by Guest » Tue May 19, 2015 10:36 am
I am also a SMART scholar at ERDC-Vicksburg, almost 1 year into my phase II commitment. I can concur with parts of the other comments posted here. I personally have very much enjoyed the work, and feel like I have a good opportunity to expand my interests and do work that is interesting to me.
I also have had a hard time adjusting to the area-small town, isolated, etc. I came from grad school in a big city, so it was an adjustment to be sure. You have to look for things to do, and there are a lot fewer options than most places.
I can also attest to the politics that sometimes are at play. I would imagine that is true just about anywhere, but there can be issues with it here. There is some favoritism and advantages given to the golden folks, but if you work hard and are good at what you do, you can generally get yourself noticed.
The hiring process was brutal-no leverage whatsoever and no incentive for them to offer you anything above bare minimum. However, bare minimum goes pretty far in a place like Vicksburg...and I have heard that ITL has deeper pockets than some of the other labs, so maybe you will have a better experience.
If you are used to a small, Southern town and are interested in the work being done in the group you are joining, I would say you are absolutely coming to a good place. I think if the facility here were transplanted to a nicer geographic setting, most of us would have a lot less to complain about...but there are always pros and cons to every situation, so do your due diligence to be sure.
I am also a SMART scholar at ERDC-Vicksburg, almost 1 year into my phase II commitment. I can concur with parts of the other comments posted here. I personally have very much enjoyed the work, and feel like I have a good opportunity to expand my interests and do work that is interesting to me.
I also have had a hard time adjusting to the area-small town, isolated, etc. I came from grad school in a big city, so it was an adjustment to be sure. You have to look for things to do, and there are a lot fewer options than most places.
I can also attest to the politics that sometimes are at play. I would imagine that is true just about anywhere, but there can be issues with it here. There is some favoritism and advantages given to the golden folks, but if you work hard and are good at what you do, you can generally get yourself noticed.
The hiring process was brutal-no leverage whatsoever and no incentive for them to offer you anything above bare minimum. However, bare minimum goes pretty far in a place like Vicksburg...and I have heard that ITL has deeper pockets than some of the other labs, so maybe you will have a better experience.
If you are used to a small, Southern town and are interested in the work being done in the group you are joining, I would say you are absolutely coming to a good place. I think if the facility here were transplanted to a nicer geographic setting, most of us would have a lot less to complain about...but there are always pros and cons to every situation, so do your due diligence to be sure.