<p>i graduated from undergrad in may of 2009 with a BS in environmental sciences (my focus was in toxicology). i want to apply for an M.S. (for the fall of 2011) in either environmental toxicology or environmental chemistry. i am still deciding on which one to do. my current situation: the job market is pretty bad right now, so i am stuck working at a bookstore to support myself and to save up money. </p>
<p>i tried looking for a lab tech job, or even any type of environmental job, but i have not had any good luck so far. what to do?! will this look bad when i apply for my masters?</p>
<p>should i try asking a temp agency for lab tech positions (even though i am pretty sure i am not qualified for those either)? also, if all else fails, i wanted to apply to do city year for a year, because i love teaching and working with kids. but i don't want admissions committees to think that i'm not serious about my field...</p>
<p>The only thing that can really hurt you in graduate school admissions, as far as working in between goes, is doing absolutely nothing. Grad admissions committees understand that you have to pay the bills to live and that your interests may take you in other places before graduate school.</p>
<p>Doing City Year (or a similar program like Teach for America or NYC Teaching Fellows, check those out too) is not going to hurt your admissions chances, especially if you are a science teacher and/or continue to stay engaged in research or environmental sciences/policy in some way. Even if you’re not, though, it still shouldn’t hurt you.</p>
<p>You’re qualified for lab tech jobs. I was a lab tech before I went to college (high school diploma) and worked with mostly Biology BS’, running HPLCs, GCs, etc.</p>
<p>Self-confidence… get some… without it you’ll never succeed.</p>
<p>I was in your same predicament last summer. I applied for Teach for America because I knew I wanted some time off before pursuing a phd program (and I also really want to teach). I spent a lot of time on the application process and I didn’t get accepted. </p>
<p>I then searched for research jobs. I applied to over 100 research jobs across the country and only got 3 interviews. The job I did get took me 4 months of applying before I had an offer and I had to move to the other side of the country to take the job. I don’t mean to discourage you but to be honest it’s really difficult to get a research assistant or lab tech job unless you’re willing to move and work for very low pay. For the position I got, I was told my PI received hundreds of CVs and cover letters for that one position. I’m sure it was the same case for the other 2 interviews I had. </p>
<p>Given the amount of competition, you should send out your CV to any position that you find is relevant. The worst that will happen is that you won’t get a response. Also, the best way to get a lab job is through connections with your professors from undergrad. Ask them if they have any colleagues or collaborators with openings in their lab. Finally, if it’s been a week since applying and there was no response, send an email about the position. Ask if they’ve reviewed your CV and cover letter. Let them know that you are very interested in the position and you would like an interview. </p>
<p>Whatever choice you make (City Year or research job) will definitely help you get into a Master’s program, so it doesn’t hurt you to apply even if it will take a lot of effort.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies, everyone. i guess i’ll get to work on my city year & americorps (because they have some environmental education positions) applications.</p>
<p>& i will keep trying for the lab tech positions. it just gets really discouraging sometimes when you send out hundreds and hundreds of resumes (for almost 8 months now!) and you still can’t get a job. i have gotten a few interviews, but each time i get rejected it is because they want someone else with more experience. case in point: i had an interview last month where i was rejected because i did not have as much analytical chemisty lab experience as the other candidates.</p>