In a recent post on his In the Pipeline blog, Derek Lowe (@dereklowe) notes how scientists can be prone to smugness. “There's a particular danger in the sciences, because (on the one hand) there's so much to know, that a given person does indeed have a good chance of knowing something that others don't,” he writes.

I spoke by phone this morning with "Mike," a long-time pharma professional who's at a crossroads in his career. Like many in the industry, Mike sees the overall economy improving and his company, a growing biopharma, doing the right things to move ahead. And yet, for the most part, he's stuck.

Every year we at Pharmaceutical Manufacturing conduct a Job Satisfaction and Salary Survey. This year marks our eighth year, and we would love your input if you’re employed in the pharma/biopharma industry. It’s important to note that this survey isn’t just about quantitative data.

If you haven’t been exposed to “xtranormal” yet, the video below is a good introduction. Xtranormal allows you to create virtual conversations between characters you create. Here, Mike is a chemist in his first day on the job at a major pharma company, while Heidi is charged with his orientation. As you’ll see, life in Big Pharma is not all that Mike had thought it would be.

We've just published, in print and online, our latest cover story: “The Good Fight: The Plight of Pharma’s Middle Managers.” It’s a rich, timely topic, given the fact that much of the finger pointing regarding the industry's problems is aimed at mid-level professionals. Or they are implicitly faulted, as upper management absolves itself of responsibility.

Middle managers in the life sciences are underappreciated and underrated in their significance, and yet they're often the first individuals to be blamed for operational issues or to be laid off during restructurings.

 I'm sure we all remember the industry's cool response when Dr. Sharfstein joined the FDA. This week brought news that he will be leaving the Agency.

I recently interviewed Michelle Alton, a senior pharma professional who is in the middle of a job search. The market is tough out there, she says, and networking is key.

If you're looking for a model of business/government/academic cooperation in preparing the youth of today for careers in biotechnology and the life sciences, look no further than North Carolina. The state has myriad well-funded, integrated programs at the high school and community-college levels in particular.

Today I came across the blog of Michelle Alton, a career pharma professional who has found herself recently unemployed. Alton has chosen to spend her "downtime" and job search proactively--travelling, blogging, and exploring LinkedIn and other professional networking sites.