What does a degree in the chemical industry mean to everyone? (A post about working as an operator with a graduate degree)

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A degree is a proof, an indication, a letter of introduction issued by a university. I don’t understand why there is so much verbal aggression directed at college students and postgraduate students. Can you do this job well, when you don’t even know where the valves are? As far as I know, in books on chemical engineering design, there are flow diagrams that include symbols for valves. In my understanding, an important part of visiting a factory is to go through the actual process using those diagrams; could it happen that one doesn’t know where the valves are located? It’s unlikely to be that ignorant without having graduated from university. Take a look at this year’s postgraduate entrance exam cut-off scores. Do you still think graduate students are the elite of the world? How high do you think the value of a master’s degree is these days? Go and check the admission scores for technical schools and secondary vocational schools – are there any score requirements? Where do operators mainly obtain their diplomas? Do the operators understand? Graduate students aren’t gods; they don’t know how to conduct research if they don’t understand the procedures involved. Research and practical operations are not contradictory – take the study of reaction kinetics as an example: in most cases, the necessary components are prepared first before research begins, and practical operations involve taking actions under certain conditions. And in how many of these situations is it really necessary to use much thought? There are even doctoral students who work as street cleaners... Help me find a few doctoral students in science and engineering fields who do such work. Don’t talk nonsense without thinking; I’m not qualified to speak about others – I only graduated from undergraduate school four years ago, and I’ve been working as an operator for three years, during which time I assisted technicians with maintenance tasks twice. I organized a maintenance check myself last year. The real feeling is that I haven’t learned enough; there are many things I don’t know, and I’m not a competent operator. Although I currently do the work of a technician, before carrying out major repairs or dealing with accidents, I need to consult with the more experienced workers to decide on the best way to proceed, ensuring safety, efficiency, and reduced time and effort. The more you do, the more you feel like there’s still a lot missing. I’m really curious about what you were doing during those 3 years. Anyway, when I work as an operator, I always want to work independently; whether I’m in charge or not, I consider myself a technician. For whatever he can do, I think about how it should be done properly, always looking for better ways. Besides, to be honest, operators can’t learn much; otherwise you would already have the ability to work independently. I was still working night shifts even after completing my doctorate. I guess you must be researching certain processes and products; it’s impossible that you’re a worker. I work for a company under Sinopec. The college students and postgraduates who come here start by learning to be operators and fitters. I first learned the skills of a fitter; these are tasks that require a lot of hands-on experience, with little need for theoretical knowledge. I have indeed learned a great deal there, in terms of equipment operation as well as various aspects of interpersonal behavior. I believe that having a higher educational degree does not mean one is better than others – the skills and experience of many workers are worth learning from, especially for newcomers like me! In any group of three, there is always someone I can learn from! Why don’t you set up a training school there? Although I also believe that skills learned in vocational schools such as those for fitters are important for college students and postgraduates, it’s not necessary to do so through hands-on practice*. Bro, you should ask how to be a good operator after graduating from graduate school First, go through all the necessary guidelines until they become second nature. Second, study the curriculum of vocational schools and technical institutions until you have a thorough understanding of it. Third, review the technical documentation related to the industry in question, so that you can fully comprehend why experienced experts do things in certain ways, what the advantages are, what the difficulties are, and what the disadvantages are. Fourth, apply the theories you have learned in practice to optimize production processes and product quality. That’s it; if there are any shortcomings, let’s discuss them further. In general, no matter what one does, a solid foundation is very important. To achieve significant progress, it’s essential to master the basic skills, and to carry out one’s work diligently. But one shouldn’t truly view oneself as just an operator – it’s meaningless to do so. If you become an operator just to be one, you can start working after graduating from high school. If you approach your tasks as part of going to the grassroots level for practical experience, then doing a bit more is beneficial. The size of your vision determines the size of your stage. What’s important isn’t your current position, but rather the role you see yourself in. If you see yourself as an operator, all you need to do is pay attention to safety and follow the procedures. If you see yourself as a research and design specialist, you’ll learn about field equipment, process design, and underlying principles, while also considering ways to improve them. If you’re focused on workshop management, you’ll study production organization, communication with staff, as well as factors such as people, machines, materials, methods, and the environment. If you’re aiming to be the general manager, you can understand the thoughts and practices at the lowest levels, as well as the potential problems that may arise during decision-making and implementation at those levels. If you’re the owner, you can consider hiring a graduate to work as an operator and figure out how to guide him. I fully agree with the points mentioned above. Do what you are qualified for – postgraduates aren’t meant to be operators. By working as an operator, a postgraduate can understand the condition of equipment and the hardships involved in such work, which lays a good foundation for developing better equipment in the future or moving into management roles. There are different levels of knowledge, and there are distinct divisions of labor; even if you work in a factory your whole life, there will still be certain tasks you cannot carry out without proper knowledge. The so-called practical training is pretty much just that: before graduating from college, I spent a week conducting simulations on the school’s computers, then went to a large ammonia synthesis plant to work there for a month. In the end, the experienced workers said that our skill level was equivalent to that of someone who had worked there for a year. In fact, so-called operators spend most of their time doing simple mechanical, physically demanding work. So-called improvements in practical experience and the like are nonsense; as for claims that one doesn’t know how to operate things, not even knowing how to use valves is complete nonsense. Whether in state-owned or private enterprises, highly educated individuals who make an effort to integrate into their work can achieve twice the results with half the effort compared to those with lower educational levels, and they can make a greater contribution. In my opinion, people with high educational qualifications are best suited for roles involving research, planning, and management. However, it’s not always possible to land in a suitable position right from the start of one’s career. If, unfortunately, one ends up in a lower-level position, working shifts there isn’t necessarily a bad thing – after all, it helps to gain practical experience, combining theory with practice, which can lay a good foundation for future promotions or job changes. The most important thing is not to give up on oneself or follow the crowd; otherwise, one will only be laughed at by others and won’t be taken seriously by supervisors. It’s a pity for the company’s leaders that graduate students end up working as operators! It’s understandable to go and gain experience on the production floor, but assigning someone to an operator position is a mistake on the part of the management – is the skill set not suitable for that role? It shouldn’t be arranged this way either, unless that company is full of graduate students. It is recommended that the top leader of that company investigate whether the person in charge of assigning graduate students to do manual work has a mental disorder! It greatly affects the company’s image. Start from the grassroots! It sounds nice when said that way. In reality, when it comes to practical tasks, graduate students are not much better at performing them than undergraduates or junior college students. You are a graduate student, and you face more pressure at the grassroots level; if you perform better than others, some people will say that it’s expected of a graduate student. If you perform worse than others, people will say: You’re a graduate student, yet you’re not even as good as elementary school students. If the organization does not make an effort to develop you specifically, but treats you on par with other undergraduates and junior college students, I think there are few chances for postgraduates to stand out. Many postgraduates spend 26 or 27 years of their youth studying and reading books, while manufacturing companies generally do not require much theory – what matters is \"practice yields true knowledge.\" Moreover, in such companies, issues such as hierarchy based on seniority and small cliques are quite serious. Most postgraduates who graduate lack sufficient social skills, and this is a significant disadvantage in China, where social relationships are of utmost importance. I suggest you get ready to work at a design firm. If you have some production experience, there are good prospects in design institutes, while research institutes are the place where graduates can showcase their talents. Is it appropriate for someone who wants to learn cooking to have to become a bricklayer? There are specialized fields in academia; find a position and path of development that suit you! Graduate students working as laborers are probably no match for illiterate laborers! The so-called idea of going to the grassroots to learn* is complete nonsense; I’ve been there too, but have I really learned anything there? ?