#getting into a Master’s or PhD program

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

I know I am a chronic complainer on this Webbed Site. But honestly. Praise be to God for my class schedule this year. Earliest class is at 11AM this semester and that’s only 2 days a week. Next semester my earliest is at 12:30. I get Fridays off this semester. I have no labs eating up non-credited time. Idk what’s gonna happen after college but I’m straight up chillin schedule-wise this year.

[iknowwhereyousleepatnight]

oh i was just reminded that u can go to school abroad

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

i really want a master's degree in japanese language or translation or something. problem is that it's expensive and useless and there's too much on my plate for that right now. how do i talk myself out of this

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[iliterallydecepticanteven]

Dudeeee you work in a cancer cell research lab?? That's insanely cool and I'm really really curious how you got into this field and what you do for your job because I'm also interested in pursuing a career that involves working The Cool Lab but I'm so. Lost???

Yes I do and I'm so glad you asked! Getting into scientific research can be kind of confusing for someone without a background in it so I'm totally willing to help out!

Fair warning before we start, all of the info I'll be giving you pertains to pursuing a career in biological/biomedical research. I can't speak for how to get into other fields like chemical or engineering research because I don't work in them.

First and foremost, what exactly you wanna do is tied to your level of education. I have a bachelors of science degree in biology, and if all you wanna do is work as a lab technician, that's all you need. Lab technicians do the day-to-day lab work like keeping the machines up and running, performing simple experiments, ensuring everything is in stock, assisting in data collection, and keeping the place from burning down. I got this job 3 months after graduating college and the reasons I got this job are because 1) my degree is biology meant I already knew the basics about cancer cells and all the other biological factors that impact them and 2) I had a ton of hands on lab experience when I was an undergrad. I volunteered in a lab during my undergraduate and got a ton of hands on experience with basic lab skills like gel electrophoresis, PCR, and biosafety skills.

All that being said, only a bachelors does mean you'll hit a wall eventually and not be able to do more without another higher degree. For example, while I do run a bunch of fancy cytometers and nanoparticle analyzers and aid in data collection for research projects, I do not create any of my own research projects nor do I publish anything. If you're interested in heading research projects, you will need to pursue a higher degree like a masters or PhD in biology or biomedical research or another field that interests you.

The nice thing about being a lab technician though is you're not stuck. If you get a bachelors, find a position as a lab technician, and find you want to pursue that higher degree, your lab job makes your application for these programs look amazing since you already have a ton of hands on experience. I could quit my job and get into a masters or PhD program within the next application cycle because of all the experience I've gotten.

Now, as for how to find these jobs, I recommend checking universities, which is where I'm currently employed. Individual research labs headed by a principal investigator (or PI for short, which is some who holds a PhD and is in charge of the lab and all of its research projects) always need lab technicians or lab assistants. The only issue is that most of these places are grant funded meaning the money could run out and you'd be out of a job. Of course you'll get plenty of heads up and usually when this happens another lab in the same department can hire you, but I know some people don't like the instability.

If you're looking for something more stable as a lab technician, I recommend finding what is called a core facility to work at. A core facility is a facility that houses and contains a bunch of super expensive lab equipment that is shared among researchers because it's too expensive for individual researchers to purchase. For example, a microscope core facility would have electron microscope that various researchers could use as those are often far too expensive for one lab to purchase and use on their own.

I work as a lab technician in a core facility and I'm not gonna say the specialty because it's pretty niche and I don't want to accidentally doxx myself. My main job is to keep those shared machines (most of which cost $300k or more a piece) up and running and able to consistently produce quality data for various researchers in the department, which is a cancer cell biology department. Additionally, my job is technically a university job and therefore I don't have to worry about a grant running out of money. I really like my job because it is stable and consistent but there's enough variation between all the researchers I help to keep it interesting.

Sorry for how long this post is! I know I rambled a lot but I also know that getting into and navigating this field can be kind of confusing for people who don't know someone in it. I hope this helps clarify a few things!

[non-un-topo]

Having conniptions in my room because I know I'm going to end up in grad school one way or another

[touchlikethesun]

grrrrr i have my graduation ceremony in two weeks and i’m both looking forward to it bc i’ll be able to catch up with all the people still in town but at the same time this year has been such a wash such a failure and i’m so not looking forward to having to tell my friends that not only do i still not have a job i just point blank have no leads or plans like how fucking embarrassing

[anarchomccarthyist]

i love academia because it’s one of the only places where i am one of the MORE socially normal people in the room and the higher up you go the crazier it gets

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (<- guy thinking about if he wants to apply for graduate programs or not)

[rollercoasterwords]

hihi i was wondering what you’re studying in grad school? i’m debating going LOL

i’m currently in a master’s program 4 a gender studies degree! my experience has been. pretty good so far but if ur located in the u.s. my honest advice is don’t go 2 grad school unless u can get it fully funded…or unless ur rich enough 2 just eat the cost of paying 4 a program in which case u can probably do whatever u want lol

[e77y]

Emailed a cool person whose entire dissertation I read in one sitting for funsies just to let them know I enjoyed it. And they. EMAILED ME BACK??? How do I reply 😭

[therentyoupay]

“This year has been kind of wild, hasn’t it?” Anna muses much, much later that evening, well into the second round of dessert. Elsa looks up, startled by the wave of somber thoughtfulness from Anna’s side of the table. She isn’t quite sure what’s going on in her own headspace, let alone her sister’s.

“I mean,” Anna’s face crumbles, and she hides it poorly, “between me moving around so much, and finding my new job, and. You know. Dealing with Hans.”

Elsa’s fingers tighten imperceptibly on the handle of her fork. She lets Anna talk, and offers her a single encouraging nod, precise and controlled. Anna’s mouth is brave, tiny smiles and courageous words, but her eyes glisten with disappointment, with fear, with countless questions that Elsa cannot answer.

“I guess I wasn’t expecting my life to really… turn out like this?”

That makes two of us, Elsa can’t help but think but doesn’t dare let the thought rise any closer to the surface. These thoughts are not fair, she knows. They are not real, or maybe they are, but perhaps they shouldn’t be; Elsa has made her own decisions, and Anna has made hers—because Anna is an adult, because she’s starting to think like one—and now the two of them are left to pick up the pieces.

“I can understand that feeling,” Elsa shares, reluctant to offer anything more encouraging, such as no one does, really, or there’s still so much more, and your life isn’t over yet. “Sometimes plans change.”

Anna makes a face. “Sometimes for the better,” she mutters darkly, grimacing into her cup of cold tea. Elsa faintly wonders when Anna will think to reheat it but lets her make that choice on her own; she tries to keep a tally in her head, these days, of how many choices she consciously relents to Anna. She knows Anna does not notice. “Like. A hell of a lot better.”

Elsa cracks an amused grin at the grit in Anna’s voice, of fire and violence, and you won’t fool me again, and allows herself a deep sigh of unexpected relief.

“It’s okay to blame me, you know,” Anna’s confession cuts through the contented haze of Elsa’s awareness. Her sister’s eyes are so honest, and all over again, Anna is breaking, breaking her heart. “You gave up your doctoral program for me.”

Elsa turns her gaze to the contents of her mug, still warm. Whatever she says next will stay in Anna’s heart forever; she wants to make sure the words are the right ones.

“I did,” she answers eventually. “But I left for me, too.”

“But you’ve been waiting for that opportunity your whole life,” Anna insists, and her cheeks are dry but there are tears in her voice, in her throat, in her essence. “You want it. And you gave it up, because I’m a mess.”

“No,” Elsa corrects. “I withdrew because life is a mess.” She thinks in sudden waves and flashes—of freedom, of feeling trapped by four walls and a bedroom set of furniture, of opportunity, of wanting escape but not knowing how to find it, of feeling crowded and alone, of realizing that control is relative and everything and nothing, and says, “It may not have been the best thing to do, but it was the best decision we could have made at the time. It happened because it needed to happen.” Elsa lets that sink in. “And I’ll go back someday.”

“When?” Anna wants to know.

But Elsa still doesn’t really have an answer.

————

start from the beginning of livable 🎄🎁❤️

[sunshowersanddandelionwine]

oh also! exciting news! i started my teaching certification course so hopefully in a year i'll be an english teacher :DDD

im so fucking excited you have no idea

[mhaccunoval]

i've said it before and i'll say it again. it makes me so mad that mycology is a forbidden career for me

[narelleart]

Hm, I think I need a new header line for my tumblr. I think I can call myself a systematic ichthyologist now. I'm not really an "ichthyologist in the making" anymore, though I'm still learning.

[missingn000]

GUYS I JUST GOT INTO CAMBRIDGE FOR MY PHD