1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a n Associate Scientist I do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Biotechnology
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What is your job title?
Associate Scientist I
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
Global company of ~10000 employees, my site has ~50. We provide primary cells as products & services to the biotech industry.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
14 months
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
43
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
I am in R&D, so I do lots of various projects. I do standard lab work, establish QA protocols, write SOPs & ATMs, develop & optimize new assays, validate new processes. I'm also starting a project to develop new kits for sale as products.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
39000
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
42000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
2 weeks vacation, 1 week sick, 1 week company holidays at the very least. BCBS insurance, 50% 401k match. Typical benefits.
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
Undercompensated- I do far more than most AS1's, and though I get recognition for it, I am limited in pay due to the typical pay range for an AS1.
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
I work with others on occasion back in the lab- some jobs are just too big for one person. I also consult with members of other departments on a lot of the things I'm developing. It's nice to get a taste of all of the different sides of the company.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
I'm in an office, in a cubicle. What's nice is that there are lots of people around to chat with, but there's a real lack of privacy.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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3 Income
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4 Work Environment - co-workers
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1 Work Environment - supervisors
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2 Benefits
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8 Hours
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5 Level of responsibility
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7 The actual "work" you do at your job
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6 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Network- find out who at your school has contacts in the industry, & look into those companies for which you "know a guy who knows a guy". I am very rare in that I got my job without "knowing somebody"- about 90% of my coworkers got their interviews by referral.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Critical thinking, lots of laboratory skills obviously. People skills are very necessary to advance, as well as flexibility.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Minimally a college level science degree for any AS1 position, but for R&D at least a MS degree.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
You are the bottom of the totem pole. It doesn't matter who you worked for at school, how many papers you published... You have to prove yourself all over again, and if you look cocky for a second, it will take you MONTHS to make up for it.
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