r/labrats•
Krispcrap

I'm mastering out rant/advice about jobs?

I'm scared to ask, but what are the jobs like...any advice? I have a masters in Chemistry (focus on pharmaceutical chemistry), will have a masters in integrated biomedical sciences (I was getting a PhD in Physiology but I think it gets changed to that after it's converted into a masters), and a teaching of physiology graduate certificate. I also have some experience with R and have taught myself java script and when I regain my sanity will be teaching myself to use rosetta.

I originally wanted to work at a small biomedical company to gain experience and transition to a larger company. I have a few contacts and have been working on building up my linked in the last year. But if I'm being honest, at this point I'm hoping to do something more "low-key" to rebuild my confidence.
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Okay now that I've gotten the important stuff out of the way, onto my rant (nobody has to read, it honestly feels better just typing it up and putting it out there).

I'm a 4th year. I was upfront with my PI that I had a chemistry background and spent my masters establishing RNA protocols in a protein lab. I wanted to join an established lab that would train me and help me with troubleshooting their established protocols so I could expand my resume, then start developing my own experiments specific for my project.

That did NOT happen. The person who trained me was very sexist and obnoxious, but I kept telling myself soon I would be independent. I already had experience dealing with these types of people as coworkers, so his attitude didn't really bother me outside of training. Things got so bad he was asked to leave the lab (due to never taking proper notes, giving me different information that he gave to the PI, constantly changing things without asking, ETC).

I thought working with my PI directly would go better. It did not. Turns out there's AT LEAST 3 different protocols for every simple task in the protocol folder. So I would meet with my PI, come up with what the protocol would be (some of the previous lab member's protocols were WILDLY horrible or wrong so we had to pick out what was right/best practice and what was specific to my cell line), I would type it up and send it to them so they could confirm there was no misunderstandings. I'd do the experiment, the readout wouldn't work, and then my PI would freak out that I did xyz wrong (I did it the way we discussed). I'd have better luck throwing everything out the window and starting over on my own, but my PI refuses and gets really pissed if I go "off script".

So I spent 1 year doing research, a year "training", a year troubleshooting and then reteaching myself immunofluorescence, and a year doing the same for western blotting. The last 2 years were about 6 months of me trying to figure things out with my PI and then 6 months of burnout/trying things from other labs that ended up working fine.

The last straw came earlier this week. My stable cell line wasn't growing well (as usual, but I can't even remember what is usual for this line anymore) and my PI flipped out on me. They also were astonished I didn't have much written for a review article. They approved my outline 2 weeks ago and one week I was sick and was very sensitive to light so the only work I did was light reading of printed articles and handwritten notes. Anyway, I read through all the protocols for my stable cell line, and another stable line that was previously used in the lab.

I found 3 combinations of temperatures and times for heat inactivating FBS, and two protocols for when to add G418 (one before filtering media, one after). I realized I could NOT tell you the right way to inactivate FBS because I just don't even know what's "normal" anymore. Making buffers and media etc was second nature to me when I got here. My PI now wants me to test different ways of making the media and culturing the cells to see which combination they grow the best in. I am so oh so freaking bored. I do NOT want to do that. I want to do MORE. As time goes on and I don't have more than 1 figure of usable results, I've read and revised my hypothesis, and I'm really proud of it. I'm meant for more than reengineering cell culture of stable cell lines that my lab has previously published on. I wouldn't mind doing it if I had made the stable cell line, or if I was just starting to work with the cell line (I've worked with the cell line for 2.5 years now, and I don't know what is normal for them still because there are many times I've raised concerns and my PI said oh you worry too much, that's normal, and times where my PI has been suddenly concerned about how much debris there is or how slow they're growing and was mad I didn't notice something was wrong).

So while I feel like I am capable of earning a PhD, I'm realizing I don't want it THAT THAT bad. My boyfriend is about to propose and he has a PhD in something so specific he would have to move to the job even if the market wasn't so crap. So when he lands that job, I'm mastering out and moving with him. I'm choosing enjoying my 30's instead of waiting this out.

Posted Apr 8, 2026, 1:09 PM UTC

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