3rd party candidacy. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com