Hang up your lab coats!

By R&S: Rebecca and Sarah

R - I was out drinking in the City a couple of weeks ago with my sister, when these two brokers came up and started talking to us. My sister was obviously a hit, being a broker herself and they were all discussing financial things. Then, one of the blokes turned and asked what I did. You should have seen their faces when I told them I was a chemist - shock or what!

S - How funny! What did they say? Were they impressed? I have to admit I’m sometimes a bit reticent about admitting I’m a chemist when I meet a man, I hate being labelled a science geek.

R - They were more than impressed. It was obvious they thought I was going to answer with “I’m in insurance”. Complete conversation stopper for my sister, they wanted to know all about what went on in the world of science, however they were under the impression that I would be working in a lab synthesising drugs.

S - Cool. I hope you told them there was more to chemistry than pharmaceuticals? In fact, can you even imagine a world where chemistry didn’t exist? How would anything ever advance?

R - I know. Aside from the obvious pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, without chemistry and other physical sciences there wouldn’t be colours or materials; but worst of all there wouldn’t be beer or chocolate!

S - Good point, nobody could argue against the importance of those! I can remember very clearly being given a chemistry set when I was little and growing crystals in the kitchen.

R - So a few test tubes and experiments later you were hooked?

S - Pretty much. My parents were definitely glad it was the chemistry set that inspired me. Two years later they gave me a Paul Daniels magic set, and for a while I had a rather unhealthy ambition to be Debbie McGee!

R - I was more into Carol Vordeman myself, was always inspired by how she was such an intelligent woman and a complete whiz at maths. I originally wanted to be a marine biologist, until I discovered my hatred for biology. I’m very glad I chose the chemistry route in the end. Why did you choose Hull Uni to study at? Did you have a career path mapped out before you started?

S - When I was choosing a uni, everyone kept telling me I would ‘just know’ when I found the right place. So I think I was waiting for some kind of thunderbolt of inspiration. Ridiculous. Hull was perfect for me; it had a good course structure with interesting modules, and excellent teaching staff. It is great to be taught by people with genuine passion and enthusiasm as you can’t help but find it rubs off on you! Oh, and the social life was pretty fantastic, I can recommend the Boat Club but it was less about the rowing and more about those thighs!

R - So it isn’t all about lab coats then? Talking of lab coats, I always thought that I was an organic chemist through and through and would end up working in a synthetic organic lab for all my days to come. How wrong was I? I didn’t realise there would be so many opportunities for a science graduate!

S - I know. I took part in a recent graduate survey from my uni and was quite surprised by the results. Of my chemistry class, an equal number of graduates went on to further study as went into full time employment. Of those who went straight to work, they didn’t all stay in chemistry - they went into teaching, management training schemes, and banking to name just a few, in addition to research and quality control. Do you think it is odd to study so hard for three or four years and then go into an unrelated field?

R - Not at all - after all what is it that the Royal Society of Chemistry says? With a degree in chemistry, you can work anywhere from a tropical rainforest to the Antarctic, to under the sea. Not all chemists wear white coats.