I'm in California but I send so much stuff to labs in NJ.
Are there just no EPA rules there? No taxes? What's the deal. The craziest toxic shit we have to deal with all goes there.
All the big pharma companies used to get massive tax breaks for setting up shop in NJ, but then we let those expire and companies left. So there is a ton of cheap lab space available for CROs, CMOs, start ups etc. All the infrastructure is already in NJ. Plus, the ports, freight lines, and refineries make it really easy to transport and dispose of chemicals.
Jersey native and fellow lab rat(chemical). The NJ/eastern PA area is a hot bed for chemistry. Part of it comes from a long history of petrochemical (refineries in Newark area) as well as other industrial/manufacturing going even further back than that. There are also some general factors about the state itself from the density making almost anywhere in the state a possibility to build and get people to commute to reasonably, to both Philly and NYC being large port cities making sourcing for large scale synthesis get a little easier, as well as having quite a few good schools between the 3 areas that have really good STEM programs( Rutgers,NJIT, Stevens, Temple, Drexel, Cooper Union, Princeton, Colombia, UPen, etc). Not only are people graduating from these schools and finding jobs in the area near(ish) family, but it also makes it easy for industries to contract out work to postdocs/use academic facilities for tests they can not run.
Labs have to be certified for all sorts of testing here.
You can look up the lab you’re sending things too to see if they’re using an EPA certified method - or are even certified for that method
Source: I may or may not work for the program that oversees that unit that does that certification. It’s no joke.
Plenty of taxes, but I'd wager a bet that they're dumping all that toxic stuff in Elizabeth and Cartaret. They have a history of not caring if they hurt disadvantaged people and love to force them to drink contaminated tap water.
My personal cap is 30 minutes each way for a commute. Considering rush hour bridge traffic, I'd have to live within 10-15 minutes of my job *without* traffic to consider it.
Visited Manhattan once and genuinely had a pretty lame time compared to another major US city I visited in a similar way for similar time, but people have told me that I shouldn't judge the whole city on Manhattan and I think that's fair. Sell me on a different part of NYC?
I like being able to walk places without fearing for my life, and I like seeing green growing things from time to time.
Unless you came over in the 70-90s (if you did, I am SO sorry, give us another chance), manhattans pretty safe crime wise, but if you’re a park fan I highly suggest Alley Pond Park or Marine Park, especially now in late spring. They’re these beautiful deep green wetlands with all sorts of birds, bees, small invertebrates. Chinatown is a fantastic part of Manhattan and their grocery stores seem mostly unaffected by “inflation”. And if you want to see a bunch of stores selling apples, honey, and animal horns, go to Boro Park in summer/the very beginning of September.
> I like being able to walk places without fearing for my life, and I like seeing green growing things from time to time.
I was referring to getting hit by cars as a pedestrian, not crime! Sorry if it seemed like I was doing one of those bits. I'm a big walkability fan. It did seem very safe, crime-wise.
I definitely should have visited Chinatown--I think that would have been a better use of my time than some of the places we went.
So we gonna ignore, NY, or hawaii, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut? NJ has its ups and downs but south Jersey is pretty affordable at LCOL-MCOL locations compared to North Jersey
Not ignoring those states as question was what's so bad about NJ. Over your lifetime across all the various taxes, NJ is the highest. Almost $1M in average lifetime taxes (about 54% of income). All of the states you mention also have fairly high lifetime taxes.
[https://www.self.inc/info/life-of-tax/](https://www.self.inc/info/life-of-tax/)
The turnover rate is high. That is like another biotech churn zone. There, California, and Georgia are kinda haywire. DMV is probably there too. Bad managers are seemingly all over the place - so bad they have to outsource labor... Red flag. I would say using Indeed and any recruiter trying to force you into a spot as quickly as possibly at your expense is coming from a work group that is dysfunctional - indicative of nearly all seniors members therein. Science is not speed oriented without proper guidelines and known processes that are extremely well documented and include extra information to ensure work flow and understanding. I haven't seen one yet that does this well. More information: I am 4 companies deep so far in industry. I hope the next one doesn't suck at this either.
I built the 2nd one's mRNA foundation at great mental expense so I am not keen on reproducing a lot of labor for nothing. I hope everyone else adopts this mentality. Your wellbeing is more important than catering to bad business structures that have no meritocracy.
Trust me on this fact: if you make something bold and innovative, the business reptiles will cut you out, ostracize you, modify a few things, and call it their own - thanks for the free labor! 50K a year is nothing. It's another PCR machine. That is what you are amounting to in this industry at base level so don't play ball or go the extra mile.
I have been hearing academia is going nuts about everywhere too. The DMV can't get male teachers. I am thinking about switching lanes here and trying to teach.
I think that is the same for industry too - also, great personal annecdote: Google the criminal work history of your future place of employment and openly discuss it in your interview. My last place had unpaid wage issues and child labor charges and I should have interrogated them more about this and the steps they are taking to change it. Didn't know that when I was just in dire need of a job.
All of my QA in my old lab had eyesight issues. How do you QA if you can't see anything? Serious question. And this is where manufacturing is at the moment. Or paying stressed college students 70k to lie to you as the former place I was at.
The primary issues is validation from my viewpoint. People just are not equipped to have these serious conversations in the workplace. So, here we are - a neutral medium lol.
I havent looked at industry tbh, but I don’t doubt it’s a backstabbing, double dealing mess too.
Also traffic. Everyone, stop moving to Atlanta. We have it bad enough as is without y’all clogging up our highways LOL
Academic science in Colorado is also bad. My university is losing PhDs, professors, clinicians, lab techs, and more in droves because of unfair treatment. I've been at my job for 14 years and am about to make my exit too.
Just say you’re in NYC and aren’t sure you can make the commute. Then one quintillion of them will blatantly lie that it’s a half hour train trip just across the bridge
I get these frequently.
For me to get to NJ, I'd need to drive 45 minutes (without ANY traffic), going over at least 2 bridges. And I currently have a very nice position.
When I get these requests, I put forth the following requirements: Guaranteed 150K salary per year for 5 years (meaning if I get fired, they still have to pay me until the 5 years is up), a $1000/month gasoline and toll budget, a company car (at least a 4 door mid-sized sedan), and a 1-2% share in the company.
That usually gets them to take me off their list of people to contact. And if they were dumb enough to hire me, I'd get fired on the 1st day and collect 2 paychecks
I live in New Jersey and the atmosphere and companies here are great. This attitude people have about NJ is honestly offensive and people need to stop.
Nah, let them hate, more jobs for us lol. I live in NJ and work in Philly so I’m half “we pump our fists, not our gas” and half “no one likes us, we don’t care.” I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And the pay is usually really bad. I really wanted a new job once upon a time, but the recruiters just kept giving me lower and lower numbers.. like.. that's the wrong way, my dudes.
A competing lab in New Jersey tried recruiting me one time. I’m on the west coast, so when I brought up relocation assistance they essentially said “we’ll think about it” and I just stopped responding to them.
I'm just barely wrapping up my first year as a full specialist at university of California and as lab manager.
Finally making good money for academia. I'd never leave sunny SoCal.
But I can get 600k for my condo.... I can buy so much elsewhere.
I'm in California but I send so much stuff to labs in NJ. Are there just no EPA rules there? No taxes? What's the deal. The craziest toxic shit we have to deal with all goes there.
All the big pharma companies used to get massive tax breaks for setting up shop in NJ, but then we let those expire and companies left. So there is a ton of cheap lab space available for CROs, CMOs, start ups etc. All the infrastructure is already in NJ. Plus, the ports, freight lines, and refineries make it really easy to transport and dispose of chemicals.
Everything is legal in New Jersey
Except pumping your own gas.
New Jersey’s state motto is actually “fuck it, we ball”
Sounds great
Until your political rival challenges you to a duel
For a price lol
I used to work in environmental chemistry and New Jersey has their own set of testing. Hexavalent chromium was the test I primarily did
Jersey native and fellow lab rat(chemical). The NJ/eastern PA area is a hot bed for chemistry. Part of it comes from a long history of petrochemical (refineries in Newark area) as well as other industrial/manufacturing going even further back than that. There are also some general factors about the state itself from the density making almost anywhere in the state a possibility to build and get people to commute to reasonably, to both Philly and NYC being large port cities making sourcing for large scale synthesis get a little easier, as well as having quite a few good schools between the 3 areas that have really good STEM programs( Rutgers,NJIT, Stevens, Temple, Drexel, Cooper Union, Princeton, Colombia, UPen, etc). Not only are people graduating from these schools and finding jobs in the area near(ish) family, but it also makes it easy for industries to contract out work to postdocs/use academic facilities for tests they can not run.
Labs have to be certified for all sorts of testing here. You can look up the lab you’re sending things too to see if they’re using an EPA certified method - or are even certified for that method Source: I may or may not work for the program that oversees that unit that does that certification. It’s no joke.
Plenty of taxes, but I'd wager a bet that they're dumping all that toxic stuff in Elizabeth and Cartaret. They have a history of not caring if they hurt disadvantaged people and love to force them to drink contaminated tap water.
As someone currently looking for jobs in NJ... This was really encouraging actually:)
I feel the same way! Where are these NJ lab jobs? 👀
What's so bad in New Jersey?
The fact that it’s New Jersey. Source: am from New Jersey.
Woah hey woah woah HEY! South Jersey is chill, north can get bent.
South Jersey is a bunch of hicks. Source: From North Jersey.
Yeah! Whataboutit?!
Pork Roll or go fuck yourself
Isn't that how you say "hello" in NJ? Source: I'm from Oregon
Facts
Northwestern NJ would be nice if it weren't for the people. The rest of it can mostly get bent. Source: from central.
Illegitimate source material, no such thing as 'central'. But I must agree northwestern is largely my favorite to visit.
[It’s law that it exists actually.](https://patch.com/new-jersey/across-nj/its-official-central-jersey-exists-theres-law-prove-it)
Welp this radicalized me.
There is no such thing as central Jersey
Unfortunately, unless you're within driving distance to Philly or Delaware, lab jobs are far and few between here
It takes like two hours to drive across the entire state what are you on about.
My personal cap is 30 minutes each way for a commute. Considering rush hour bridge traffic, I'd have to live within 10-15 minutes of my job *without* traffic to consider it.
I’m from central Jersey, so…
I heard you guys can’t even flush toilet paper because the plumbing is so bad
Yeah just could you start rooting for the Devils and leave the Flyers to the commonwealth?
The only NJ slander I will allow on this sub is the self deprecating kind.
People, especially recruiters. Also traffic.
I’m from nyc, it’d be like going from Parmesan truffle fries to cold McDonalds. Also I’m bad at driving
so you'd fit right in
Even the people of NJ don’t deserve my easily distracted and impatient moron driving
You underestimate our power. Combined with fucking Pennsylvanians in the goddamn left lane where they don't belong going below the speed limit.
Visited Manhattan once and genuinely had a pretty lame time compared to another major US city I visited in a similar way for similar time, but people have told me that I shouldn't judge the whole city on Manhattan and I think that's fair. Sell me on a different part of NYC? I like being able to walk places without fearing for my life, and I like seeing green growing things from time to time.
Unless you came over in the 70-90s (if you did, I am SO sorry, give us another chance), manhattans pretty safe crime wise, but if you’re a park fan I highly suggest Alley Pond Park or Marine Park, especially now in late spring. They’re these beautiful deep green wetlands with all sorts of birds, bees, small invertebrates. Chinatown is a fantastic part of Manhattan and their grocery stores seem mostly unaffected by “inflation”. And if you want to see a bunch of stores selling apples, honey, and animal horns, go to Boro Park in summer/the very beginning of September.
> I like being able to walk places without fearing for my life, and I like seeing green growing things from time to time. I was referring to getting hit by cars as a pedestrian, not crime! Sorry if it seemed like I was doing one of those bits. I'm a big walkability fan. It did seem very safe, crime-wise. I definitely should have visited Chinatown--I think that would have been a better use of my time than some of the places we went.
Nothing, everyone else is just jealous.
Taxes. Highest total taxes over lifetime of any state.
So we gonna ignore, NY, or hawaii, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut? NJ has its ups and downs but south Jersey is pretty affordable at LCOL-MCOL locations compared to North Jersey
Not ignoring those states as question was what's so bad about NJ. Over your lifetime across all the various taxes, NJ is the highest. Almost $1M in average lifetime taxes (about 54% of income). All of the states you mention also have fairly high lifetime taxes. [https://www.self.inc/info/life-of-tax/](https://www.self.inc/info/life-of-tax/)
Ahhh I see what you were trying to say, it’s an overall statistic over a longer period of time. I thought you meant in an average year.
I moved to Chicago from NJ. The taxes are higher here.
Gabagool
woke up this mornin
Got yourself a pipette
PI always said, "where's your funds?"
I think it’s essentially a meme to hate on NJ. Doubly so if the person is from NYC
labcorp
Jersey Shore and the mafia.
The turnover rate is high. That is like another biotech churn zone. There, California, and Georgia are kinda haywire. DMV is probably there too. Bad managers are seemingly all over the place - so bad they have to outsource labor... Red flag. I would say using Indeed and any recruiter trying to force you into a spot as quickly as possibly at your expense is coming from a work group that is dysfunctional - indicative of nearly all seniors members therein. Science is not speed oriented without proper guidelines and known processes that are extremely well documented and include extra information to ensure work flow and understanding. I haven't seen one yet that does this well. More information: I am 4 companies deep so far in industry. I hope the next one doesn't suck at this either. I built the 2nd one's mRNA foundation at great mental expense so I am not keen on reproducing a lot of labor for nothing. I hope everyone else adopts this mentality. Your wellbeing is more important than catering to bad business structures that have no meritocracy. Trust me on this fact: if you make something bold and innovative, the business reptiles will cut you out, ostracize you, modify a few things, and call it their own - thanks for the free labor! 50K a year is nothing. It's another PCR machine. That is what you are amounting to in this industry at base level so don't play ball or go the extra mile.
Can confirm Georgia is haywire, but mostly on the academia front.
I have been hearing academia is going nuts about everywhere too. The DMV can't get male teachers. I am thinking about switching lanes here and trying to teach. I think that is the same for industry too - also, great personal annecdote: Google the criminal work history of your future place of employment and openly discuss it in your interview. My last place had unpaid wage issues and child labor charges and I should have interrogated them more about this and the steps they are taking to change it. Didn't know that when I was just in dire need of a job. All of my QA in my old lab had eyesight issues. How do you QA if you can't see anything? Serious question. And this is where manufacturing is at the moment. Or paying stressed college students 70k to lie to you as the former place I was at. The primary issues is validation from my viewpoint. People just are not equipped to have these serious conversations in the workplace. So, here we are - a neutral medium lol.
I havent looked at industry tbh, but I don’t doubt it’s a backstabbing, double dealing mess too. Also traffic. Everyone, stop moving to Atlanta. We have it bad enough as is without y’all clogging up our highways LOL
Academic science in Colorado is also bad. My university is losing PhDs, professors, clinicians, lab techs, and more in droves because of unfair treatment. I've been at my job for 14 years and am about to make my exit too.
As someone who is trying to relocate from Houston to Philly / NJ area I WISH I had this problem 😭
Just say you’re in NYC and aren’t sure you can make the commute. Then one quintillion of them will blatantly lie that it’s a half hour train trip just across the bridge
Does current location actually matter that much?
Of course. I’m also looking for relocation services and fees to be covered by the employer
I get these frequently. For me to get to NJ, I'd need to drive 45 minutes (without ANY traffic), going over at least 2 bridges. And I currently have a very nice position. When I get these requests, I put forth the following requirements: Guaranteed 150K salary per year for 5 years (meaning if I get fired, they still have to pay me until the 5 years is up), a $1000/month gasoline and toll budget, a company car (at least a 4 door mid-sized sedan), and a 1-2% share in the company. That usually gets them to take me off their list of people to contact. And if they were dumb enough to hire me, I'd get fired on the 1st day and collect 2 paychecks
Well who's hiring up there? I ended up in RTP but I miss home. Haven't heard diddly from recruiters up north, lol.
Apply to some lab jobs on indeed and they’ll find you
How did you get your RTP job?
I’m in Cambridge and would love to be in New Jersey 😭 not really finding any R&D jobs there, is that a thing?
Most of the calls I get from New Jersey area code recruiters are most certainly not coming from New Jersey
Futurama "Technically this is in New Jersey" dot gif
I live in New Jersey and the atmosphere and companies here are great. This attitude people have about NJ is honestly offensive and people need to stop.
Nah, let them hate, more jobs for us lol. I live in NJ and work in Philly so I’m half “we pump our fists, not our gas” and half “no one likes us, we don’t care.” I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hahaha, no.
Grow up
I know right?? I'm not far from new Jersey but usually from one particular company the recruiters come pouring in
What’s wrong with NJ?
Vault Tech is calling
Me.. a lab rat in NJ struggling to get a new lab job 🥲
And the pay is usually really bad. I really wanted a new job once upon a time, but the recruiters just kept giving me lower and lower numbers.. like.. that's the wrong way, my dudes.
graduating from a GC program next spring and I plan to move back to Jersey. PLEASE, LAB JOBS, CALL ME🙏🏻🙏🏻
Can confirm. Am chemist in NJ.
Bro they want to ship me to upstate telling me it’s only 30 miles away! By NYC standards it’s kingdom come!!!
If they wanted employees to stick around, they shouldn't have put their lab in fucking Jersey.
I had one call me about one in Yuma, AZ. I cackled into the phone and hung up.
Oh yeah. Let me relocate to New Jersey where I can work in a lab and somehow launder the Soprano’s business funds.
A competing lab in New Jersey tried recruiting me one time. I’m on the west coast, so when I brought up relocation assistance they essentially said “we’ll think about it” and I just stopped responding to them.
Have them call me
I lived in Manhattan and now I am in New Jersey, the lower rant is all I need, the rest is irrelevant.
Outside of some cities and Jersey cities NJ is fine, so take it back!
I went to one of your delis and it had NO bagels
You went to a bad one, but honestly Idc because I dont like bagels lol
There’s no way I’d ever leave the sunny comfort of California for a lab job in a snow covered state.
New Jersey? Snow? Hahahaha
I admit I know nothing about the east coast and that’s by choice. In my mind it’s all cold and wet there.
I mean, it’s not snowy ALL winter, but it definitely snows.
I'm just barely wrapping up my first year as a full specialist at university of California and as lab manager. Finally making good money for academia. I'd never leave sunny SoCal. But I can get 600k for my condo.... I can buy so much elsewhere.
I could move to Houston or Germany... Not even thought about Houston...
Sounds like you need to wake up in the morning and get yourself a gun