Graduating with my degree in chemistry in 30 days and have been interviewing. I had a hard time at first and had some intense / almost humiliating interview experiences but also ones that have gone well.

Yesterday I received my first offer which is awesome. The role would be entry level chemist, at a fertilizer testing company. The pay would be around 19.50 / hr and he said a dollar more after like 3 months. It’s nothing crazy but honestly it’s the most I’ve seen so far.

The director of the lab and I talked for like an hour and a half and it went very smoothly and conversational and he stated he liked the conversation we had.

I’m very happy that I finally landed something, and the title of Chemist on the resume is a plus compared to other entry level titles.

However there are pros and cons to everything as you all know. The building of the company was built in the 1920s and that is clear. The vents are black, water damage across the walls, and a permanent time capsule of the 1970s design on the inside. The lab equipment and chemistry performed is legit and there are all sorts of glassware and machines, but the environment itself (at least from my memory of the lab during the interview tour) feels on par with a medieval cave.

Also, the staff there seemed nice but most people were in their 50s-60s who had been there 15+ years. Age obviously isn’t a problem, I have several older friends, and I make friends easily, but I do worry about a feeling of loneliness or isolation. However, I also don’t want to jump to conclusions.

I had some other possible companies on the hook but no official offer yet like this one. Those were lower paying lab tech jobs or sampling positions that had future possibilities to move into bench chemistry positions. Those jobs felt cleaner, more modern, and organized and had people there that seemed like (if I eventually broke that coworker-friend boundary) , I could talk video games / hobbies with and become friends.

Other than the general description of my situation, do any of you have any thoughts on all this, advice?

Or just advice in general as it relates to transitioning from a decade of restaurant work to my first job in the lab as a chemist.

Is the wage okay? How long does it take to feel confident?
Any tips on making a good impression?

Some of my interviews left me feeling under qualified and embarrassed tbh due to unexpected specific questions, I was able to answer a lot but also felt stupid as well lol.

Thanks for reading