Re: Jobs in the NJ pharmaceutical market

Subject: Re: Jobs in the NJ pharmaceutical market
From: "Steve Arrants" <stephena -at- compbear -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 08:33:02 -0700


"Steven Brown" <stevenabrown -at- yahoo -dot- com> writes:
> I'm wrapping up my fifth week of unemployment after
> being laid off by a dot com. My job search has been
> slow but steady.

Just five weeks? O Lucky Man! :-) I've been a "displaced worker"
(according to the California Employment Development Department) since mid
February.

> But here's the rub. These assignments pay only
> $30-$35/hour, well below what a mid- to senior-level
> TW should earn ($45-55/hour). The plethora of jobs and
> the low pay leads me to several conclusions about
> pharma jobs:
>
> - Hiring managers are too strict in demanding industry
> experience.
> - The pay is too low.
> - The job responsibilities are not challenging.

It is an employers market right now. There are more people looking for work
than jobs available, so employers can ask for the moon and pay less than
they did last year.

> To those of you in this area, what are your
> experiences in the pharma industry? Are you accepting
> these jobs? Do you know of anyone doing so? Is taking
> one of these low-paying contract assignments the "foot
> in the door" to higher paying jobs? Am I being
> unrealistic in trying to maintain a consistent salary
> in this economy?

Having survived two previous recessions (and confident that I'll survive
this one), I've seen this all before. Yeah, I will most likely have to take
a job at a lower rate because of market conditions--and so, most likely,
will you. A low-paying contract is only low-paying if you've got money in
the bank to tide you over in these times. Otherwise, it is what you need to
do to keep food on the table and gas in your car.

I don't think you're being unrealistic in feeling that the jobs are lower
paying. But, that's the market right now. My advice is that if you really
need the job (the mortgage is due, etc.), take it. If you can stick it out a
bit, wait until the job is something you want, can grow in, and feel good
about.

steve arrants, who turned down a $15/hr. contract editing documentation
written in India that needed to be "Americanized" and who lost a bid for a
Help writing job to a new tech writer who bid $15/hr--said writer has never
written a document of this type before... :-(

===================
steve arrants
http://www.compbear.com/paddbear Certified Cruelty Free
"The dream was marvelous, but the terror was great.
We must treasure the dream, whatever the terror."
---Gilgamesh






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References:
Jobs in the NJ pharmaceutical market: From: Steven Brown

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