Learning to work in an industry lab instead of just an academic one. Learning to follow SOPs and how they will solve most problems for you. Learning new processes for the detection of contamination in foods/beauty products.
What I wish was different
That I have been placed on the chemistry side of things and not the microbiology side, as I am a bioCHEMIST, it was just pretty boring. Also, the work schedule is ruthless; you put in 40 hrs/week MINIMUM, and some weeks I had ~57 hrs total.
Advice
Be VERY clear if you want to work on the chemistry side of the job than the microbio side. I have no idea how I ended up on the "wrong side" of the lab, but there is "nothing to be done about it once done," according to people that make the hiring decisions.
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Soils Lab Intern
May - August 2020 • New Ulm, MN
What I liked
I enjoyed the fact that I had the opportunity to get a lot of hours of work in the summer, but they were also flexible in giving me time off. This made for it to be a nice summer job for me.
What I wish was different
I wish I would have got to experience more of what was going on around the lab. I just got stuck doing mostly the same work everyday for the whole summer
Advice
It was a fun experience if you are potentially looking into working at a plant/soil lab just be prepared for seasonal work because it will be very busy at times and then slow down later in the summer.
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Microbiology Lab Intern
May - August 2019 • New Ulm, MN
What I liked
Management in the microbiology lab was very supportive and understanding of individual circumstances. I had a personal situation I was going through with family death and they were very understanding and flexible in allowing me to leave slightly earlier each day so I could help my family with the adjustment in family dynamic.
What I wish was different
More hands on learning of the process of reading tests, rather than almost solely weighing up samples into jugs or working in "glassware" (dishes and jug prep). This way I could then better understand the process of the tests and what each result means (positive vs negative, for example).
Advice
Do not assume that a laboratory will always be research driven. While there were procedural explanations and research evidence to back each test the company performed, the experience was primarily commercial lab testing. I initially thought there would be a chance to conduct microbiology research; however, it resulted primarily in weighing samples to be tested and some designated times to read through procedural guidelines for the learning aspect about each test rather than learning them extensively throughout hours worked.
So know that it is a commercialized testing business, not a research firm.
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Soil Technician
May - October 2018 • New Ulm, MN
What I liked
Working hours were very reasonable, and having a paid internship was the best!
What I wish was different
When working with agriculture, busy times were sporadic, unpredictable workloads each week depending on weather conditions.
Advice
Ask questions! There are many people there to learn from.
