Chemistry (York) student studying/procrastinating, ask me anything about chem@york

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What persuaded/inspired you to take Chemistry? What did you take for A Levels?

If the question is to me, I always kind of had a passion for things science unknowingly.

Ended up in rubbish jobs, took the wrong routes, ended up taking an apprenticeship in the pharmaceutical industry. Decided I needed to move on to a degree to get the roles and responsibility I wanted.

The work (industry) though destroyed my passion for science completely though saying that, chemistry/science is the only thing that makes sense to peruse academically for me, so I will do it and university is a fun beak from the 'real' world.

Note: Note no A level, Btec in applied science, biology heavy with added faff.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 41

reinaadira

16

Original post by FailingChemist

If the question is to me, I always kind of had a passion for things science unknowingly.

Ended up in rubbish jobs, took the wrong routes, ended up taking an apprenticeship in the pharmaceutical industry. Decided I needed to move on to a degree to get the roles and responsibility I wanted.

The work (industry) though destroyed my passion for science completely though saying that, chemistry/science is the only thing that makes sense to peruse academically for me, so I will do it and university is a fun beak from the 'real' world.

Note: Note no A level, Btec in applied science, biology heavy with added faff.

How did the Apprenticeship work out and why?
What age did you enter Uni?

Reply 42

FailingChemist

OP

2

Original post by reinaadira

How did the Apprenticeship work out and why?
What age did you enter Uni?

It was an amazing learning experience, i made a lot of freinds, but the work, I got bored of it, not enogh viariety, and i wasn't getting paid the wage to settle down and take that as a a day to day job, and I suppose it was not my time despite my age, to settle down for that day to day job.

Age wen I started uni? Hmmm 26/27 i think, but you wouldn't have thought it. I'm older now though (leave of absence/illlness and all that rubbish) but not important.

Reply 43

InadequateJusticex

18

Original post by FailingChemist

If the question is to me, I always kind of had a passion for things science unknowingly.

Ended up in rubbish jobs, took the wrong routes, ended up taking an apprenticeship in the pharmaceutical industry. Decided I needed to move on to a degree to get the roles and responsibility I wanted.

The work (industry) though destroyed my passion for science completely though saying that, chemistry/science is the only thing that makes sense to peruse academically for me, so I will do it and university is a fun beak from the 'real' world.

Note: Note no A level, Btec in applied science, biology heavy with added faff.

What sort of work did they make you do in your apprenticeship in the pharma industry? Was any of it similar to the lab work you're doing now?

Reply 44

FailingChemist

OP

2

Original post by InadequateJusticex

What sort of work did they make you do in your apprenticeship in the pharma industry? Was any of it similar to the lab work you're doing now?

Essentially, we apprentices just did the work the more scenior scientists were too busy to do, it could be analytical (HPLC lots of dissolving/solutions), characterisation of physical bulk properties of a pharaceutical materials with various tecniques (microscopy/surface area/Particle size analysis - what I did) and then there was the solid form side, x-ray power crystallography kind foo stuff, but nothing really intense, no real, applications of science of knowlege, nots of needless testing. Essentially, it was just generating results, and numbers.

With departments lofty goals, it never seemed like it was going anywhere for any good reason. But then of course there was the work, diectly supporting manufacturing processing, where people needed to know what theyhad made, and quick, that kind of work, made you feel like part of something.

But in the end, if you go far in any science job, it is not to go and win any nobel prize, or discover some new amazaing drug, it willl become day to day, perhaps with increasing pay responsibility and oversight of work. But that is the nature of business.

You want the 'excitement' low wage acedemic work I suppose, but that also has it downsides. As a whole, the concept of science is important, essential I'd say, but with so much crap thrown in, it is never a joy.

What we do now, is kind of fun, we get to play in the labs, synthesising things, actually learning, in contrast to industry. Which was very much learn these techniques and equipment, get on with it ina way. I developed all of the practical lab skills i needed, most students did, just no chemistry knowledge.

(edited 8 years ago)

Chemistry (York) student studying/procrastinating, ask me anything about chem@york

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