• Question: if i was training for the job that you have, explain to me what the key things are that i have to do to qualify!

    Asked by anon-227000 to William, Thibaut "Tibo", Harry, Georgia, Emily, Aimee on 11 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Harry Wilkinson

      Harry Wilkinson answered on 11 Nov 2019:

      To do a PhD you generally need to have a Masters degree in chemistry. This is usually as part of a 4 year degree course combined with a BSc degree, or can be a one year degree you do separately after a BSc. In a Masters degree you will do a long project, around 6 months, in a research laboratory which prepares you for a PhD.

      Other than that it’s just a good idea of what area of chemistry you find most exciting and a lot of passion!

    • Photo: Georgia Orton

      Georgia Orton answered on 11 Nov 2019: last edited 11 Nov 2019 7:07 pm

      Hi Phoebe,

      I’m a research scientist working at a university. After my A-levels I did a Master’s in Chemistry and a PhD in Chemistry (which is a job but you are still technically a student).
      There are a lot of people doing very similar jobs to me in companies, but more industrially focused. Normally a PhD isn’t required for those jobs.
      Many of my friends from university left university after their Master’s degree and now work on things like cosmetics or pharmaceuticals.

    • Photo: William Wiseman

      William Wiseman answered on 12 Nov 2019:

      I graduated from university with a Master’s degree in Chemistry and chose not to do a PhD. I stayed in a year in industry placement after I graduated. To complete a masters, whether it is within university, a placement year in a company or in another university in another country, you always do a project which is at least 6 months and at the end of it, you will write a report documenting your work. You may also have some exams or long distance learning to do whilst you are completing your project.

    • Photo: Aimee Egglestone

      Aimee Egglestone answered on 12 Nov 2019:

      Hey, so to do my job you would need to go to university and study some kind of chemistry degree. I studied to masters’ level but I believe they were willing to accept people with an Honours degree if they fit all the other requirements.

      I was asked to complete a few technical questions so you really need a good grasp on Organic Chemistry as well as an ability to think like a problem solver. I would say that thinking outside the box and being able to take responsibility for your ideas and the execution of those ideas is a really key skill to progress in my job.

Comments

  • Photo: anon-227000

    anon-227000 commented on :

    thank you, is your job stressful, in any way.?

  • Photo: William

    William commented on :

    There is always a little bit of stress that comes with any job. The key is to minimise it. That may mean asking more questions before starting some work so you and your manager understand the work before starting it, rather than having to change it last minute. It may mean practicing a presentation on your own first before giving it to an audience to get all of the “umms” and “errs” out the way!

  • Photo: Aimee

    Aimee commented on :

    My job can definitely be stressful, but I am able to take breaks when I need them and holidays when they are required so I can manage to hang in there!