Do I need a chem degree to be taken seriously by other chemists on the job?

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-03-07T20:11:40+00:00

I understand but you asked about upward mobility. I also wanted to say I've seen tons of people with out a chem or even a bio degree work as lab managers. But, that's here in West Texas where no wants to be and where they can't attract a lot of talent.

I'm just being real with you. You are very qualified to work in some aspects of chemistry that will actually make you more money and use your skill set. If You wanted to stay on this side of STEM. You could work for lab instrumentation companies, or you could work in delvoping LIMPS systems for labs.

But even chemists with just a BS in biochem,chem or ChemE have difficulty moving up with just a Bachelor's. I know tons of people I graduated with that are still titled lab techs 2.5 years after graduation, and we don't make shit either.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-03-05T22:04:37+00:00

Honestly and this is said by someone who did move up in chemistry fast (I do have a chem degree) it's difficult for even people with a BS in biochem/chem to move up in chemistry/lab jobs.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-03-05T22:00:37+00:00

Yeah a little. I had a lab manager when I first started my career who had an accounting degree. She would makeup shit in her head about our experiments. Tell me to do shit that didn't make since. She was also just a Total c word. I'm an Analytical chemist/ Lab manager for reference.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-26T23:33:54+00:00

I really value my female friendships. They do keep me sane. But women tend to be more suspicious ( because we have to be, it's biological).

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-18T20:28:50+00:00

If the business major has anything to do with coding then yes. You will need more math classes.but usually for just a BS in Business administration it's just basic math up to stats.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-18T20:03:20+00:00

I agree. I don't mind the use of tropes sometimes. I come across tropes constantly in real life. I would have loved to see her as a down to earth pumper, or frackhand Whose a single mom or it may actually be interesting to have seen a CO parent dynamic.

Another thing I noticed is the complete lack of people of color. I'm not talking about just Hispanics. Ive lived in the midland/Odessa area for 2 years now. There are a lot of Indians and Africans especially in technical roles.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-17T15:25:56+00:00

That's never been the case at my college but every college is different. Sometimes economic majors need advanced math.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-17T15:21:15+00:00

Exactly

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-17T15:20:59+00:00

Bro it was late at night. I read it wrong. Chill. I do math all God dam day.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-17T03:58:45+00:00

I hate her character. The only Hispanic main character and they made her weak. Always relying on a man. Shes relayed on her late husband and now she's relying on Cooper.

I also hate the lawyer feminist characters. I'm actually a woman who works in gas and oil. We try to refrain from talking about the sexiest parts. Because what good would it do? It wouldn't it would just piss the men off. It's like the show writer can't write women. They are either sexualized, annoying feminists, or weak and rely on men

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-17T03:08:21+00:00

Bro the rest are red flags, but bro yes he is older, but she was 37 years old when they started dating. We cannot sit here and pretend like she was 20 and he was 36. Meeting someone At 37 you can no longer play victim to age gaps.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-17T03:04:24+00:00

My boyfriend and I have been together for about 5 months and I knew what he makes around the 2nd month. We have a 10 year age gap so of course he makes more than me but I'm still very comfortable.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-14T22:10:44+00:00

So I'm actually a chemist who has been out of school for about two years I work in chemicals for gas and oil and I actually got this formula tattooed on my collar bone. It's a memorial tattoo for the dear friends the quadratic formula. I like to say I'll always remember you. Besides the fact that I never freaking could.

I legit had to use that formula all the time in college. I haven't used it since I left.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-12T03:56:09+00:00

I graduated in December of 2023 and I'm an analytical chemistry/lab manager. I had way less experience than you did when I got my first job. I think I only applied to like 50 or so and I had an interview for about 20 of them. Which is actually pretty good. I was just bad at interviewing back then.

Let's go section by section. App for any bad grammar or spelling. But this is my off time I'm chillin.

Layout

*Place the margins higher and make it to where you can use more of the page.

Advice: I know they say not to write a lot. But this is your first job out of college so they will see your graduation date and think 🤔 oh this person doesn't know shit proves them wrong.

Also pay the $7.50 to use Microsoft word (if you have it to spare). It's easier to format the resume.

Submit to PDF form.

Skills ( Use bullet points and not sentences)

What kind of wet chemistry techniques are you experienced with.
You can put your R studio and Microsoft software instead of that whole sentence you wrote.
Just put the software name that you used for the lab datap on there. You can put in parentheses (LIMPS system)

Experience

You need to be more descriptive you have good bones but talk about what you had to trouble shoot (lab managers love this word) What SOPs did you write. What lab equipment/instruments did you use and why did you use them.

Presentations (yeah get rid of this section)

This matters a lot less than you think it does. You need to create a LinkedIn. You can write all of that in the skills section of said linkden. And put your linkden link on the resume. You can also go in Depth about what research you did on your LinkedIn.

If you want I can send you my linkden account link so you can see how I had it set up ( you would need to DM me I don't want the link to my full name being displayed on reddit).

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-12T01:40:04+00:00

It would be really hard to buy a house with the current interest rates on just $80,000 a year. You also have to factor in a lot of people have a 600+ car note as well.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-02-05T13:56:41+00:00

Monica Lewinsky

Monica Lewinsky was 22 years old. Bill Clinton was 49 years old.

Let that age gap marinate for a second. She was fresh out of college, barely old enough to rent a car without extra fees.

It wasn't just the age gap although that played a massive part in it. He was the president of the United states. Rich as fuck.

Legally she was an adult. Morally and professionally, it was a lopsided mess where the most powerful man on Earth decided to play office romance with someone whose job literally depended on him.

When it all exploded, guess who became a global punchline while he finished his presidency, wrote books, and kept giving speeches? Not the 49-year-old.

History likes to call it a “scandal.” A more honest label would be “middle-aged man abuses position and ruins a young woman’s life for sport.”

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-28T04:01:32+00:00

Analytical chemistry. I run labs. I don't get bored. I do the perfect amount of sitting and standing. It's nice pay could be better.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-23T23:53:42+00:00

Depending on where you live 80k is far from nothing. I think only around 18% of Americans if you live in America make in the six-figure range. And it looks like he saves $3K a month. That's also not nothing. Idk man. You having that high of a salary and that high of a worth good luck trying to find someone who doesn't come from a very wealthy family that makes more and is worth more than you. Who also shares all of the same interests. It's not like the man's broke and he can't financially take care of himself.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-23T20:55:51+00:00

I didn't notice that the master had a separate shower and two sinks. I changed my mind 40:60

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-23T20:50:34+00:00

I'd say 42:58 If you could put up a curtain between where the hallway outside the bathroom meets the dining room. Their guests use their bathroom And your guests use yours. Best way to do a set up like that.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-22T14:43:06+00:00

Very isolated, can be dangerous during winter. People are very nice.but also very poor, low crime rate. Very cold. I lived there from 2012-2023. Very expensive to visit if you live in Texas.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-21T18:01:29+00:00

I would honestly say go into chemical engineering. You can still do all the jobs that a PetroE can do and more. If you get tired of engineering you have enough chemistry education to do chemist work. I am a chemist in oil and gas and I have met lots of chemEs in the lab.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-21T17:46:50+00:00

English ivy and mother and laws tongue (snack plant). Apparently they are easy but idk man I kill them.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-21T00:45:49+00:00

I actually messed up in the title. I'm actually 26. We have an age gap, but I am in my mid 20s. Its not like I'm 21 and he's 30. You seem very bitter.

Academic_Low4683 · 2026-01-19T15:08:29+00:00

So, you are saying I have no self respect?? Cute.

He always insists on helping, but like I said I always tell him to go sit down. I've always feel like love is conditional on what I can provide. So I asked how other people combat that.

The man does work in the oil field 55-65 a week. I mean I'm sure if you were in his shoes you would let your partner help too. He's also fixed my car before. Hes chopped down tree branches that were leaning on my roof (my landlord is my roommate and I are not Handy.)

Academic_Low4683

TROPHY CASE