spectastic

that's nuts. I had no idea it was this bad.

based on what you're saying, factoring in job market trends, there's a good chance I'll be 32 when I'm actually ready for a real job again.. fuck. that.

so the job problems you see are mostly in theoretical research? and is it so bad that even graduates aiming for industry are having to enter postdocs? I thought those were mostly geared towards academic routes. But I suppose that might be the route you're most interested in

i mean for certain areas of chemistry, or all of chemistry across the board? Are most people in your institution aiming for academia or industry? If industry, what areas are they aiming towards?

this is across the board or specific to certain areas of study? there has to be some research that's more valuable than others..

PhD chemists? I thought you get a PhD to avoid being a chemist. What industry are you looking at?

understood. i was just wondering what people have done in the past. and taking on only one of those in the first year is probably a good idea.. I think the adviser's expectation is over 40 hrs/week in the lab. 20 hrs for TA. 10 hrs for classes. suddenly, I'm left with peanuts.

does the gym have a bed and a kitchen?

I want to join the cycling team and the solar car team. The cycling will take up about 10 hrs/week, with occasional weekend races. The car team is more flexible, but I'd like to be involved for the connections and stay in touch with my engineering side. My adviser is pretty explicit about dedicating a lot of time in the lab, and it's in my best interest to be on my adviser's good side. I don't want try to do everything and end up half assing like I did in undergrad. What's your experience been like when it comes to activities? oh i forgot, I also have 20hr/week of TA, to help pay for everything. shit...

so... industrial engineering, more promising than journalism. got it.

Noted, so your observation is that the disparity between Chem and Cheme also bleeds into the graduate level. What type if lab jobs were your Chem e friends doing?

Been seeing a lot of activity with ut austin in the last couple of weeks. Anyone gotten news from them, out of curiosity.

I want to be the character Sean Penn plays in that one movie starring ben stiller where he goes. Da ice... she moves like eh wooman..

New dream job.. cameraman for travel show... or something that broadcasts on nature channel.. oh yeeesssssss

Thanks

Got the good letter.. I guess we can call it officially grad. I've got a good feeling about the pi. I think he could be a good mentor. Time to get to reading..

I want to fix my motorcycle and ride around the country. Never been to the east coast so maybe go east to Florida and northbound towards ny. Across the north, perhaps visit hometown, through montana, go see friend in seattle, maybe go see girl in portland, yosemite, utah, gila in nm, back to texas. Done something like it on a bicycle, but figure motorcycle could be more fun. Get some bucklist things crossed out before my time disappears in the lab. But its just a dream right now.. my engine is leaking, which is bad..

what types of research are done by masters level people? are they mostly oriented around research support? what types of upward mobilities are associated with these types of careers?

for me, taking time off to pursue a career in industry only reassured me that there's nothing there for me if I decide to stick with my bachelors. I think you should try to have a clear idea of where you want to be in the world as you're going through college (internships, co-ops, and study abroad opportunities are excellent for this). for a lot of people, it's hard to decide what they want to do, but it's something you'll have to deal with sooner or later, so it's better to be vigilant in at least thinking about your future than postponing it. the downsides of not knowing is getting stuck in a job you don't like, and transition will become harder as time goes on. on the flipside, even if a phd is right for you, that's 5 years spent in poverty, and coming from industry, that SUCKS. but overall, as many frequently say, this is incredibly field specific, and I can only speak from my own experience. who do you want to be in society? find those people, and look through at their resume.

if you want to take any time off, don't do it in the beginning. that's when everyone is getting trained, and you'll make a bad impression by starting your gig 2 weeks late, and having to nag people to help you get up to speed. my advice is to make a good impression first, kick ass, show them if you're a good fit, and if you do a good job, then you can start asking for favors.

I've been communicating with a professor about joining his group for a masters. I'll pay for it my first year, but he's confident he'll be able to get me some TA work that will pay for most of my schooling, and give me a pretty sweet stipend too. I'm ready to work my ass off, but the MSE department (which is what I'm applying to) has a rule that says all students must receive commitment for support, either from fellowship, company, or professor, but it cannot come from the student; I've already asked why... didn't get a very clear answer. The professor wants to try to pull some strings and see if I can get into chem eng, which is the department he's in, or chemistry. In both scenarios, I'll be doing research under him, with the only differences being a few classes. I've been advised by professor that chemical engineering will yield better job opportunities, and having seen some job descriptions and qualifications in industry, I'm inclined to agree. The flip side argument of this is that there are many people in the engineering department who hold science degrees such as chemistry, physics, etc., which is to say that the degree matters less than actual experience, although this is a rather magnified view into one department within academia.. Looking for some input on how the names of the two degrees will affect one's career outlook, even though the two are practically the same experience wise.

I've been told my multiple professors that a Master's will not get you anywhere as far as research jobs. However, I've seen many job postings in R&D that are open to bachelors, but show preference towards Masters students. Granted, these are more support roles, but what are the odds that a Master's level employee stays in that same position in 3 years? One could argue that those three years experience will be worth more to a company than a PhD with no industry experience. I know this overlaps with the "overqualified phd" thread, but I still think it deserves a topic of its own. How does a Masters help you compared to a PhD in industry?

I have aspirations. They're not plans. How many 5 year, 10 year plans actually turn out to be true? In my experience, very few. I recall reading a poll on here a while back about how PhD's career outlooks changed, and about half of them ended up working in a different field than they had originally started. I doubt most people have a real career plan when they enter a PhD.

he's told me that his ideal scenario is for me to do super awesome in my masters and transition into a PhD with his group, and that if I decide to do a Master's and decide to go elsewhere, that's fine too.. I think he's worried if I don't do well, then that's bad. And if I do do well, then I would have incentive to go somewhere else for my PhD (due to his uncertainty with funding), which is also sort of bad because a PhD is a much better long term investment. I think that overall, my situation is a little unorthodox compared to other Master's students here, which has taken professors aback. I speculate that also plays a role here. Anyway, we're meeting next week. I've already laid out my cards on the table. The rest is up to him. Also, we get along great. I don't remember if I already mentioned that he told me he likes me a lot, which was why I was a little confused in the first place why we're still not set in stone.

i'm pretty interested in this too.. on one hand, I'm told by academic people it's virtually impossible to get a real research job with just a masters. on the other hand, I'm told by industry people to just stick with a bachelors or a masters and start working, because the training you get in industry will be more valuable than training you get in school. I bet there are truths to both sides. It's just difficult to say. In my present situation, I'm pretty sure i would need at least a masters to set me in the right direction of where I want to go. Will a phd be necessary? time will tell. If I could avoid 5 years of minimum wage and score a pretty sweet job with plenty of upward mobility with a masters, then I'm all for it. there's always time for school later... I suppose. Often times, I see jobs that I desire have requirements like phd + 2 years, or masters + 5 years, or bachelors + 7 years.... at my former company, I've been told by head of R&D to avoid getting a phd to avoid overqualification, and gave me a good long talk patting himself on the back about how he identified business opportunities that propelled him in the research route wth a bachelors. go figure.. I'd love to see some example as well.