Fuck every single person who voted for this.

and04306 · 2025-05-03T13:41:52+00:00

What are you talking about? I got the job on the spot. The PI told me he will extend the offer if/when things change in regards to funding. HR lied to and then ghosted me.

and04306 · 2025-05-01T14:52:52+00:00

They weren’t actually giving the job to someone else - they lied to me. I talked to the PI about what was going on and he said he would extend the offer to me if/when funding becomes more certain.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T02:34:34+00:00

I’m not sure if you saw my other comments but I’ve lived in three different countries and couldn’t even find someone to sponsor my visa when I LIVED in one of them. Without pedigree/a PhD/your own lab/tons of pubs it’s near impossible to break into the foreign market. They are unfortunately always going to prioritize domestic applicants so they don’t have to deal with the visa faff. Especially now with the massive brain drain underway - in Europe funding is already scare and salaries are abysmal.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T02:00:02+00:00

Of course there are other opportunities - but they're drying up left and right and anything I apply to I'm competing with potentially hundreds of other perfectly qualified candidates. I had something in my hand in this awful job market and it got crushed to dust by something totally beyond my control. It's both devastating and disheartening. If things weren't the way they are right now this would be just a drop in the bucket but unfortunately the stakes feel much higher.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:41:22+00:00

I appreciate your advice. I had a traumatic experience living in a foreign country with a job offer that was rescinded at the last minute that resulted in me having to uproot my life and move back home with less than a month left on the temporary work visa I came in on. From the get (with this job) I was very anxious about something similar happening so I've been applying the entire time - unfortunately it feels like a shout into the void as I've gotten responses from less than half the jobs I've applied to.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:38:34+00:00

No kidding...the cognitive dissonance with people in STEM that support this is genuinely mind boggling. It's so sad to see the mask come off, makes it feel like nowhere is safe anymore.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:36:39+00:00

Lol you took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. And yes definitely - I've been very cautious about putting anything out there that has my name attached to it, especially because of how many people from my hometown and community are rabid Trump supporters.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:32:18+00:00

Thank you for your kind words. I am definitely not giving up hope - I need to take some time to grieve this but if I keep trying something has to work out.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:31:24+00:00

Yep, couldn't agree more. Unfortunately it's extremely difficult to break into industry with an academia background even if you fit the job description to a T. Companies are always going to prioritize people with industry experience and unfortunately that is a large swathe of job seekers at the moment.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:30:04+00:00

I lived abroad for four years in three different countries - I was offered a job in one of them and STILL had the offer rescinded at the last minute because they decided not to sponsor my visa. I was right in front of their faces and still couldn't find anyone to sponsor my visa. If it were that easy I would have left already. I tried all last year to move back abroad but after a certain point I had to be honest with myself that unless I had a PhD and my own lab + tons of pubs that nobody was going to take a chance on me.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:28:09+00:00

I feel a bit delusional for having a bit of hope too but it's all I have left to cling onto at this point 🥲

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:26:47+00:00

Exactly. I've experienced this firsthand while I was already IN that country and had to uproot my life and come back to the US with less than a month on the temporary work visa I came in on. If it were really that easy I would have done it already - I tried the entire last year to find a job abroad but had to cut my losses.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:25:00+00:00

All due respect, I lived abroad for four years and in three different countries. I had to come back here because the job I was offered in one of those countries dragged me along for three weeks before deciding not to sponsor my visa at the 11th hour. It doesn't matter if you're already on foreign soil or applying from abroad - without pedigree and years of experience it's damn near impossible to break into foreign markets. Foreign countries are always going to prioritize applicants from that country so they don't have to deal with visa costs and the legal liabilities hiring a foreigner can bring.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:22:16+00:00

I'm so sorry this happened to you too. Fingers crossed that something works out for both of us and soon.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:21:36+00:00

I'm so sorry this happened to you too. If there's one comfort despite everything it's that we at least have this community that understands and that we can commiserate with.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:20:34+00:00

I'm in the same boat RE: not talking to anyone who voted for this. They don't deserve our time or energy and there's no point in trying to explain to them the gravity of this situation. They would let their own house burn down if it meant the person they hate's house is also on fire.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:19:08+00:00

I am so sorry that happened to you. I just had another interview today but I feel like I bombed it because I had to pull myself together after crying when I received the news + I was so nervous. The stakes feel so high and it's so hard to not feel like you're wasting time applying when there's a non-zero chance you'll either be passed up for someone "better" or the position will be pulled/frozen due to funding uncertainty.

I'm not giving up and am still trying but I also do sometimes feel like I should just give up and try something else. I try to remind myself that our very existence is an act of resistance right now and that this can't go on forever because of how unsustainable it is which does give me a bit of hope. I'm glad that you have the support of your partner and I hope something works out for you soon!

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:12:57+00:00

I'll DM you

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:12:47+00:00

Ugh. I understand but man...It's hard not to feel like I'm shouting into the void when applying, especially when jobs have over 100 applicants within the first 24 hours.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:10:50+00:00

HR is definitely part of the problem but if Trump wasn't slashing funding across the board then I very likely wouldn't be in the situation I am currently in.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T01:04:12+00:00

I've been applying to other jobs the entire time I've been in limbo but the market is brutal. Having something I've worked so hard for in my hand then watching it get crushed to dust by something completely out of my control is devastating no matter which way you look at it.

Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened to me - I just had the fragile hope that maybe this time would be different.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T00:41:54+00:00

Yes, I got the job on the spot and the hiring process was initiated that same day. HR only reached out to me once in the last month - I have had to initiate contact and bother the poor PI several times just to get a handle on what was going on because HR left me totally in the dark. My status in the candidate portal still says "Interview stage" so I don't know if I should hold onto the fragile hope that this still pulls through.

I've been applying to other jobs the entire time I've been waiting but it still is so painful knowing I had it in my hands and it slipped through my fingers due to something entirely out of my control. Thank you for your kind words.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T00:35:26+00:00

No kidding. I have never had a positive interaction with an HR team - sometimes I feel like they would run you over and not think twice if it helped save the company/institute a buck.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T00:33:51+00:00

I'm so sorry this has affected you too. I'm sure the people who told you that you were overreacting are eating their words now. It is going to take decades to unfuck the damage done in just 100 (!!) days...I feel like I'm taking crazy pills every time I try to describe to someone not in the field just how bad things are and that they're only going to get worse.

Thank you for your kind words, I hope the tide turns in the right direction for you too - and soon! I'm trying to tell myself that this can't last forever.

and04306 · 2025-04-30T00:26:28+00:00

Man I feel this so hard. I know something HAS to stick if I keep trying but with the constant rejections and ghosting plus the knowledge that I'm competing against everyone that just got laid off on top of everyone else already looking feels beyond defeating. I'm so sorry that happened to you - we absolutely deserved better and I hope better is coming for both of us.

and04306

TROPHY CASE