What are your primary job responsibilities?

I coordinate with faculty to implement proper laboratory procedures, prepare and set up teaching experiments, and help resolve issues during laboratory sessions. I also co-manage the chemical stockroom and inventory for the chemistry department, including purchasing equipment and chemicals. Additionally, I supervise and train student stockroom employees.

What is a typical work day-in-your-life like?

A typical day as a chemistry technician at a college offers a lot of variety. During term time, my main focus is preparing labs for a variety of courses. This involves setting up chemicals and equipment, and ensuring everything is ready for the lab period to run smoothly. This lab prep takes up most of my time during the academic term. If I have downtime, I can work on smaller projects, and catch up on tasks that have built up over time. Between terms my focus shifts to organizing, ordering chemicals, and making sure supplies are ready for the upcoming term. Summer break, in particular, allows time for larger instrumental projects, and other tasks that require more attention. 

How did you find your first job?

It was one of the many job postings Stephanie Stathopoulos passed along to graduating chemistry students!

What level of education (Bachelor's, Masters, PhD, etc.) is required to do your job? 

Bachelor's

What is your work schedule like? Do you ever work weekends or nights?

My schedule is very traditional. I work from 8am-5pm, as this works best for school hours.

What are some tools or skills that you can't live without? These can be technologies, soft skills, hardware, or anything else you can think of.

CEMS! (Chemical Environmental Management System)

What's your best productivity trick?

Just start. As trivial as my initial efforts may sometimes feel, I've found that getting started is often half the battle.

Do you have any habits that are essential to your professional success that you wish you started earlier?

Learning how to reach out to people who can help and inform you about what you're interested in doing is an important habit I wish I had started practicing earlier. It is an unparalleled way to improve effective and professional communication, and gain invaluable insight and advice.