Southwest Research Institute

BamaakII

Any of you Texans every heard of it?  In San Antonio.  Looks like an impressive place.  I have an interview with them.  Not sure how I would feel being the dumbest person in the place.  Full of PhDs and research scientists.

bullsi1911

 That is a complete new one to me.  Know nothing about it, and don’t know anyone working there.  Sorry.

sakodude

Don't know anything about the institute but I have family in San Antonio, be prepared to spend a lot of time in traffic and the one time I got to shoot down there it was a day trip to the range.  

Make_My_Day

BamaakII said:

Any of you Texans every heard of it?  In San Antonio.  Looks like an impressive place.  I have an interview with them.  Not sure how I would feel being the dumbest person in the place.  Full of PhDs and research scientists.

Just consider yourself to be the only person there with any common sense.

BamaakII

Hey I survived CA traffic for ten years, trips through Atlanta and Houston, can't be worse than that

zorba

BamaakII said:

Hey I survived CA traffic for ten years, trips through Atlanta and Houston, can't be worse than that

I have yet to see drivers that even approach the level of incompetence of California drivers. I often can tell a California driver before I even see the license plate simply from their HUA driving. They can't drive in the rain, they're in the fast lane going 50, and can't get out of their own way!

bullsi1911

sakodude said:

Don't know anything about the institute but I have family in San Antonio, be prepared to spend a lot of time in traffic and the one time I got to shoot down there it was a day trip to the range.  

San Antonio traffic is better than Austin.

JerryBobCo

I wouldn't worry about working around guys with Ph. Ds.  I worked at a university for 4 1/2 years, mostly with folks who had their doctor degrees.  They were good folks and some were good friends as well.

BamaakII

Well I interview with them tomorrow.   Looking around the net, cost of living in SA is pretty low, below national avg, crime rate is kind of high.  Texas honors my CCL so that helps.  Probably have to look in a more upscale area to stay away from high crime areas.

JerryBobCo

Keep this in mind on the CCL issue.

I got mine in Colorado.  However, since I no longer live there, Colorado does not honor it.  That means that Texas doesn't, either.

The moral of the story is find out if your current CCL will be honored by the issuing state if you no longer live there.

zorba

JerryBobCo said:

I wouldn't worry about working around guys with Ph. Ds.  I worked at a university for 4 1/2 years, mostly with folks who had their doctor degrees.  They were good folks and some were good friends as well.

Completely agree. I too worked for many years with an entire organization FULL of PH.Ds. They're just folks like everybody else.

Jayhawker

zorba said:

JerryBobCo said:

I wouldn't worry about working around guys with Ph. Ds.  I worked at a university for 4 1/2 years, mostly with folks who had their doctor degrees.  They were good folks and some were good friends as well.

Completely agree. I too worked for many years with an entire organization FULL of PH.Ds. They're just folks like everybody else.

Interestingly, they can be some of the most functionally stupid people on the planet....I have heard tales from reliable sources of them having to be shown how a tape measure and a toilet plunger work...

zorba

Jayhawker said:

zorba said:

JerryBobCo said:

I wouldn't worry about working around guys with Ph. Ds.  I worked at a university for 4 1/2 years, mostly with folks who had their doctor degrees.  They were good folks and some were good friends as well.

Completely agree. I too worked for many years with an entire organization FULL of PH.Ds. They're just folks like everybody else.

Interestingly, they can be some of the most functionally stupid people on the planet....I have heard tales from reliable sources of them having to be shown how a tape measure and a toilet plunger work...

Snort! That too. They're so darn smart that sometimes simple things escape them. The hassle of day-to-day existence can be a challenge - but they're generally amazing!

One time I was called down to a scientist's office, seems his computer was black screened. I pressed the appropriate button on his KVM switch and the world lit up. He was *so* embarrassed! I promised him I wouldn't tell anybody - but its just a different kind of intelligence - they guy has dozens of highly regarded white papers to his name.

I once asked one to explain a DNA sequencer to me (I was working on the power supply to it). She asked me "how serious are you in wanting to know?" - I replied "You're going to have to minimize the 10 syllable words, but I'm pretty interested." She was able to dumb it down to my level and I was able to (mostly) understand her explanation!

Spk

BamaakII said:

...

Not sure how I would feel being the dumbest person in the place.  Full of PhDs and research scientists.

Look at it this way...

During an active shooter situation, you'll be the smartest person in the room. 😁

Just remember, PhD stands for Pile high & Deep 👍

Most are good people. Some can be a little snooty and arrogant and some folks just have bad days like anyone else.

Never try to impress anyone with anything you don't know that much about. Stick to what you know and admit the things you don't. In a professional environment, trust, honesty, reliability and congeniality go a long way.

Good luck 👍

bullsi1911

Spk said:

BamaakII said:

...

Not sure how I would feel being the dumbest person in the place.  Full of PhDs and research scientists.

Just remember, PhD stands for Pile high & Deep 👍

PHD. Post Hole Digger

bullsi1911

BamaakII said:

Well I interview with them tomorrow.   Looking around the net, cost of living in SA is pretty low, below national avg,
yep. Plus some outstanding Mexican food.  Mi Tierra and Casa DelRio on the river walk, Henry’s Puffy Tacos, and thousands of other joints.

crime rate is kind of high.  

Yep.  First time I heard “urban gunshots” was in SanAntonio about 30 years ago.  Watching the news from there is hearing about the south side gun and knife club

Texas honors my CCL so that helps.  Probably have to look in a more upscale area to stay away from high crime areas.

Some of the outskirts and suburbs in the west side (near the headquarters) are nice areas.  Helotes was a neat small town back when I lived in the area, and it is very close to some beautiful and rugged country.

the Texas Hill country is my homeland. Hope you get the gig

BamaakII

I'm not worried about PhDs, we had lots at last job.  They are typically the most socially inept people on the planet. But smart usually.  Guess it depends on their field.  Damn everybody I worked with had a MBA cause. the company paid for it.  Didn't make them any smarter though.  But a PhD in a Astro physics is no joke.

BamaakII

Man I nailed the interview.  They want me there as soon as possible.  They asked a lot of technical questions and I nailed them all, very obscure stuff.  They would stop me after a few words and say yes that's what we wanted.  Going to Texas I guess.

Diver43

Congrats 

Make_My_Day

I was stationed at the Fort Sam Houston Army medical center for my Medical Laboratory training in 1970. The area NW of there was very nice in those days. I don't know if that's changed, but you might look into it. The N. New Braunfels Road area in Alamo Heights is where I lived for the 3.5 months I stayed there. Just taking a guess, I would say anything outside I-410 is probably a decent choice.

knitepoet

Congrats

BamaakII

Thanks everyone

Rafterman

Congrats. Hope it exceeds your wildest dreams.

sakodude

congrats, permanent or contract?

BamaakII

Thanks, yea I already got an extra 5.00 an hour out of them.  They were offering 55, told them i needed 60.  I'm seeing a JP PCC Or Wilson combat 1911 in my future.

bullsi1911

Awesome!  Let me know when you get to town- I may have some customers in SA I need to go see

JerryBobCo

Congrats, and welcome to the promised land.

GunNut

BamaakII said:

Man I nailed the interview.  They want me there as soon as possible.  They asked a lot of technical questions and I nailed them all, very obscure stuff.  They would stop me after a few words and say yes that's what we wanted.  Going to Texas I guess.

Good for you!  Congratulations!!!

orchidman

BamaakII said:

Man I nailed the interview.  They want me there as soon as possible.  They asked a lot of technical questions and I nailed them all, very obscure stuff.  They would stop me after a few words and say yes that's what we wanted.  Going to Texas I guess.

Excellent news. Congratulations.

BamaakII

Arrived in SA yesterday and so far i gate it.  Way to many people and cars.  Its like putting the entire state of Alabama in a few square miles.  I feel wussy saying it but I just want to go home.

Jayhawker

If you can find a semi-secluded place to call home, that will be a big help...