Scarlett Singletary: My Metamorphosis
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| This image depicts the vacuum filtration device used to complete the filtration task described below as being part of my "full circle" experience. |
During my time with the pharmaceutical company, I never would have imagined it would be such a full circle moment. Here I was sitting in the lab being paid to do the exact thing I always swore that I would never do. How ironic this was for me. I spent an entire year in analytical chemistry devaluing everything we were learning simply because I thought it was overkill. I believed the fact that we had to repeat a titration three times just to attain an accurate and precise measurement all the way to the fourth decimal place was a way for our professor to torture us. Little did I know that the precise measurements my lab professor forced us to take in lab would be the same precise measurement that I was required to make at my job.
I never would have thought that in the real world I would spend thirty minutes meticulously filtering a precipitate to ensure that I acquired every piece of it just like I did in lab the semester before. I definitely never thought that one minuscule piece of precipitate would be enough to fail an entire test if it was not present in the final product. A filtration may have been the simplest task I completed through the duration of my internship, but it was
I never would have thought that in the real world I would spend thirty minutes meticulously filtering a precipitate to ensure that I acquired every piece of it just like I did in lab the semester before. I definitely never thought that one minuscule piece of precipitate would be enough to fail an entire test if it was not present in the final product. A filtration may have been the simplest task I completed through the duration of my internship, but it was
Before I was even able to experience this moment at the start of my career with the company, I was just like any other chemistry major. I spent most of my days working in the lab to develop techniques that I was hopeful to perform in the real world. While there’s no doubt that this process is a vital part of my education, it does nothing to make me stand out. I was simply learning what was required of not only me, but of all of the other chemistry majors at Lander and most other colleges or universities.
I knew I needed to find a way to challenge myself in order to appear as a better candidate for other career opportunities in my near future. I took a chance and applied for an open position at with the pharmaceutical company in order to achieve that task. I put many hours into researching the company and my potential job role so that I could conduct a successful interview. It is no understatement when I say that I was beyond ecstatic to receive a call back in order to schedule the interview. During the interview I spent nearly an hour discussing everything that would be expected of me, and proving to the management that I was the proper fit for their team. What I thought would be the hardest part quickly became the easiest. I was nowhere near prepared for the way that this company would alter my life.
I knew I needed to find a way to challenge myself in order to appear as a better candidate for other career opportunities in my near future. I took a chance and applied for an open position at with the pharmaceutical company in order to achieve that task. I put many hours into researching the company and my potential job role so that I could conduct a successful interview. It is no understatement when I say that I was beyond ecstatic to receive a call back in order to schedule the interview. During the interview I spent nearly an hour discussing everything that would be expected of me, and proving to the management that I was the proper fit for their team. What I thought would be the hardest part quickly became the easiest. I was nowhere near prepared for the way that this company would alter my life.
In three short months this company pushed me to become a completely different person. The change that I experienced was so drastic that it could not simply be achieved by coming to college alone. I was now in a position that gave me power. I was in a role that forced me to have confidence in the techniques that I had acquired during my time at Lander. This was something that I never thought I would achieve. I was always the type of student that knew that I was capable, but did not want to believe it. I comforted myself by the thought that any mistake I made in lab would only have a direct impact on my grade and nothing else.
This was not the case at this company. I was now responsible for testing products that were for commercial use. A thought that most people would find terrifying. However, this company quickly shook me from this fear. The company was well aware of their potential impact on consumers, and that was not something that they took lightly. They prided themselves in putting their employees through a rigorous training process that insured they were up to par when it came to performing specific laboratory tests. No employee was allowed to conduct testing on actual products until they had proven that they were more than capable of insuring the safety of the public. This was a vital part of my experience. It provided me an opportunity to show not only what I had learned, but also what I was capable of. Proving not only to those around me, but most importantly to myself, that I was qualified.
This was not the case at this company. I was now responsible for testing products that were for commercial use. A thought that most people would find terrifying. However, this company quickly shook me from this fear. The company was well aware of their potential impact on consumers, and that was not something that they took lightly. They prided themselves in putting their employees through a rigorous training process that insured they were up to par when it came to performing specific laboratory tests. No employee was allowed to conduct testing on actual products until they had proven that they were more than capable of insuring the safety of the public. This was a vital part of my experience. It provided me an opportunity to show not only what I had learned, but also what I was capable of. Proving not only to those around me, but most importantly to myself, that I was qualified.
While my time with this pharmaceutical company has helped me improve in so many ways, it has also made college even more of a struggle. This opportunity has left me with the feeling that I have no further need for college. Just like most people, I see college as a means of getting a job in the profession I desire. Now that I have achieved that goal I see no other point of college. Going to lab every week seems pointless to me when I can get paid to go work in a professional lab. Performing an experiment in lab seems even more futile. It's hard to put effort into completing an experiment when you know that what you're doing is solely to prove that you know what you're doing instead of completing it with an actual purpose in mind. To put it simply, my motivation to go to school is no longer there. I used to push myself to go to school so that I could graduate and get a job, but I have the job now so it's hard to find the motivation.
All that being said, I’m now looking forward to reaching some closure during the few months I have left at Lander. I know that I still have so much to learn, and Lander has so much to offer me. There are so many things I have learned as a student at Lander that I never could have imagined cramming into four years. All of my professors have proven to be experts in their own rights, and have pushed me to become a version of myself that I never would have thought could have existed. In four short years I have been given so many opportunities that I don't think I would have had at other schools. I have had a chance to work on research projects under almost all of my chemistry professors, and was even pushed by them to seek out opportunities like the one I am writing about. It is a hard pill to swallow that I am ready to graduate and move on from Lander in order to focus entirely on my career. However, that is what I have been trained to do and that is what I intend to do.
All that being said, I’m now looking forward to reaching some closure during the few months I have left at Lander. I know that I still have so much to learn, and Lander has so much to offer me. There are so many things I have learned as a student at Lander that I never could have imagined cramming into four years. All of my professors have proven to be experts in their own rights, and have pushed me to become a version of myself that I never would have thought could have existed. In four short years I have been given so many opportunities that I don't think I would have had at other schools. I have had a chance to work on research projects under almost all of my chemistry professors, and was even pushed by them to seek out opportunities like the one I am writing about. It is a hard pill to swallow that I am ready to graduate and move on from Lander in order to focus entirely on my career. However, that is what I have been trained to do and that is what I intend to do.
I truly believe that because of this opportunity I work with the company that I do now. I have been blessed to move into a pharmaceutical company that operates on a much larger scale. I work as an intern that has the opportunity to develop new ideas and share my thought processes with others. I am planning to go full time with this company when I graduate and then to work with their tuition reimbursement program so that I can go back and get my master’s degree. Believe me when I say that I never would be walking down the path that I am now without my breakaway experience.
Scarlett is a senior chemistry major. She held a position with a pharmaceutical company through her junior year. After graduation she plans to continue working with her current company and go on to attend grad school.