New year, new look on the blog, and a new job!
Three weeks ago, I officially started my first job as a technician at a polymer R&D lab. I initially felt self-conscious about being the newest and youngest person. My manager (B) and mentor (C) welcomed me and introduced me to the team. As a technician, I will be running experiments and assisting with product development.
C explained to me that our lab is neither a production or academic research lab. Production and academic labs have more established methods. Production labs focus on quality control and quality assurance while academic labs focus on novel discoveries. Since we develop applications based on the customer’s needs, we don’t have any previously established methods. Our line of work requires some ingenuity, making every experiment a new adventure!
In the first two weeks, my main goal was to complete on-boarding tasks, such as HR paperwork and safety training, and getting settled in to the office. I met with C and discussed my goals for the year. Oddly, their year starts in May, so I’m actually starting halfway through the year. My goals are working safely, contributing to technical service projects, and learning about polymers and analytical techniques.
I’ve learned that industry research relies more on tribal knowledge than academic research. This was a culture shock to me. In academic research, if I needed to know about a specific technique, I looked for academic papers. Now, I can ask someone who has done it before for their insight. For new kinds of experiments, we apply the scientific method to our question.
C assigned my first project to me in the middle of my second week. She gave me a general outline and the end results that she wanted. Before I started my experiment, I spent two days planning steps, collecting supplies, and learning techniques that I needed. I used the practice run to get an estimate on timing each step. When I ran the actual experiment, it did not go as planned, which is what I should have expected. I thought of an alternative and checked in with C.
One of my personal goals is to find an organizational method that works for me, which includes managing emails, maintaining a lab notebook, and tracking time spent on projects. For emails, I sort them in folders by project or category like HR or meeting agendas. I try to do this every day so my inbox stays organized. My mom told me about a function on Outlook which tells you when your email has been delivered and opened. Always keep receipts! In addition, I use Outlook rules to automatically sort recurring emails into their own folders.
I keep a physical lab notebook and an electronic notebook with OneNote. I use OneNote primarily to document procedures. Before doing an experiment, I review the procedure, print it, cut it, and tape it into my physical lab notebook. During the experiment, I note any changes I’ve made and edit it on OneNote later. I created data table templates with Word to keep me organized and see what data I need to collect.
I also made a “homepage,” which includes links to important files on my computer, such as a project tracking spreadsheet, chemical purchase forms, and my goals. This will help me find files more quickly. C shared her project tracking spreadsheet with me. It contained columns for project title, start/end date, and days spent. I modified it by adding a weekly tracker. When I was an RA, I documented how many hours I worked per category every week. Since I will be working on multiple projects, I thought that this method would be the best. It is already ingrained in me to complete this task weekly and I won’t have to wonder when I last updated the form.
I designed my own binder planner by making monthly calendars and weekly layouts using Word. I tend to not be fully satisfied with planner I buy, so I like to come up with my own layout and change it when the layout is not as useful to me. Every day I plan my day by morning and afternoon blocks (AM/PM) instead of hour by hour. This way I can target 1 or 2 big tasks to complete within 4 hours and break it down from there. I get flustered when I don’t adhere to a specific timeline, so setting up specific tasks to accomplish helps me feel less stressed. I also set 1 big goal for the day, which can be a work or personal goal. If I can accomplish that 1 goal, then it’s been a good day!
I’m amazed at how quickly time passes – I’m starting my fourth week now. I received my diploma in the mail today, so now it’s official! Sometimes it’s a strange sensation remembering that I’m done with school, for now. Work sometimes doesn’t feel like work – at least, not yet. My manager, B, says that after a few months, they’ll start ramping it up and I’ll be juggling multiple projects at once. For now, I’ll keep on learning the ropes and embracing the learning process.