Even if an advanced chemist came to the forum and asked questions, I would tell him to study, and to study the safety section and dealing with waste, I would also tell him to read Hoke's and the forum and give him the same advice I give every one, because I doubt seriously he learned this in school or he would not need to ask questions. And if he was a smart chemist or student I am sure he would take the advice to heart and would have no problem doing the study, even if it was going over the basics.
School does not teach you how to do this, it may teach you a little about chemistry or some other subject, but working in the real world is a totally different thing than learning about it in school.
The dumbest people I know, think they are so smart they do not need to learn anything, they think they already know it all, I feel sad for them they cannot learn it, or have no clue of what they cannot see, or are missing, they have no clue of what all they do not know.
Some of them even become so educated they loose all common sense.
I have worked in several fields and have become skilled in many different areas of work, and worked at these for many years, and I will always take time to go back and study the basics and fundamental principles of these skills, be it mechanics, electrical, electronics, HVAC, boilers, refining or any other of the fields of work, studying the basics, principles, and more of that field and the safety, is something that I will continue to study as long as I work in any field.
Several of these fields I did not go to school on until after working many years in the field, and needed licenses to continue to work in them, the schools were easy as I already knew most everything they were teaching (in fact several of the teachers would ask me if I could teach the next classes), in the school I did learn a few good points that were helpful or some things I missed in studying on my own through the years, I also worked with other who passed the same tests I did in school, but they knew nothing of how to do the work in the field, yes they could do some book work and pass some tests on the subject, but had no clue about doing the work in the real world, that comes with experience and studying on your own, not from the introduction to the subject you get from going to some school.
The best school in the world when it comes to learning recovery and refining precious metals, is right here on the forum, and if you are smart enough to study it, you can learn this skill, and work to become skilled in these arts.
There are professionals here who are kind enough to share with us their hard earned experience, and kind enough to give us advice on how to get that experience for ourselves, their first advice would be to study the basics, and not think we already know it all.
