Opinions on 4 cities

[Pookieray]

I live in Northern Virginia & have spent a lot of time in all these options. I like it here in the DC area other than the Loudoun County politics. That said, if I was given the options listed & didn't have nearby ties to any location, I would pick Pittsburgh or Boston ahead of Bethesda unless John Hopkins is the destination. Maryland side of the DC beltway amps it up a notch. Ive spent my whole career dodging transfers to Dallas so others will need to pump it up. The 3 DC airports (Dulles, Reagan & BWI) are a unique differentiator if looking for a tiebreaker on Bethesda as it is very close to the geographic midpoint for all 3.

It would be the NIH

 

[Pookieray]

1. Noxapater





1083. All others.



Those four options are different. His personal preference will play into this decision, not us random interweb peeps going on and on about some relative of ours living in one of the four.

I’ve sent him this link for information on the cities so he can add what ever he can discover with info provided. Once all the comments are pieced together I think it’s been very informative.

 

[Pookieray]

OP didn’t want to make it political. Nice job, SJW….

Correct

 

[HRMSU]

Say what you will about me, I earn every bit of it... But did you just get dookie hurt and blaspheme the greatness of The Dude Koozie?

Looks like someone is off the list for a sleeve of Dude Balls if we beat Alabama this weekend.

View attachment 412850

On a side note I read an article the other day that covered the top movies that tanked at the box office but created a cult following after they were released to cable/video and that was one of them. They said it has such a fan base that they created a Dude religion with actual Dude priests....I'm sure it's tongue in cheek knowing the movie.

 

[paindonthurt]

My son is starting a post Doc and is having to make a decision between
1) Pittsburg, Pa
2) Boston, Ma
3) Bethesda, Md
4) Dallas, Tx

what are the pros/cons if you’ve lived at any of these places?

All other things being equal? (They aren’t I realize)

I’d go to Boston as a young man and enjoy myself.

wouldn’t want to be there for years but I’d love to go and spend 1 to 2 years on a project.

Bethesda would probably be second with Annapolis, Baltimore and dc all close.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

They said it has such a fan base that they created a Dude religion with actual Dude priests....I'm sure it's tongue in cheek knowing the movie.

There are also massive swarms of nihilists that were created by the movie... Of course we never actually hear from them though.

 

[Hot Rock]

OP didn’t want to make it political. Nice job, SJW….

He said he didn’t want to get political and then did just that. He got political saying he based on restrictions. Talk about taking freedoms away.,. Red States are doing that left and right these days. Burning books are back in Style. He really should consider moving

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

1. Noxapater





1083. All others.



Those four options are different. His personal preference will play into this decision, not us random interweb peeps going on and on about some relative of ours living in one of the four.

But the skiing season is way to short and the lifts are expensive..

 

[MidsouthDawg]

I thought the same but googled it a found out they have been in a huge transition over the last 15 or so years to go from “blue collar” to “white collar” and it was voted in top 5 most livable cities for many of those years! Several Fortune 500 companies have moved there .

Unlike Detroit and Michigan, who kinda curled up and died Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania saw the writing on the wall with cheap Chinese steel imports and invested heavily in attracting high tech jobs and retraining their workforce

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

The heat is 17ing oppressive and ruins summer. The winters are grey and muddy and occasionally icy. The springs are down right deadly. Fall is the only reasonable season, but you can still hit 100° in October. And the occasional monsoon season might dump a flash flood in the fall.

Are describing Dallas or Central MS

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Unlike some others, I've never noticed any significant difference in the cost of restaurants to most other places I've been, including here in Jackson area.

Concur on this. Did an East Coast tour this summer. Boston, Manhattan and DC. Not much difference in restaurant prices between them and similar restaurants in Jxn.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

But the skiing season is way to short and the lifts are expensive..

It keeps the riff raff out.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

My son is starting a post Doc and is having to make a decision between
1) Pittsburg, Pa
2) Boston, Ma
3) Bethesda, Md
4) Dallas, Tx

what are the pros/cons if you’ve lived at any of these places?

I have been to all 4.
1 Dallas
2 Pittsburg
3 Boston
4 Bethesda
With that being said, I would be miserable living in any of them. To each his own but not my thing.

 

[dog12]

My son is starting a post Doc and is having to make a decision between
1) Pittsburg, Pa
2) Boston, Ma
3) Bethesda, Md
4) Dallas, Tx

what are the pros/cons if you’ve lived at any of these places?

I live in Northern Virginia (Loudoun County), and I've lived in the DC area for 25 years.

You said that your son has been in Charlottesville for some time, so I would think the culture and mindset of Bethesda would be familiar to him.

Surprisingly, nobody has mentioned women yet. The DC area has lots of single women coming in from all over the world. If your son is a single man that mingles with the ladies, then Bethesda would be a good spot.

That's the only "new" info I could think of. Everyone has provided lots of good info for y'all.

If everything is fairly equal among the 4 options, then I'd pick the one with the best post-doc and best people to work with. Or . . . just go with your initial gut feeling.

Good luck! Your next adventure awaits.

 

[Raiderdawg]

My son is starting a post Doc and is having to make a decision between
1) Pittsburg, Pa
2) Boston, Ma
3) Bethesda, Md
4) Dallas, Tx

what are the pros/cons if you’ve lived at any of these places?

Forget the location. Do not pick a postdoc based on location. The organizations you are indicating based on locations are all great. Think this is a 2-4 year opportunity to establish his future career.

He should be asking - Which place has funding to support him until he hits his own transferable grant? Which mentor place has a proven track record of people leaving the lab into the sector he wants to go in (ie biotech, academia, govt)? Which place supports him getting the most transferable skills as he sets up his own lab or moves into his own job? Which mentor gives has a record of letting post docs get / develop their own projects? Which mentor has a record of post docs getting first author pubs and/or patents? Which place has the best supportive culture versus toxic culture?

I routinely work & interact with labs in all these locations. These are all great universities/organizations. Depending on his specific discipline, goal and mentor, it makes all the difference.

 

[aTotal360]

Dumps

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Surprisingly, nobody has mentioned women yet. The DC area has lots of single women coming in from all over the world. If your son is a single man that mingles with the ladies, then Bethesda would be a good spot.

 

[Pookieray]

Forget the location. Do not pick a postdoc based on location. The organizations you are indicating based on locations are all great. Think this is a 2-4 year opportunity to establish his future career.

He should be asking - Which place has funding to support him until he hits his own transferable grant? Which mentor place has a proven track record of people leaving the lab into the sector he wants to go in (ie biotech, academia, govt)? Which place supports him getting the most transferable skills as he sets up his own lab or moves into his own job? Which mentor gives has a record of letting post docs get / develop their own projects? Which mentor has a record of post docs getting first author pubs and/or patents? Which place has the best supportive culture versus toxic culture?

I routinely work & interact with labs in all these locations. These are all great universities/organizations. Depending on his specific discipline, goal and mentor, it makes all the difference.

You are absolutely correct. What you have said is his primary focus, I don't want anyone to think the city is the top priority. City will be used as a tiebreaker and is a very small percentage of the decision. He was offered a position at all places and is currently weighing out the information he has gathered.
All that you have said is 100% what he has conveyed to us (parents) that he is considering.

 

[Raiderdawg]

You are absolutely correct. What you have said is his primary focus, I don't want anyone to think the city is the top priority. City will be used as a tiebreaker and is a very small percentage of the decision. He was offered a position at all places and is currently weighing out the information he has gathered.
All that you have said is 100% what he has conveyed to us (parents) that he is considering.

Based on the field, I might be able to give a specific recommendation depending on who is going to work with. However, I hope he enjoys the process. Being a postdoc, especially in a good setting, is probably the most enjoyable time in your career. There are days I miss it for sure. So I hope he is enjoying it.

 

[Pookieray]

Based on the field, I might be able to give a specific recommendation depending on who is going to work with. However, I hope he enjoys the process. Being a postdoc, especially in a good setting, is probably the most enjoyable time in your career. There are days I miss it for sure. So I hope he is enjoying it.

i'll let you know his decision once he makes it. Thank you for your input and interest. It's greatly appreciated!