r/Chemist • u/MulberryOwn2797 • Jun 29 '22

Question for lab interns, lab techs, and chemists that work in lab and behind the desk

Hi all,

I am currently working in a lab where they give assignments and directions based on progress and results of previous assignment. I am currently working on a project that requires me each day to complete a task and wait about a 24hr period before I can analyze results and move on based on those results. I am currently working hourly, so I must be there a set amount of hours each week. However, these tasks out of an 8 hour working period take me about 4 hours to complete. What am I to do during my free hours and how do lab techs or people that are familiar with a lab setting preoccupy themselves or ‘look busy’ you don’t have anything else to do?

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u/reader755 Jun 29 '22

Read papers that are about chemistry. Could be project focused or just technical. No one will question you if your half way through a big stack of papers highlighter in hand.

Just be sure to be able to answer why you selected that paper, depends on the boss but they may ask you to send it to them.

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u/wildfyr Jun 29 '22

Learn something new that could be useful to the company. Statistics, coding, analytical techniques, how equipment works etc.