PhD student in chemistry at mediocre university in American midwest

>PhD student in chemistry at mediocre university in American midwest

I'm working on inorganic synthesis, mostly pure chemistry with a little work on application. I know that jobs are hard to find for chemists, and I'm trying to convince myself that I haven't wasted these past 8 years.

>1) Should I be ashamed that I'm not at the best of the best schools? I just want to be able to hold my head high.

>2) Should I just continue, or is there any feasible alternative at this point (I'm 29, started PhD program a little later than most)? I'm thinking about self-teaching as much programming as possible to try to pad my resume in the coming few years, but I've heard that self-teaching programming is just a meme.

fuck, idk, what does Veeky Forums think?

if you want a good paying job then you should learn to program. Maybe learn something that will go with your degree like data science programming. If you get your phd then you should be able to find a really good job doing statistical work with computers.

I suggest learning Python and its various data science libraries (numpy, scipy, scikit-learn,...). R is also popular, but can be confusing because of the way the language is made. Perl is another good choice. You also need to be able to use Linux and learn about databases. It's a ton of work, so maybe focus on your phd first and then take a few months to learn all this stuff.

Thanks for the input.

Fellow PhD student here. OP, perhaps these aren't the best questions to be asking yourself. Instead you should consider, essentially, whether you truly like science or you just want money (or both). Truth is, there's not a lot of money in science unless you work for industry which actually is feasible for someone doing chemistry. The other question is, do you like science enough to spend X number of years getting a PhD just to get a job that would pay around the same with some other degree at half the effort? So again, you have to consider, do you want money or want the science and, if I understand it correctly, you being 29 and just starting your PhD, might actually be a very important question.

Good luck

What is the application of inorganic synth? Manufacturing or engineering? Way I see it though a PhD is a PhD. I dont see how a PhD is "better" at one school or another. Then again all I have is a BA in chem. I sell cars btw lol. Make 100k now, saving to go to grad school after I pay off debts and condo/car. But yeah my advice would be just stick with it. You don't need to limit yourself to just science jobs. If you network there are lots of business places, banks etc that seek science majors.

if you just have a bs in chemistry and want a job
perhaps another bs in chemeng, compsci, me would be better
it would take 2 years for another bs in eng

I really love science, and even though I never did very well, I love having even a rudimentary understanding of the natural world and the ability to manipulate it, that a chemist has. I knew that there wasn't a lot of money in science to begin with, but that was back when I started studying it in undergrad (also I started the phd program at 26).

In these later years, I find myself considering that going for what sounded profound, and romantic and deep in terms of a science-major may have been immature, and maybe I should have just tried going with a more immediately marketable major like CS or ChemE.

But all things considered, I know deep-down that doing fucking chemical process-development for 30 years, or just working some corporate programming job the only major result of which is making it easier for people to both search for, and order dragon dildos on the internet would have left me feeling unfulfilled.

So maybe I am in the right field. I'm sure that with a PhD from a non-stellar but legitimate university, I'll find some sort of job. But if learning something on the side like programming is feasible, then I'm definitely going to do it in whatever free time I have, just to give myself the most options.

Your degree and school are only important for your first job

Inorganic synthesis has application in basically everything, synthesis in general works its way into most areas of industry. For example: most areas of materials science, radionuclide separations, and even mining benefit greatly from chemists with inorganic expertise.

I already have an MSc in chem, so getting some basic chem job is probably easier than if I just had a bs.

Ah so you're more than half-way through it. Does your school offer a master's program, because a lot of times people who don't or can't finish the PhD can get the masters so long as they passed the basic credits and qualifier. So if you think you'd like to get into the market force without sacrificing the science, you could try to go for a masters level type of job, which, I'm sure, there are various. Also, to your question about how much the institution's reputation matter, I'm not sure for masters, but for PhD's it's really about your own research and the quality of it (as well as your adviser's reputation). Ultimately, most people see PhD's as someone with many transferable and self-driven skills, which means that you could work in areas not directly related to your research.

Honestly, in my opinion, unless you are going through enormous difficulties or have an unberable situation, I'd stick through the program and finish it. Your chances of finding a job with a PhD is higher as well.

You've wasted 8 years

I'm not much better, I got a masters in Chemical Engineering and can't find a fucking job

be a petrolchemist

make fucking bank in the oil industry

>should i be ashamed. fuck no. it sounds like you're a 4th year? you've almost achieved the highest level of education in your field possible. thats a huge life achievement. last i checked its worth at least 100 gamer score.

you should definitely continue. I am just starting my PhD in a lab where the average age is 29.

I'm also in inorganic synthesis. We have way better job opportunities than organic who have never used a glovebox or worked with air sensitive materials. find some way to apply your research and make connections before you graduate. the people graduating from my lab are finding work and I dont go to the most prestigious school ever. it is a UC though. the jobs are on the east and west coast for us, friend.

hang in there, cuz if a PhD that has passed their qualifiers and everything is willing to give up, im not sure i can do 5 years of this.

>jobs are hard to find in my field, did I make a mistake
jobs are hard to find period.

Yo m8 you got any tips for increasing your chances to get into a grad program? Im undergrad applying now

I'm not a chemist, nor have I done postgrad, but I would say that jobs are hard to find full stop at the moment, and that every restriction you place on potential jobs (high paying, personally interesting, relevant to PhD, fulfilling and meaningful and beneficial to society) increases the difficulty of finding one exponentially.

Having said that, it doesn't mean those jobs aren't out there. There are two types of people in the job market - there's those who find a mildly comfortable job and stick it out for the rest of their lives because they value job security (or laziness in many cases) over fulfillment, and there's those who are constantly looking to progress or laterally transfer. So don't think that your first job after your PhD will be indicative of what you'll be doing for the rest of your life. Especially at 29 - your life has barely begun.

Furthermore, your job doesn't need to define your entire life. You can pursue academic interests in parallel to your career. And I definitely wouldn't say the last 8 years have been a waste, personally or professionally. Remember that 'experience' requirements on job specs are always inflated, so don't let that discourage you from applying.

All the same, consider graduate entry, accelerated undergrad/master professional accreditation degrees like medicine.

Don't apologize/give excuses for any shortcomings in your application, just play up your strengths. Also, put it that you have proficiency with every single instrument that you've ever touched. Just read up on the basics of them though, in case you're asked any specific questions in interviews. Other than that, just apply to every program you can, play the numbers game (this numbers game will actually pay off, unlike that with women). Good luck!

So far i have a brief anecdotal intro as to why i picked up interest in my major, then, i jump right into describing my research experience, then a brief statement of why my grades sucked in the beginning but how i worked toward improvement, and a last paragraph saying hey ibwanna go here, and work with dr so and so.

I need to link my intro and second paragrph i feel like they dont flow

"Mediocre mid west uni". Hello fellow BSU user. Glad I'm leaving this place next year :)

Probably the best linker would be how you managed to come across the specific research and what about that research specifically stood out to you before getting into the specifics of what you did.
You can also rework your statement for your poor grades as the linker and relate how research may have conceived/revitalized your intellectual rigor and interest.