Proud day yesterday.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Went to my daughter's Phd (in Chemistry) graduation yesterday, bit of a wet day, but still still an impressive spectacle at the mediaeval cathedral.

 

[jpanhalt]

Congratulations to you both. What was her dissertation about?

John

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Congratulations to you both. What was her dissertation about?

"Interactions of lactam containing compounds based on kinetic hydrate inhibition polymers."

Just had a quick count of the list, there were 326 students who graduated at her 'congregation', which was the second of three yesterday, apparently they did four congregations on Wednesday and Thursday as well - so a LOT of students.

 

[JimB]

Well done.

JimB

 

[tcmtech]

So no riots to report about then?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Nope, no riots anywhere round here

 

[DerStrom8]

Congrats to you and your daughter Nigel! A proud day indeed.

 

[Pommie]

Congratulations to you both. I did the same thing about 7 years ago witth my eldest. Now, I'm a grandad - you've been warned.

Mike.

 

[Ian Rogers]

I was waiting to hear some feedback before I posted!!

Tell your daughter huge congrats from me as well... My daughter was to do her Math degree... We got her into the halls of residence and settled her in... She then told us that she didn't want to do a degree and wanted to do something else!! When we aked why she waited until she had been moved in to the dorm to tell us, she said she thought she was letting us down.. Everyone always went on about her doing this degree so she was going for everyone else!

I'm also proud that she has the balls to tell us rather than her doing something she didn't want to do!!

Weird parenting, isn't it!!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Weird parenting, isn't it!!

Very much so, but Melissa hasn't been 'too much' bother

 

[tcmtech]

So where's her intended/wanted line of work going to be? What industry of field?

 

[Ian Rogers]

Hi Tcm... If the question is pointed at me..
She is a TA ( Teaching Assistant ) at the moment and she has trained to sign for deaf children... She loves the job and will soon have one to one teaching, being with one child right though school time..

Not my cup of tea, but a worthwhile/ rewarding job!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

So where's her intended/wanted line of work going to be? What industry of field?

Assuming you mean Melissa?, she's currently looking for work in the Netherlands (where she now lives) - unfortunately they don't yet accept her Phd over there, as they require Phd's to have five pieces of published work. She currently has two, with at least three more to follow - but the time scale depends on the American company who funded her Phd, and could be a year or so before they allow publication. They do however consider her work to have merit, as they are applying for a patent based on it.

Basically she's looking for anything remotely connected to what she does, and her capabilities cover a wide range - one possibility is doing a Postdoc, but again the lack of published articles is a draw back. Although her professor said after the graduation (as we went to see him and look round her lab) that he had been contacted for a reference, for a post Melissa hasn't applied for and didn't know was available. We live in hope, this particular Postdoc would be VERY convenient, as it''s near where she lives, and at the same Uni her partner works at - and she's made herself known there, so perhaps that's why they asked for a reference?.

 

[Ian Rogers]

Good on her... I love the Dutch people.. They are what we are supposed to be.. I would live there myself if I could..
She has her head screwed on right!!

 

[tcmtech]

Assuming you mean Melissa?, she's currently looking for work in the Netherlands (where she now lives) - unfortunately they don't yet accept her Phd other there, as they require Phd's to have five pieces of published work. She currently has two, with at least three more to follow - but the time scale depends on the American company who funded her Phd, and could be a year or so before they allow publication. They do however consider her work to have merit, as they are applying for a patent based on it.

Basically she's looking for anything remotely connected to what she does, and her capabilities cover a wide range - one possibility is doing a Postdoc, but again the lack of published articles is a draw back. Although her professor said after the graduation (as we went to see him and look round her lab) that he had been contacted for a reference, for a post Melissa hasn't applied for and didn't know was available. We live in hope, this particular Postdoc would be VERY convenient, as it''s near where she lives, and at the same Uni her partner works at - and she's made herself known there, so perhaps that's why they asked for a reference?.

It's been a bit over 20 years since I got out of college the first time and I remember it well. So much hope and potential but unfortunately for people like me with technical and service backgrounds very little that was lucrative ever came around. I too came out of college with a surprising amount of high end recommendations from my professors and instructors being most everything I did I was at the top or near top of my classes.

Unfortunately I found out in a hurry the types of employers looking for people like me were one or a combination of these groups.

1. They wanted someone who could do everything that three or more people could do but for less than the average industry pay of any single one persson.
2. They wanted someone who could figure out anything so that my boss could steal credit and pay incentives for my work.
3. They were at the end of their rope and were desperate to find anyone who could fix their problems without actually changing or improving on what was being done wrong.
4. They had no clue what they were doing any more, extremely outdated, business function, attitude and processes al done by a largely grossly under qualified/incapable workforce, but it still managed to make someone at the top a lot of money so it didn't need to change.

I hit the workforce full run when I was 20 and likely made or saved my various employers over a million dollars by my late 20's. I however never made it over $13 an hour, most were $7.50 - $9.50 an hour, despite being billed out often at $85 - $120+ an hour in mid 1990's to early 2000's money. I got screwed over every time.

I did however, spend enough time working with various engineers in those years to get encouraged to go back to school again for a engineering degree being I was told, although I already had the natural knack and knowledge for such work, I was under qualified for such jobs because didn't have 'the piece of paper' that said I could do it.
After wasting 4 years of my life and small fortune I came out feeling screwed over by the educational system and a bit dumber for it as well plus above all then 'overqualified' to get any work in that area. Apparently engineering with actual hands on technical background work was seen as a threat to prospective employers (likely potential future managers who could not do their own work) somehow.

To be honest he best paying and most satisfying jobs I have had came only from dummying down on applications and resumes just to get in the door and playing dumb just to not draw attention myself once there, which rarely worked since i am not one to sit idly by as stupidity runs things into the ground for itso nw gains.

Since then everytime I hear of someone young joining the workforce I have to consider what I can do to help them not experienced the problems I had for the dumb reasons had them. Especially given the present statistics say more people will see my experiences before they see anything close to what they have been told is waiting form them while they were in school.

 

[atferrari]

Nope, no riots anywhere round here

Well, not my case today having to leave the highway because a not so pacific picketing group burning tires stopped the whole transit between Buenos Aires and La Plata.

Back to your OP, I can feel your satisfaction! Congratulations to you both. Oh yes, Holland is a nice place where I dreamed to move some decades ago. Former did not even bother to say NO.

 

[atferrari]

My daughter was to do her Math degree... We got her into the halls of residence and settled her in... She then told us that she didn't want to do a degree and wanted to do something else!! When we aked why she waited until she had been moved in to the dorm to tell us, she said she thought she was letting us down.. Everyone always went on about her doing this degree so she was going for everyone else!

I'm also proud that she has the balls to tell us rather than her doing something she didn't want to do!!

Weird parenting, isn't it!!

One of my daughters, after one year, simply said, I cannot study something I feel is not for me! Her best move because she finished the new career in minimal time with good results and never regretted the change.

Thanks God I refrained myself of trying to even suggest anything to my children.

 

[tcmtech]

Hi Tcm... If the question is pointed at me..
She is a TA ( Teaching Assistant ) at the moment and she has trained to sign for deaf children... She loves the job and will soon have one to one teaching, being with one child right though school time..

Not my cup of tea, but a worthwhile/ rewarding job!

My mom worked as one of those for a long time until she died. My brother and I could never figure out why she would willingly work with the higher needs kids when growing up she largely had as little to do with us as possible!
Growing up it was pretty much, Get up, get dressed, go to school or get out of the house and stay out unless you need the bathroom or to eat.

 

[tcmtech]

One of my daughters, after one year, simply said, I cannot study something I feel is not for me! Her best move because she finished the new career in minimal time with good results and never regretted the change.

Thanks God I refrained myself of trying to even suggest anything to my children.

Years ago I worked a s copier repair technician and had a number of copies in the local college campus I serviced.

One day while there I was in some student workroom and this college gal was in there so we got to talking about what she was going to school for .
She was a senior English major so being I had no idea what english majors did for a living beyond teaching english or working at a paper or magazine I asked about what sort of work someone can get with that sort of degree being I had no clue.

Poor gal! I crushed her life with that question! Apparently she had never been asked that before and had never thought it through once other than that she was good at english classes in high school so decided to follow it through into college for a degree and had never thought it out any further than that.

At first I thought was joking and I started to laugh a bit but in fact she was painfully serious. She was almost in tears at that point.

She had no want to be a school teacher or work in any paper or magazine either and knew of nothing else that her degree would be a close match to. She walked out of the room then came back a few minutes later and commented that she wished someone had asked her that question about 4 years ago.