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Can LLNL still attract the best and the brightest?

Why or why not?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I hope not but then I don't have to do much hoping. With the pension plan gone and an obvious two tier system evolving the relationship between professionals and blue collar will never be there again. They have successfully divided and concurred the organization and by doing so have gutted what was once good for all and good for the nation. It's now just a job where people will come and go more than some people change their underwear. Here today, gone tomorrow with no real dedication to a project or cause which use to allow people to take pride in belonging. They have destroyed it all in just five months. Well that's what NNSA paid them to do, so job well done NNSA / LLNS.
Anonymous said…
No way! I wouldn't leave a college research atmospher to come to a for profit company that has no medical or definite retirement plan when you retire. I wouldn't want to take the chance on a company with no track record. Let's face it, UC may have had a few problems, but academic excellence wasn't one of them! What does LLNS have to offer? You could move within the UC system. Talk to a first rate researcher as one emplyee to another. Who are you going to talk to at Bechtelville? The manager of the Big Dig? The DOE pulled the pin and swallowed the grenade.
Anonymous said…
To answer this question ask yourself if you would come work for LLNS if you were a new hire.

For myself, I don't think I would. They are just a private corporation, gone in a few more years. Why would I do that when I could work for Microsoft or IBM and possibly get some bonuses along the way.
Anonymous said…
A look through LLNL history shows there was a VSP every 6 years or so. Most of us hired in after the terrible management and ISP of the 70s. We hired on anyway, so we obviously didnt learn our lession. If history has any indication, yes they can still attempt to hire the best and the brightest. There is no UC affliation now though, so there may be a few less that take the bait.
Anonymous said…
Apparently not, and it appears that they haven't been doing so for some time. Look at the English-language skills demonstrated on this blog by almost all the posters....the posts are fraught with misspelled words, wrong words used incorrectly and inappropriately, grammatical errors, etc. It's embarrassing.........

to/too
their/there
conquered/concurred
lesson/lession
etc.
Anonymous said…
OK Mr English!
This BLOG is not for a contest of the best written comments. Einstein failed at a spelling bee!
Make more useful comments will you?
Anonymous said…
We have not been attracting the best and the brightest for quite a while. Take a look at the degrees and universities.

Forget about attracting new talent in the future; worry about the present. If you're under 50, you should seriously look at other options now. If you're under 40, I really feel sorry for you. It's time to get out of Dodge.
Anonymous said…
April 29, 2008 8:16 PM

Nobody said this was a contest of anything. Einstein didn't have a spell-checker (that's what those little red underlines mean, though they won't fix the wrong use of a word or grammatical mistakes). And nobody is ever going to confuse you with Einstein. The point is: how can you expect anyone take you seriously if you can't write a simple English sentence, or can't be bothered to do so even if you have the ability? It's a reflection of either lack of caring, or incompetence. How did you ever get hired at a place like LLNL in the first place? It smacks of lack of attention to detail, a scary thought given the kinds of work conducted there.
Anonymous said…
Spell-checking is not a requirement in this BLOG. There is no spelling test in a job interview. There are much more important things to worry about that spelling correctly.
Anonymous said…
Back to the question.

No.

If the person is really one of the best and brightest they would avoid LLNL like a bad rash.
Anonymous said…
The best and brightest don't have to spell or know how to construct a sentence. But they can think and I believe they will avoid LLNL and LANL as a potential employers. Can you imagine what other alumni employees might say of LLNL and LLNS? I can't believe I put in so many years, and may lose everything I thought was promised. I hate that I'm so powerless to change the abomination that is LLNS and its ULM.
Anonymous said…
April 29, 2008 9:52 PM

Re-read your comment and see how easy it is to make a mistake. That's a nice color on you Mr. Pot.
Signed: Mr. Kettle
Anonymous said…
Quite frankly, how could LLNS possibly convince a talented scientist or technician to come to work at LLNL with the future layoff of 800+ people right around the corner?

We have to drop costs another 30% next FY just to have our costs down to FY07 levels. Doubt there will be much hiring, probably more layoffs, mostly in the S&T and O&B PADs.

Lastly, how could readers of this Blog think we have the "Best & Brightest" working at LLNL now with all the misspelled words by fellow bloggers? For crying out loud, please use a dictionary and at least try to make the company you still work for another three weeks look good.
Anonymous said…
Yes, I'm suprised at the number of peeple posst here without proof reading.
Anonymous said…
For crying out loud, please use a dictionary and at least try to make the company you still work for another three weeks look good.

To heck with the company we work for. They are screwing you so why should anyone care about what happens to them anymore? Come on, please tell me why anyone should GAH.
Neko said…
OK ALREADY! We all make spelling and grammer errors. This is not a spelling contest or English class. It a a place where people can say what is on their mind concerning something very important - their future. My guess, those that are critical are those that were "exempted". Their attitude will change when "this ISP" is over.
Anonymous said…
My nephew has always been exited about the Lab. He will graduate soon with a Masters in Computer Science. For many years he always thought about working for the lab and pursuing his PhD with the "Fastest computers in the world"... He asked me a little while back about all the stories in the media and I confirmed that the Lab he knew no longer existed and that he should be looking for something out of state. He was disappointed as was I. It is just sad, just plain sad.

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