Working w/ MS w/o LC, can I find a job actually??

[mamimegan]

Sorry for bringing some non-instrumental question. But I'm working with Mass Spec without any thing to do with LC. I've heard a lot that LC-MS person will be able to get a job easily. But I'm actually playing around with something about mass spec sample introduction system, main purpose is bypassing LC..
Besides, I'm doing some stuff with SPE or SPME
Is there anybody familiar with that? I'm kinda worried about my future career after getting the phd..

[lmh]

don't panic yet, but if you can add a little chromatography to your CV it certainly won't harm your future career! There are plenty of applications where people try to avoid chromatography (for example metabolomics using direct injection to keep the analysis time per sample short; but not everyone believes this is a good way to do metabolomics). Besides, there are also plenty of chromatographers with no MS experience to balance you up, and it's not unusual for academic labs to take on people with only half the skills and assume they'll learn the rest on the job. A PhD is only the start, not the end; it's only after a few post-docs or some years in a "real" job that you become unemployable if you lack bits of the skill-set (at least where I'm writing...)

[mamimegan]

Really appreciate your reply Though still worrying 'bout the future, much better now. My labmates also tell me that I can never get all skills that industry wants during the 5 phd years, and if I'm doing everything that is already commercialized... I'm a technician, instead of a researcher... Relieved~

don't panic yet, but if you can add a little chromatography to your CV it certainly won't harm your future career! There are plenty of applications where people try to avoid chromatography (for example metabolomics using direct injection to keep the analysis time per sample short; but not everyone believes this is a good way to do metabolomics). Besides, there are also plenty of chromatographers with no MS experience to balance you up, and it's not unusual for academic labs to take on people with only half the skills and assume they'll learn the rest on the job. A PhD is only the start, not the end; it's only after a few post-docs or some years in a "real" job that you become unemployable if you lack bits of the skill-set (at least where I'm writing...)

[DSP007]

It took two weeks but I will answer.
1) The urgency of the problem is defined by its being wanted people, not the technique used
2) "God is on the side of those who are better shooting (Voltaire) "
3) Shit of chocolate will make any. And you try to grow on shit chocolate tree.