Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jen Robinson on August 15, 2012 at 9:55am

How funny - I play the oboe, too! During marching season I played percussion because we already had plenty of flutes.

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Permalink Reply by Erika Alexander on August 14, 2012 at 5:17pm

Wow--this is an interesting topic! I've always been curious to know all of you beautiful ladies do aside from looking PUG-tastic. :) I have a Bachelors in Environmental and Medicinal Chemistry, but I am currently working as an IT Recruiter for big name IT industry companies--so I search and look over resumes, conduct interviews, and push papers. I decided to take a break after finishing my undergrad so I can enjoy life. I went through school all four years straight (and straight out of high school) and never even took summers off--so I became burnt out. Now, I'm doing this full-time IT Recruiter gig making salary. It can be a little stressful sometimes, but what job doesn't have some stressors here and there? 

Thankfully, I don't have to wear a uniform or anything when I work, so I can really wear whatever I want! Most days, I wear my high waisted jeans and I try and make an effort to wear dresses at least once a week. I've made it my goal to wear more dresses, heels, and hair accessories... still trying to keep it up! Having some freedom at work like I do now has definitely helped in my commitment to this goal.

Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone!

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Permalink Reply by Jenn Bailey on August 14, 2012 at 6:30pm

A fellow PUG chemist! How exciting! I'm in a PhD program for Organic Chemistry, rolling into my second year. Medicinal chemistry was always so interesting to me, but I'm lacking in the biology area :-/

Although I theoretically could wear whatever I want to work, I'm in a laboratory full of hazardous materials. Therefore, I'd be a fool to walk to show up wearing my PUG clothing! Unfortunately, it's crappy t-shirts and jeans for me most of the time...because almost all of my time is in the lab.

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Permalink Reply by Erika Alexander on August 14, 2012 at 6:38pm

Hooray for PUG chemists! I know what I'm doing is out of left-field compared to my degree... But I didn't want to work for some lab making synthetic drugs and whatnot. I wanted to attend med school, but figured it was too much schooling for me, so I've decided to either plunge back into school for 1-2 more quarters to get physics credits to be a forensic scientist OR, alternatively, get a Medical Technician certification and work as a Med Tech or something. I figured I'd get my foot in the door with both a cert AND a degree in chem. But we'll see--right now, I'm just enjoying life. Hehe.

What exactly do you do in your lab, Jenn? How exciting it is that you're in a PhD program--that's awesome! If I decide to actually get a PhD, I'd like it to be in Neuropsychology--it's got the right combination of experiments, theory, observation, psychology, and lab time for me. :)

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 14, 2012 at 10:32pm

Yay for forensics, if you want my input!! We need more PUGtastic girls in the forensics field!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jenn Bailey on August 18, 2012 at 3:37pm

The forensics side of chemistry is really intriguing...lots of analytical work though. I assume you'd prepare and run samples through various instruments, like mass spec or the GC.

I'm in a chemical biology sort of lab now working on sugar synthesis towards a potential HIV vaccine. It's usually fun, but lab work is all I do. I wanted to work in this type of lab because it's kind of like cooking.

Ultimately, I'd want to work at a haircare or makeup company. I worked at John Frieda as a temp one summer and it was so much fun!

Although it's neat being in a PhD program, I moved to Boston for school and now I'm 1000 miles from my boyfriend and family :( Grad school is tough on its own, and being away from my support system makes things so much more difficult. So, whatever you choose to do, bring someone with you! Change is hard alone. Sounds like you have a lot of doors open for you....the tough part is picking which one to go through!

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Permalink Reply by Erika Alexander on August 18, 2012 at 4:13pm

I can't imagine being away from my loved ones, even for education. A support system is very important to me--and while I understand that my boyfriend, family, and friends can be supportive even at a distance, it's nice to have them near. I'm happy that at least going either route (forensic scientist or med. tech) would allow me stay where I am now--but there's enough availability for those classes for wherever I may wind up. 

Sounds like your lab work is tons of fun! I remember always being really nervous in lab (at least during my junior year) because I wanted everything to be perfect (and my professors, all of which have intimidating English accents, were kinda scary...). But there were some fun times!

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Permalink Reply by cela hyatt on August 14, 2012 at 7:09pm

I start Organic chemistry next semester (starts the 27th), I'm not excited ;) Any tips?!? I have to take it for the MCAT, even though it doesn't count toward my degree.  But because I have to take so much chemistry, so I will be getting my minor on chem.  It is not my favorite subject though.  It is amazing to see so many women on here who are getting/have degrees and career goals in the sciences, we are very underrepresented.  I have two daughters so we are always trying to instill a love for math and science.  they are still really young (3 and 5) so we wanted to start early, so far it is working.  Good luck with your PhD.   

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Permalink Reply by Jenn Bailey on August 18, 2012 at 3:49pm

Hi Cela,

Organic chemistry is pretty hard, I'll admit it. I wasn't a superstar when I took it, but in retrospect it all makes sense. The more problems you do, the better you get. It seems to be a jumble of reactions to memorize at first, but when you see more of it, you can pick up on the little connections that make it easier to understand.

Organic chemistry entails a different way of thinking, as it's mostly problem-solving, which is why pre-med students have to take it. The biggest thing is to keep up with the work (avoid missing any classes) and ask questions when anything confuses you. There's a lot of material, and it builds on itself more and more. I do love it, it's so interesting <3 Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment though..

If you have questions or need advice while you take it, let me know! It will take a lot of work, but I think you can do it. Seems like all of us PUGsters are tough cookies :)

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Permalink Reply by Erika Alexander on August 18, 2012 at 4:07pm

I agree with Jenn, Cela. Organic Chemistry is some tough stuff--it was, in fact, the hardest part of my pre-med program! I HATED Organic Chemistry, but I will admit that I am very intrigued by it... I always find myself cracking open old textbooks that I've kept from undergrad and just reading various chapters. 

I don't know what methods are best for you to remember things... But Organic Chem requires a lot of memorization. In order to remember amino acids, functional groups, etc, I would make giant, colorful posters of each thing I had to remember. I disliked flash cards, but making them colorful and fun looking really helped me remember information. Also, if you're like me, doing long, strenous bouts of studying can really wear me out and prove to be inefficient, so I recommend breaking up your studying into sections--for example, study alkanes, alkenes, and alkines on the first day for 30 minutes, then break, and so on, so forth. Hope this advice helps! Explore different ways to study and take in information and see what works best for you!

FYI, my favorite subjects during pre-med were Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Microbiology. So if you need any assistance in those areas, I'd be more than happy to help!

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Permalink Reply by Phoenix on August 14, 2012 at 6:56pm

im a fitness instructor i teach Zumba(my first love) Body Pump, Cardio Ball and Yoga i stumbled into the fitness industry as a way for me to get healthier and more fit i was 170 lbs and became obsessed im currently 125 lbs i LOVE my job, it has given me the confidence to pursue other life long dreams like modeling i have the best job in the world i get to go to work and do what i love and help other people get healthy and fit, im also a fulltime mom of 4 ages 20,17,11,10( my soon to be stepson) and im engaged to the most wonderful man on the planet

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 14, 2012 at 10:34pm

Awesome transformation, Phoenix, thank you for sharing!!!

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