Good fortune? A twist of fate?- An unexpected but rewarding first two years with Agilent
It was January 2015, central England, and I was stuck in what by UK standards (nothing compared to many places) was a heavy snow storm, on a motorway, travelling to a town called Huddersfield high up on the moorlands. I was in the final few months of writing up my thesis and was travelling with a colleague to a meeting at another university. Caught out by the snow (even an inch brings UK roads to a standstill) the journey took twice the time is should have. The meeting was important though, so we persevered and finally made it…rather late. Having sped through the agenda in double-quick time our hosts thought we deserved to visit the local pub for some food and a deserved drink before heading home. I had no idea at the time, but this seemingly random set of events that put me in a specific pub, at a specific time, would change my future.
During my PhD I used a range of Agilent instruments, including an accurate mass LCMS QTOF system.
As I neared the end of my writing up, I was considering what I wanted to do next. Exactly what this was I was unsure, but I knew that I was done with day-to-day laboratory work. While I enjoy scientific theory, and enjoy drawing conclusions from data, I dislike the practical aspects of laboratory work. Though I’m happy to receive data to manipulate and interpret, I have no desire to generate it; unfortunately, this is not how a career in academic research works. During my time working with the Agilent equipment though, I regularly ran into Agilent service engineers who would attend to perform breakdowns or provide training.
As good luck (or fate?) would have it, during the time in that pub in Huddersfield I ran into one of the top UK LCMS QTOF engineers, who I knew from visits to my lab, and who had also taken refuge there. During our conversation he mentioned that there was a position being advertised at Agilent for LCMS technical support and asked if I would be interested…. after the application process, I joined the UK support team as a remote LCMS support engineer in July 2015. Having spent seven years at university, three of these working heavily with an Agilent LCMS system, I joined believing that I knew a bit about this topic. Only once I started did I realise that that is exactly what I knew…a bit.
I am not exaggerating when I say that since joining Agilent I have learnt something new most days. My current role is mainly based at the UK sales and support centre providing remote telephone and email support to help diagnose issues on customer systems. These faults can literally be anything; they range from a simple hardware fault such as a broken LC pump valve or sample handler, to complex ion transfer and mass accuracy issues on high-end mass spectrometers. There are also a significant number of specific application and software queries that come in for which I am part of the first level of triage. This variety keeps things fresh and keeps me on my toes. I’m part of a team of remote engineers that support the UK and Ireland, and although the work is often challenging, getting instrument issues resolved without even being in the same room as it is rewarding. I am also fortunate to be in a role that has allowed me to personally progress and broaden my horizons. During technical training, I have had the chance to travel in Europe and the USA, and have met many great people (great in the sense of both character and intelligence), who I am pleased to be able to continually work with from afar. I wish I knew everything I have now learnt, back when I was working with these instruments previously!
One of the best things about my role is the variety. In addition to remote support, I am able to go out into the field two or three days a month to carry out site repairs (often that I have previously diagnosed remotely), and have had the chance to attend Agilent user group conferences to improve my understanding of the range of applications users have.
Recently, I have been working on an additional project with colleagues from the UK management and sales teams. I am trying to facilitate a partnership between Agilent and my previous University (Keele University in the UK). I am in the unique position of having a good understanding of the needs and goals of my former research group, and also of the services and support Agilent can provide to assist them in achieving these. Since joining Agilent I have formed the opinion that in general Agilent pride themselves on going the extra mile for customers (certainly compared to other technology companies I have dealt with as a customer), and this partnership opportunity is giving me the chance to deliver this, and hopefully shape a mutually beneficial future relationship. Agilent and Keele see the benefits that closer working could bring, and I hope to continue contributing to a successful future for both.
Based on my experience since joining, it seems that once in staff rarely leave Agilent. Though working here is demanding, always challenging, and yes at times stressful, the variety of the job role, the opportunities working here brings, and character of my close colleagues mean I have enjoyed my initial two years here. I am looking forward to continuing my development within Agilent over the coming years.
Editor’s note: Richard is a remote customer engineer in the UK and he works on the LCMS portfolio at Agilent. Outside of Agilent he is a big football (soccer) fan and his home town team is Stoke City in the English Premier League. He also enjoys travelling and getting out and about in the hills to go walking or skiing with his family/friends whenever possible.
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