Since the 20th century, under the influence of the national quality management policy, the number of experimental technicians has increased dramatically. At the same time, the entry threshold for laboratory technicians is high, because it is difficult to get in touch with dangerous and harmful chemical reagents and radioactive detection instruments. Under the competition of many senior predecessors and graduates, how can we have our own foothold and become an excellent laboratory technician? I think we should have the following four abilities:
First, the ability to work hard.
The laboratory technician's work is generally sampling, sample preparation, pre-experimental treatment, experimental analysis, data processing and editing reports. The sampling in Jinfeng base is outdoor sampling, and outdoor exposure to sunlight and rain and climbing up and down also bring certain difficulties and tests to timely sampling and representative analysis of samples. The lab technician's work is monotonous, repetitive and boring. We are not dealing with people who can communicate with you, but with a bunch of reagents that have no temperature and need your attention.
Laboratory work is depressing. I still remember a female colleague who specializes in atomic fluorescence. She plunged into the laboratory most of the day and saw that she forgot to go to the canteen to cook because she couldn't make a calibration curve, crawling her ears and scratching her cheeks. The work in the laboratory is also very meaningful. Although we are faced with a reagent without temperature, it can give us feedback on whether the experimental indexes are consistent or deviated through various reactions and color development. We are full of pride until the final experiment can produce the ideal result.
In the process of countless experiments, countless refueling and numerous re-examinations, only the spirit of hard work can support us to go on.
Second, the ability to learn professionally.
The work of laboratory technicians is mechanically repeated every day, day after day, year after year. Some projects (such as acid-base titration) are so skilled that we can detect the results without thinking, but this state is also terrible. After a busy day, without the input of new knowledge, our heads are empty. As time goes by, our skills are still stagnant!
My personal understanding of professional research ability is: thoroughly understand the theoretical knowledge and experimental principles of experiments, so that the brain can have a systematic understanding of experimental methods and solve problems and phenomena encountered in experiments.
I have done an experiment to verify my ability: methylene blue spectrophotometry to determine sulfide in water, according to the national standard. The linear R value of the calibration curve is difficult to reach 0.9990, which forced me to go abroad to find the details and knowledge points that were not written in the national standard, check the relevant literature, post on the forum of the instrument information network, and finally a senior chemist replied in six words: quick response, dark response. Finally, I know the deeper knowledge of this experiment: sulfur ions are easy to be oxidized, and hydrogen sulfide is easy to escape from water, so I need to add color developing agent quickly, and the color developing process should react in the dark. Finally, I got the qualification certificate for ability verification.
Therefore, if we can have the spirit of professional learning and look at the essence through the phenomenon, our professional skills will be improved over time!
Third, active learning ability.
Quality inspection is only a small link in quality management, and the knowledge is very narrow. I think laboratory technicians should not only stay in their jobs, but also jump out of the framework and take the initiative to learn more comprehensive and systematic systems, such as EHS system, HACCP system, ISO system and so on. When I was training in HACCP system before, I found that in the first of the seven principles of HACCP, the knowledge points of food biological hazards in hazard analysis overlap with those of microorganisms and food microorganisms I learned before, and then the knowledge points of food chemical hazards overlap with those of food chemistry and analysis I learned before. At that time, I thought it was very interesting to learn this system of "knowing the new" and "reviewing the old".
Fourth, the ability of self-improvement
I think the hard work of going to work for 8 hours determines that you can go on in this industry, and the self-appreciation of going off work for 8 hours determines how far you can go in this industry. In peacetime, we should have our own workplace orientation and career planning.
The work and life of laboratory technicians are mostly dull. Have a little attitude towards working life, such as learning new life skills, exercising and cultivating sentiment after work. If you have a strong ability, you can take the qualification examination, improve your academic qualifications and evaluate your professional titles, which is also a benefit to enterprises and individuals. If you are a little tougher, you can publish a paper on Chemical Network to improve the industry popularity, open your own official WeChat account to share dry goods in the industry, build your own personal brand and set an industry benchmark! Meeting Siqi is a process of self-improvement!
Finally, long-term continuous learning is an indispensable weapon for chemists to maintain the core competitiveness of the industry!