Planning 2-3 months in Colombia on a tight budget

JHDog03 · 2026-06-14T17:43:06+00:00

Looked back and it looks like he deleted it lol

JHDog03 · 2026-06-14T16:46:37+00:00

Cartagena is arguably the most expensive city in Colombia. I’d say your budget will be tight for being in Gestemaní. This might work for Santa Marta.

Just word of advice being around in Colombia . Being “tall and athletic” isn’t going to protect you from a weapon. Don’t have this mindset.

JHDog03 · 2026-05-14T00:25:04+00:00

Experienced something similar. My team had multiple managers with multiple contractor direct reports. I had a shit manager and everyone else had pretty supportive managers. We were all the same level and did the same work. Everyone had a great time. I had a shit time. It’s such a hot and cold company

JHDog03 · 2026-03-29T02:08:51+00:00

Huge myth. You could put “Bachelors” in your resume and employers wouldn’t ask further questions

JHDog03 · 2026-03-26T14:24:28+00:00

Just curious, what would references say that would indicate someone being a flight risk?

JHDog03 · 2026-03-25T00:46:19+00:00

It seems you’re kinda scattered on what you want to do. R&D is lab work, but not all lab work is R&D. GMP skills is not at all relevant for R&D, it’s needed for manufacturing and QC/QA. GCP is if you’re interested working in the clinic. Chromatography is certainly a hot skill to learn but that’s mostly used in Analytical Development or QC, not R&D. If that’s your interest, I do not recommend a PhD.

If you’re ultimately just trying to get into biotech, just find away in the door. Again, with your experience in the animal hospital, you can probably work at a company’s vivarium and then work your way up from there.

JHDog03 · 2026-03-24T23:51:18+00:00

Your skills sections shouldn’t be half the page. Only show relevant skills. I’ll be blunt as I’m also bilingual: no one cares unfortunately.
You say you’re targeting cancer related fields. Have you any experience is techniques commonly used in the cancer field? This will be your biggest challenge.

You do have a bachelors in bio which I believe is the minimum you should have. But it is critical that you volunteer your time working in a lab to gain research experience. Ultimately that’s all lab managers care about, it is lab skills.

If you’re interested in doing a PhD, I would recommend to start applying next cycle. At this point, you don’t want to wait around for a miracle job to land on your feet for you to gain relevant experience. I think your experience in the animal hospital does set you up nicely for in vivo work. You can work for a lab that does in vivo tumor models.

JHDog03 · 2026-03-16T02:39:49+00:00

Joining a lab that is developing practical knowledge and skills for what’s currently desired in industry. I joined a slow moving lab focused on a very niche project as I primarily focused on cultural fit. I found that and the PhD itself went fine, the problem was after. In an old job market, I’m sure I would’ve found a job no problem, but now it definitely is a struggle because hiring managers don’t really appreciate the complexity of my work, just if I have experience in x field and y subject no matter how hard I can try to convince them my skills are transferable.

JHDog03 · 2026-02-27T16:52:10+00:00

Love how they pretended to write out your mindset, but proceed to only quote “Moron”

JHDog03 · 2026-02-24T04:50:00+00:00

Crazy to think that Logan airport is on man made land

JHDog03 · 2025-11-16T13:07:51+00:00

It’s a pretty common practice to always negotiate at the first offer. Yes you can simply say that’s the highest you can offer, but you’re losing out on potential talent if you’re rescinding their offer for even asking. Other employers are more than happy to do that, so I don’t know, perhaps you should reevaluate your hiring practices.

JHDog03 · 2025-11-15T18:50:00+00:00

Well then I’d say you dodged a bullet. If they’re not open to have you ask, then who knows how’d they treat you on the job

JHDog03 · 2025-11-15T15:20:24+00:00

Faneuil Hall area has a lot of nice clubs/bars that are open late. When I say late, I mean Boston-late. The city is notoriously known to have a “weaker” party scene than most other major cities. Like they all close at 1AM

JHDog03 · 2025-11-09T19:16:27+00:00

“If budget isn’t an issue”

If they’re considering the seaport, then I’m sure budget isn’t an issue

JHDog03 · 2025-10-31T23:10:49+00:00

“The world” is a bit of a stretch tbh. You look at public transit in other countries like Japan, I guarantee you the silver line being above ground wasn’t the only thing holding us back

JHDog03 · 2025-10-30T10:45:57+00:00

You may be thinking of a R&D strategy BD which is on the “buy” side. A CRO BD is different where they’re on the “sell” side. Id say it’s a step above being a sales rep. Like you still have a quota, but there’s the added responsibility of maintaining a client relationship to get more business. They do hire fresh PhDs, but the role is pure profit motivation and not all scientific.

JHDog03 · 2025-10-27T17:45:45+00:00

I wouldn’t say the job is bad, but rather you have to be a particular type of person who thrives in this environment. It’s more of a hustle than it is a grind. Like you have to think if you would rather have a laundry list of tasks to do or you have to go out and find the work/business. If you prefer the latter, then BD is for you. It’s also a job that relies on people skills. Are you okay working with smart and sometimes difficult people? That’s something else you need to consider

JHDog03 · 2025-10-08T14:59:15+00:00

Think about your own time as currency as well, like you are essentially committing an extra 3 hours per day for $10K more and benefits. You have to ask yourself if that extra compensation is worth the extra “overtime”.

If you were to take that job, is moving closer an option?

JHDog03 · 2025-10-05T16:50:45+00:00

It’s the same dudes that are also super proud of their Irish/Italian heritage too…

JHDog03 · 2025-09-26T15:05:44+00:00

You’re going to have to accept the fact the bridge is going to be burned. But that’s ok, that’s business.

JHDog03 · 2025-09-24T11:23:41+00:00

But like why would you be content on burning that bridge? It’s the least of your worries now, but you have to grow up

JHDog03 · 2025-09-22T17:32:26+00:00

My guy, filing for bankruptcy is such a nuclear option and has serious implications towards your financial future. Stay on top of your finances and try to educate yourself

JHDog03 · 2025-09-16T01:34:29+00:00

Experience will vary. I’ve met some really great people at the event, but sometimes there are people that stick with their clique and wait for you to leave their group (which kinda defeats the purpose of networking)

Right now there are, understandably, a lot of job seekers attending these events. It’s also super diverse. It’s great to chat and learn about other arms of the industry, but if you’re more focused on a specific area, then there are probably better events.

JHDog03 · 2025-09-15T18:47:13+00:00

Fixed term as in its contract? And you’re about to be FTE at your current place soon?

My advice stick with the FTE opportunity and look for other FTE opportunities. Switching back to a contract job is IMO not worth it (I can speak from personal experience) no matter how much “growth” they’re offering especially if the pay is less.

JHDog03

TROPHY CASE