1. What exactly do you do?
- What field is your job in?
Chemistry - What is your job title?
Graduate Research Assistant - Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for (size and general description of what type of organization it is)
The organization is a large university. It is intended to disseminate knowledge to students for the purpose of furthering their career.
- How long have you been employed in this position?
1.5 years - How many hours do you work a week on average?
55-62 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
55-62 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
I conduct research for a professor at the university, both to further the program and complete work for obtaining a PhD.
- What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
21000 - What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
18500 - Please list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation, sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
none - Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
under
2. Work environment!
- Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes. I enjoy working with others. It not only changes the dynamic of the day by introducing stimulating situations, but can also help to develop new ideas by discussing the work we are currently doing.
- Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes - Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes - Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it
I work in a chemistry lab. I sit next to a window providing natural light which I enjoy. The lab setting is very pleasing aesthetically, as the building is moderately new. I do dislike that there are some small amenities which were not included when the building was built.
- Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
- 6 Income
- 8 Work Environment - co-workers
- 8 Work Environment - supervisors
- 7 Benefits
- 4 Hours
- 7 Level of responsibility
- 8 The actual "work" you do at your job
- 4 Job Title
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
- If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Complete an undergraduate chemistry degree. Try to involve yourself in independent research. If you thoroughly enjoy the research, then you should enjoy the task of getting a PhD in chemistry. But the PhD path is more intensive and you should also be prepared for that.
- What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Independent, forward-thinking, excellent social and public speaking skills, self-motivated, adept with hands.
- Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. - What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be sure to motivate yourself to work as hard as you can toward the degree. It is difficult and time consuming work, but the reward is well worth the effort.
4. How did you get your J-O-B
- How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
Through high school interest in chemistry and an undergraduate degree in chemistry. - What was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper application, electronic application, all, etc.)
Submit an applicationto the graduate school, including things like GPA, standardized test scores, resumes, activities and honors and essays. - Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
No. - If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
N/A - Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes - If your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post college/personal plan)
N/A
5. Background: Are you qualified?
- Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Undergraduate degree in chemistry. Class intensive chemistry major. I also worked with several professors conducting research for them. - Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes. I was well versed in the language of research and capable of carrying out the experiments I need to for this research position. - Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes. For the same reasons above...my education was and is my preparation. - If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION)
- If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is "fun" about your job?
Personally, I enjoy the interactions with my coworkers. Research can be very tough, but you build great friendships with people going through the same situation. In addition, coffee break with discussion on current literature can also be fun and highly educational (as well as delicious!). - What is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s) of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work, hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
Most fulfilling is the goal of the research one is conducting. For example, I am working on developing a molecule that has favorable biological activity. In designing an efficient synthetic route, it may (after FDA trials) be used to treat thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of people. It also may not, but it is inspiring and motivational nonetheless. - Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. This employment is necessary to obtain my PhD. My PhD will be necessary to obtain the principal investigator position at a pharmaceutical company, which is my long term goal. - What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
Principal investigator (or head of a research group) within a pharmaceutical company. - Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
7. A Day in the Life Of...
- 7 am - 8 am
Met with a colleague to discuss a current article related to their research. The article was found in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. We do this activity twice weekly to help ensure that we are current with the published literature. - 8 am - 9 am
Read current literature on topics related to my current research. This includes browsing several popular journals completely, while using a search engine to find articles that may have been recently published in lesser read journals. - 9 am - 10 am
Plan out experiments to be run throughout the day. This is based on previous experiments that I have run. I browsed through a record of my previous data to establish that which should logically be done next, and design a new experiment. - 10 am - 11 am
Class on inorganic materials chemistry. While not my major field of study, the PhD program requires classes to be taken outside of ones major field (mine is organic chemistry). Magnetic materials were covered in this class. - 11 am - 12 am
Set up experiment to run through the afternoon. This is based on the design earlier in the day. - 12 am - 1 pm
- 1 pm - 2 pm
Complete the experiments I have set up earlier and analyze the results. Sometime experiments take longer. The particular day to which I am referring allowed me to completely analyze my results. - 2 pm - 3 pm
After analysis of my results I have designed yet more experiments that stemmed from the results. During this time I designed the experiment and began the set up. - 3 pm - 4 pm
Class on inorganic materials chemistry. While not my major field of study, the PhD program requires classes to be taken outside of ones major field (mine is organic chemistry). Magnetic materials were covered in this class. - 4 pm - 5 pm
Coffee break. Trip to the stockroom to pick up supplies. The current supplies I had were running low for what I needed and I needed to restock them. I read a journal article for review later in the day. - 5 pm - 6 pm
Meeting with advisor and rest of my group. - 6 pm - 7 pm
Meeting with advisor and rest of my group. - 7 pm - 8 pm
Meeting with advisor and rest of my group. This meeting, we reviewed a journal article. The article was suggested by our advisor. We read through the article, critically evaluating their ideas, methods and conclusions. This helps to ensure that we know how to critically evaluate previous work. In addition, we have each presented on the work completed the previous two weeks by way of a short power point presentation. Others comment on that which is presented to help inspire new ideas and develop or draw new conclusions. - 8 pm - 9 pm
Completed the experiments started earlier and completed the analysis of the results. In the morning, I will again design new experiments for running that day. - 9 pm - 10 pm
- 10 pm - 11 pm
- 11 pm - 12 pm