Future prospects and chemistry labs

Greetings TL,

I hope some wise, old also acceptable, TLers are kind enough to offer some advice on my future prospects after I rant about my current status. Wall of text T_T

Around a year ago, I wrote a blog dictating my urge to switch majors from biology -> chemistry/computer science. Since then, I've switched to a full on Chemistry major/computer science minor. My reasons were that biology was too much brute force memorization for a subject I cared very little about, and that Chemistry was an enjoyable subject with a lot of prereqs taken care of while computer science was always an interest that I wanted to pursue. More details if you're interested in the previous blog:

http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=116172

So its been about a year and class-wise being a Chemistry major has been a lot more interesting. However, my thoughts of future prospects have changed. Originally I wanted to pursue a possible research oriented career with a possible PhD, but I've decided against that which leaves industry/masters my only options.

Even though I used to be very gung-ho about research, I don't think I could pursue it any further in Chemistry. Academia is a lot like ESPORTS, they expect you to dedicate all your time and effort into something you're supposedly passionate about and expect you to take little in return other than your own education and self satisfaction. With that in mind, a purely scientific chem PhD path would probably be a bad idea knowing that I'm not pushing myself to know more about the subject, and even in my undergraduate research I basically am just doing what I'm told to do (my group is awesome though).

In the end, I don't think an "interest" is enough to push me through another 6 years of classes and academic research for a PhD, and its even taking a toll on me now as I'm slacking pretty bad in some classes I don't find too much interest in (inorganic chemistry lab). It feels pretty suffocating and I'm dreading having to take one more elective lab before I graduate, which will most likely be a biochem based lab seeing as that will probably come easier for me to finish. However, it's hard to keep pushing myself to finish my current assignments and lab reports knowing that it just isn't relevant to me at all, and it barely even pertains to my current research. Coupled with the fact that I don't really talk to anyone in my own major or have anyone to really work with also leads to some days where its extremely hard to get motivated.

I'm waiting to hear from a summer research program I applied to thats chemistry based, but with any luck it just means I'll get paid to work in the lab I'm currently in now which is all computers based so that means no real chemicals, just simulations (currently the dynamics of protein hydrations in membranes, kind of interesting with lots of pretty pictures). I'll at least finish my undergrad thesis in this area as its been one of my main goals in undergrad along with my professor being really supportive and the group being really awesome.

During the past year I've been taking I've been completing the Intro comp sci series required for the comp sci minor at this school and have been enjoying it pretty well. The programming assignments are fun though I think I'm getting too addicted to programming at the last minute, but the subjects seems to be like something I'm interested enough to pursue on my own, which brings me to my future prospects.

Currently, graduating with a Chemistry degree with no urge to further work in a wet lab leaves me with only a computational based career path. I could attempt to join the industry as a lab software developer (which apparently is a very nice niche and cushy field) and develop some software engineering skills while being valued for my chemistry knowledge. I could also go get a masters in some computer or informatics related field and hope my greater interest in computer science based disciplines will at least carry me for two years. In the end, I'm hoping that I won't end up slowly losing interest in the subject but it's something I'll have to look into more during the summer.

Hope that was entertaining to you and I guess to future college prospects here are a few things I've learned:
1) Interest does not always translate into passion, but thats something you'll have to find out by actually taking classes you think you'll be interested in. People have told me that college is a place to find out what you really wanted to do. I thought I really wanted to do research forever, but I didn't really learn that it wasn't a super amazing passionate drive for me until actually getting down to bizniz and doing some undergrad research work.

2) Pursue what you like ASAP. I entered as a Bio Major and god knows why I didn't switch out early. I think because I saw some prospects in biological based research, but now it just seemed silly. Hindsight is always 20/20 though and I met a few cool people.

3) Join any StarCraft based college club and the CSL team because it owns.

Better stop procrastinating now. Damn.

Last edit: 2011-05-03 16:42:02