After a few weeks, chance came to my rescue. During my lunch break, I heard on the company radio that young people were being sought to take part in a training course leading to a vocational qualification.
I signed up immediately. The course was to last two years and end with the ‘chemical laboratory technician’ examination. Theoretical instruction was planned twice a week after work and practical training in the laboratory every other Saturday.
The course participants were all women who were already working as assistant laboratory assistants. They needed the vocational qualification for better pay. I was the only male and was furtively smiled at. I had no problems at all in the theoretical training, but all the more so in the practical work in the laboratory.
All week long I handled the heavy brass spatula, and on Sundays I had to deal with test tubes, Erlenmeyers and fragile pipettes. The women smiled at my clumsiness, but they also helped me. Time passed. A good half of the training was already behind me. I was already afraid that the course might be canceled, because after a good year the majority of the women had given up.
Some were married and had to provide for their families. The amount of time and the school requirements after the daily work took a lot out of me. For me, giving up was out of the question; I was free and single and had no obligations.
My goal was to become a skilled chemical laboratory technician, although I had almost nothing to do with practical chemistry, apart from the fact that phthalic anhydride occasionally ate away my face. Every day, I diligently and very conscientiously performed my mindless work. The production figures of reactor six seemed to be correct, because I was neither reprimanded nor praised. Completely unexpectedly, my supreme Swabian employer called me in.
When I entered the dusty office, the bird of paradise smiled mildly and offered me a chair. I was allowed to sit down, so it couldn’t be that bad. During my affiliation with the plant, I had learned that the entire senior staff, from supervisors to Doctor of Chemistry, came almost exclusively from the Ludwigshafen-based BASF Group. I was therefore not surprised that my boss again began with the words, ‘Listen carefully, Bübele!’
He then discussed his concern with me in a matter of fact and precise manner: a research collective had developed a much more productive process in the laboratory for the production of phthalic anhydride, which was now to be tested in a pilot plant as a preliminary stage to large-scale production.
Did I dare to control the pilot plant according to the instructions of the experts from the laboratory and to keep records of it? And whether I dared! Finally, I was given a task that had something to do with real chemical processes and procedures.
The plant was already mounted in the neighboring building and was to be started up. I did not want to show my joy about the offer too obviously, expressed some concerns and agreed. My employer was satisfied. The next day, the pilot plant was started up under the guidance of a member of the research group and I was instructed in the plant.
From then on, I no longer had to clean chambers, but was personally responsible for monitoring the pilot plant. I controlled the pressure, temperature, and the supply of chemicals necessary for the production process according to the instructions of the laboratory. 𝓣𝓸 𝓑𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭…
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