Thursday, June 14, 2012

Want to work with chemistry and computers?

Rich Apodaca has a great post about the different programming languages that you might want to learn (and how it's more important that you find an interesting problem...):
Reddit Chemistry hosts an interesting discussion about which programming language is most useful to learn as a chemist. This is an important question as chemists everywhere come face-to-face with the worst job market on record. Combining a good chemistry background with a useful skill such as computer programming would be one strategy for staying prepared for whatever lies ahead... 
[snip] Identifying good problems - problems that when solved will yield profitable outcomes - is one of the most difficult and valuable things we do in our careers as scientists. This is equally true in software. Finding a good problem matters far more than finding a programming language to learn. I’d even go so far as to say don’t even bother learning a programming language until you’ve identified a good problem to solve.
I think software is still a place where younger chemists can still make an impact (and start from a basic skill set...)

2 comments:

  1. I use to work as an analytical chemist and doing a lot of batch HPLC/GC-MS analysis using MS Excel. I found that learning how to code VBA was very useful when I wanted to create a macro that can auto import HPLC data, generate graphs, and auto generate update reports for weekly meetings. Very useful and efficient if you're into these types of jobs.

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  2. I completed my M.Sc. Chemistry and right now I am struggling what to do further. I am not at all interested in research. Right now I am preparing for govt exams mainly in chemistry field. I also an interest of learning computer language and I learn c in my msc and work little bit in computational chemistry. Should I learn computer language and what language should I go with which not only helps me in chemistry but also in some other fields.

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