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Where did you learn?

serotonin-system said:
I've just handed in my PhD thesis man and I have no clue what the fuck I'm gonna do now.

I think I was one of those who just stayed in education because I didnt (and still dont) know what I wanted to do, and I seemed to be preety good at it (education).

Anyone got any ideas/suggestions?

Cheers,

SS
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After doing my M.Sc. on SAR of anorectic compounds, I realized that I had too much hippie in me and couldn't continue down a route that involved so many animal 'sacrifices' (ie wholesale animal slaughter). I'd have loved to have got into human psychopharmacology, but in the mid 80s, nobody would touch psychedelic research with a shitty stick - so I ended up a professional child tamer (a.k.a. education =D)
 
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Some people state that my earlier academic studies actually are studies of applied biochemistry. I've studied a bit of religion, history of religion and systematic theology mainly, but 'turned on, tuned in, dropped out' before taking any degrees. I'm still ambivalent to the (swedish) academic approach to education, the almost anal focus on only one subject at a time, and the possibly interesting areas of crossdisciplinary studies I've encountered so far have been kind of sloppy and introverted.

I realise that I've got to start somewhere, and will continue my studies in theology later on, but probably I'll take on some lingvistics first while I study neuropharmacology and neuroscience, psychedelic research, esoterism and occult systems, ethics and philosophy, on my own.

Perhaps I'll fuck that plan up and choose a career in medicine or pharmacology instead. But as with the fast and bubbly there are some ethical concerns regarding how research is being made, this far I don't have any problems with breeding and eating animals, but I think I'll grow more and more away from it. It's a hunch I've got.

This far I'm a drugged up layman reading books more than doing courses. Sadly, there aren't enough drugs in my life to keep me in content hybris (hubris?). :P
 
Organic chemistry nut here! All self taught. Was going to school, but dropped out because of a bad heroin addiction. Been clean for 4 years (24 years old now) and have been independently learning the central science for the past year or so (was always interested but drugs were a big bottleneck). Have spent hundreds on books and equipment up to this point, but it's more of a hobby/passion than a career. Trying to go back to school to get my R.N.
 
Couple of mediocre GCSE's. Doing a degree in molecular science, self taught in neuropsychology, and neuropharmacology.
 
Ooooh, I want to Dic% Size too! I have a BS in Ethno-Botany, Ithaca. I had to take a couple of semesters of chemistry. I love chemistry though, and have ever since my religious schooling.


Rather than have people scratch their head, we have a pratice in Judaisim where you have to wear tassels (and knots depending on your school of belief), and until 1300 years ago one string always had to be blue. The guild that used to produce this dye in our homeland was exterminated in the Islamic Occupation of our land and it was not until a couple of decades ago that we began to master it again via research.

Using Murinex dye (a shellfish), which is not blue, we make the dye via the animal's excretions and some chemicals that have long been in use. Then the magic happens. It was only by accident that a researcher found the neccessary key was at least 15 minutes of exposure to the sun, which by chemical reaction converts this natural dye into a brilliant indigo colour.


Absolutely fascinated me, and I have been a chemistry freak ever since.


(Edited as always for spelling)
 
I want to add: All the best cooks have never been chem majors, etc. All you need is a good brain. It does not take a formal education although to finesse you really do need to find a way to learn higher mathematics, but depending on the forte it is not going to rreally handicap you.
 
There's a big difference between being a "cook" and a chemist. Personally, i'd far rather be the latter.
 
The term "cook" is actually one with more cache. I do not think anyone here would call Bear, or Marquardt anything other than masters of their craft and yes, they WERE "cooks." In fact, I have much more respect for Marquardt than I will ever have for Hovey and Hovey was a formal chemist.




Me? I could not care what title someone attaches to me. I enjoy doing what I nenjoy doing and that is all that matters to me. To each their own.
 
From the internet mostly. I'm still quite a newb on the subjects in ADD, but I've just finished first quarter of my B.Sc. in medical chemistry.
 
rachamim said:
Ooooh, I want to Dic% Size too! I have a BS in Ethno-Botany, Ithaca. I had to take a couple of semesters of chemistry. I love chemistry though, and have ever since my religious schooling.


Rather than have people scratch their head, we have a pratice in Judaisim where you have to wear tassels (and knots depending on your school of belief), and until 1300 years ago one string always had to be blue. The guild that used to produce this dye in our homeland was exterminated in the Islamic Occupation of our land and it was not until a couple of decades ago that we began to master it again via research.

Using Murinex dye (a shellfish), which is not blue, we make the dye via the animal's excretions and some chemicals that have long been in use. Then the magic happens. It was only by accident that a researcher found the neccessary key was at least 15 minutes of exposure to the sun, which by chemical reaction converts this natural dye into a brilliant indigo colour.


Absolutely fascinated me, and I have been a chemistry freak ever since.


(Edited as always for spelling)
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Chip. Shoulder.
 
All self-tought for me.

Unless a B.A. in Sociology does anything to help ;).

My advice: find a couple of standard university pharmacology textbooks, and take it from there.

p.s. Funny how middle-eastern politics finds its way into the most irrelevant of places ever!
 
Seretonin: Hardly. I meant it as a sarcastic side, not as a critique of others, in that I felt it was a usefuul thread and ergo I contributed, but felt funny listing academic credentials of my own despite having them.

Jam: Hahahaha. But it is true! It is actually how I really became obsessed with chemistry!How I honed anything has nothing to do with any geopolitics hahaha.
 
Working on a BS in chemistry at the moment.
I also have some experience working in pharmacy/medicine, which comes in handy.
Beyond that, its something I pursue on my own through books, the internet, and picking others' brains.

When I talk to people in my classes, I feel like (pick your favorite genius chemist), but when I'm here, my chem-penis shrinks quite a bit.
 
I took GCSE chemistry/biology in high school, other than that no formal education in science, I completely fucked the physics bit though I think, or if I didn't then, I would now, I am severely dyscalculic, which doesn't make things easy, but autistic on the flipside, which makes me a very persistent little bastard when it comes to learning things I am interested in.

I started off though with mycology, for some reason, I have no idea why, I've been interested in it since age 4, picking, IDing, eating, and after about age 9, tripping, and I started to learn more about the drug side of things from being interested in the different effects of different mushroom species, and from there, it led on to a fascination for pharmacology and neurochemistry.

I must look rather out of place in the lab though, wierdest chem geek anyone ever saw, all metal spikes, knee length leather boots, spiked collars and piercings up the wazzoo (not literally, my wazzoo is actually quite free of piercings, and is going to remain so=D)

Although I've found out one thing, that a good hefty leather trenchcoat does provide a lot better penetration resistance against solvents, mineral acids, bases etc than those flimsy cotton lab-coats, shit will still eat through it, but at least it will do it slowly enough to disrobe before it starts eating flesh.
 
nuke said:
I have no formal science education aside from high school.
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I seriously do not believe you.



I am within grasp of a BS in Biochemistry
and I have a strong background working in the field of Genetics and Plant Molecular Biology

I have a strong family background in pharmacy, which my family has owned for over 140 years. My father is a pharmacist, my grandfather, my great grandfather, and my great great grandfather was a MD. I have worked in the pharmacy for 10 years.


And I believe it was Nuke who pointed me towards Ian Stahl's Pharmacology textbook. look it up, it is a wonderful explanation of Pharmacology, though a tad expensive
 
Obyron said:
Go on eBay and pick up an Organic Chemistry 101 textbook that's a few editions old. You can usually get them cheap, and it's not like functional groups have changed in the last 3 or 4 years.
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I was going to say "If you have a chance to take a class on ORGANIC CHEMISTRY in college, do so," but it seems I've been beaten to the chase. ;) Yes, a used text on organic chemistry would be a good place to start.


That said, I was halfway through a double major (B.Sc. - biology / B.A. - philosophy) when I discovered heroin and quickly lost control of my academic career. I ended up working for three years in the pharmaceutical industry and another four years in a hospital... The work experience was helpful in many ways, but most of what I've learned has been gained through my own personal efforts at reading everything I could get my hands on.

PubMed is a treasure trove of valuable information... And if you prefer holding physical texts in your hands, your local library might subscribe to some of the larger science/medical research journals.
 
Fast: I missed the comment about Kemp, do not know how. Oh, no doubt he was great but then who was the one who taught him? Even with is degree he actually learned from unschooled chemists, Brotherhood and all that. The police op though did give us a fine Clash song!


Another thing is that forensically the unschooled chemists had a significantly cleaner synth! I am sure Kemp could have done it withough being taught, naturally of course, but what kind of product? You say he was producing better than licit? I do not think it is possible...I think the cleanest it has ever been illictly was the Kansas Case...and ironically they were ALLEGEDLY connected to Marquardt!


OF course though, I should not have said "all" because that is really an impossible quantification.
 
You say he was producing better than licit? I do not think it is possible...
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That was a comment from the forensic lab at Weatherby because Kemps route was a novel one (one he developed - I think it was the original using peptide coupling reagents to form th-CONH- bond) that resulted in a product that displayed a greater peizoluminescence than the original Sandoz material; the degree of peizoluminescence per unit weight being directly related to purity (as it's created by deforming the crystalline structure and impurities have adverse effects on crystal formation)
 
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