Job Offer

I've been very neglectful of this blog lately. I've been busy interviewing and attending playoff hockey games. Which brings me to the job offer. So, I applied for a government post-doc. Yes, you know how I feel about post-docs. However, government post-docs get paid a higher salary and get much better benefits. Hours after I submitted my resume and cover letter for the government post-doc, I get a call from the PI (Principle Investigator). Cool! Over the phone, I confirmed that it WAS a government post-doc, not an academic one (PI is associated with an Ivy League University). PI assured me that it was, and we set up a time to interview. Interview started well. We went to see his lab. OMG what a mess! I don't know how they get anything done. If there was any system of organization, I couldn't see it! There wasn't a single bench surface that wasn't covered with crap. By crap I mean old dessicated gels (some of which are likely carcinogenic), expired reagents (well, I hope they were expired- that type of reagent SHOULD be kept at 4C not benchtop), stained lab manuals and broken down equipment. I kept my mouth shut about the mess as I met the lab members. These poor girls didn't have lives. They work 16 hour days, 6 days a week! What kind of life is that? They proudly showed off their publications- 4 papers in a journal with no standards whatsoever in the past 5 years. They are associated with an Ivy League University and they can't get better publications than that?!? I actually managed to say something non-committal. Then, I got to question them about the work they do. They run a lot of FACS (fluorescent activated cell sorting), but they never run standards because "they are a waste of time and money." I wanted to say "honey, that is why you can't get your data published anywhere reputable!" Instead, I indicated that I would never work that way as it makes it impossible to compare results from experiment to experiment. PI actually looked surprised and interested at that statement. Whatever. When we completed the discussion of what they do, what they would like me to do, and where they see their lab in 5 years, the PI and I left the lab for the conference room to discuss salary and terms. Because the lab is associated with an Ivy League University, they aren't paying the government rates or offering the standard government benefits. Instead, they are paying the Ivy League University's rates and offering their crappy health plan (can we say Student Death). So why was it posted as a government position and why did you assure me that it was a government position? Oh, and I'd be expected to work the same schedule as the girls, 16 hour days, 6 days a week for 38k a year. EXCUSE ME?!? I made more money (well, per hour) delivering newspapers as a 10 year old! I wanted to stand up, say "Thanks for wasting my time and gas money", and storm out. However, what I said was "I would really have to think about it as based on what you told me, the position would not teach me anything AND would not really be a government position." I then told him that I had other interviews (which I did) and that I would get back to him in a week. PI was NOT happy about the delay (But you'd be associated with Ivy League University and would have an Ivy League University email address!), but agreed. I returned home, wrote the email and then saved it as a draft for the next week. I figured that if the PI was going to lie to me to get me to waste my time and gas money to interview for a position that I really had no interest in, then I was going to waste his time in return.

Oh, and about 10 minutes after I sent my polite refusal email I got a nasty email from the PI implying that I wasn't going to see a better offer. Really? I think I'd make more money and work better hours asking "Would you like fries with that?"