Salaried job for 1-2 years with benefits - any suggestions?

Jiggymike · #1 03-19-2007, 06:35 PM

My situation: Finishing current grad school stint with a Masters in biology. Moving out west to be closer to my gf. Taking a year or two off before going back to school (hopefully) and need to get a decent job for the interim. I would like a job that has benefits but won't rope me into a contract any longer than a year contract. Obviously the more pay the better but I am more concerned with getting benefits than a small salary increase. Here are the ideas I've had:

-Teaching: With a Masters in bio, I think my options are fairly limited. I won't be able to teach at a regular university and I don't think I'll be able to work at a normal public school either. I guess it's possible that I'll be able to work in a private school but they are probably looking for people for > 1 year. That leaves the community college, which would be my top choice but so far I haven't seen any openings for a biology teacher there.

-Admin/staff work at a university - I know a few people who have done this and it seems pretty good. Regular 9-5 type job, the pay isn't great but it has benefits and they seem to hire people on a fairly temporary basis. Both this and teaching both come with some college gym benefits.

Anyone have any other good suggestions? I'm sure I could lie about only being around for 1-2 years but I would be more comfortable with my employer knowing the situation.

mmbt0ne · #2 03-19-2007, 10:38 PM

Penske has full benefits for hourly employees.

Jiggymike · #3 03-19-2007, 11:27 PM

I don't think I'm Penske material.

XXXNoahXXX · #4 03-19-2007, 11:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think I'm Penske material.

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Did you guys plan this?

Jiggymike · #5 03-19-2007, 11:31 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I don't think I'm Penske material.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you guys plan this?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I came back to my thread to check the one response, didn't understand it, and made a Seinfeld joke. Standard.

soko · #6 03-19-2007, 11:48 PM

I know Las Vegas casino bartenders make 40-50K a year with free health vision dental.

Spleen · #7 03-20-2007, 12:23 AM

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I know Las Vegas casino bartenders make 40-50K a year with free health vision dental.

[/ QUOTE ]

They make more than that but it usually takes a while to land a gig in a decent joint and a little longer to get enough decent shifts. This doesnt sound like it's in OP's time frame.

ATauO1 · #8 03-20-2007, 10:44 AM

If its going to be a year or two- and your main focus is benefits- and a decent, dependable salary, go with a State University job. They have medical benefits that are great and low cost(sometimes free) and you get tons of off days- all state and federal days and usually some University skeleton days. Also, you should look into working for a University Medical School- if thats in the area that you are moving to- you could be a research assistant with that degree you have and gain tons of experience, also look into the Med Schools purchasing department (you buy lab supplies and chemicals for the labs and DR's)- if not and your choices are a normal University stuff- go with being a Admin Asst. in a Bio dept, or a lab instructor, degree advisor, purchasing... University's are great because they are always hiring-
Or try the Hospital systems (not doing orderly stuff/ but admin, purchasing, research asst.)

- teaching sucks- and if your coming from a different state your going to have to take their teacher certification classes ( weeks maybe?)...then find a school to work for and then deal with kids and parents- no good

ATauO1 · #9 03-20-2007, 10:51 AM

What you really need at this point is experience- stuff you can put on your RESUME and possibly your PHD app- with BIO also look into the UNIVERSITIES risk management/enviromental protection departments- and the Med school or hospital bio/hazard/ radiation safety/ risk management stuff. I know that all those positions require bio degrees

KilgoreTrout · #10 03-20-2007, 12:50 PM

Where "out west?"

Medtronic has several openings at their Santa Rosa campus. Boston Sci has a plant in Fremont. Lots of other medical device firms in that area.

Depends on what you want to do. Sounds like you want to be an academic biologist. If that's the case, forget the firms I mentioned.

If you're interested in entry-level positions in a great field, read up on Regulatory Affairs. Your degrees will be useful and there;s huge demand in this field. It's what i do and I get recruiter calls every day. I can basically choose where I want to live and line up a job there. Been in the field for 12 years.

Contract? you're dreaming. Only corporate officers get contracts. The rest of us, up through director level, are employees at will.

Also, if you work for a corporation there's no need to say how long you plan to work there. In fact, in the regulatory affairs field, it's expected that you'll bounce from company to company every couple of years. If you stay too long with one firm the perception is that your experience isn't as broad as someone who has job hopped. I typically do 3-4 years at a firm and then switch.

Edit - entry level regulatory affairs associates can expect 45-65K to start (Northeast region). Masters degree probably gets you toward the middle of that range.