A chemistry degree is a powerful
springboard to launch you into a fascinating career.
A chemistry graduate is prepared for immediate employment.
An A.A.S. degree in chemical technology provides
graduates with opportunities for jobs as chemical
technicians, which are high in demand. A person
with a bachelor's level education in chemistry is
able to assume a variety of positions in industry,
government, and academia. Opportunities are also
available to those who combine their undergraduate
chemistry degree with advanced studies in other
fields.
The more obvious positions
for which a background in chemistry is important
are those in chemical education, which may or
may not include research at the college level,
or laboratory research in the chemical industry
and government. Those with a significant knowledge
of chemistry are also employed in a range of related
professions, such asbiotechnology, materials science,
forensic science, hazardous waste management,
and information management.
While laboratory research
is the traditional career of chemists in industry,
not all chemists working in industry are active
researchers. Some chemists do analysis and testing;
some do research outside of the laboratory. Some
chemists are employed as executives who manage
production facilities, businesses, research groups,
or entire laboratories. A chemistry degree can
also lead to work in areas such as law, sales,
marketing, consulting, purchasing, health and
safety, and environmental science.
Because there is a multitude
of applications of chemical principles and many
specialties within the field of chemistry, there
are many types of chemists. There are a variety
of options available to those who obtain a degree
in chemistry. Students should become familiar
with these career options and consider how to
prepare for a successful future in chemistry while
still in college. Proper preparation is an important
factor in improving success in finding the best
first job, and includes refining a general interest
in chemistry into specific education and career
objectives and planning how to achieve career
goals.
The
ACS Education Division has developed this
series of Chemical Careers in Brief to provide
students with information necessary to make sound
career decisions, and to give counselors a tool
to assist students in the career-planning process.
The briefs present an overview of a variety of
careers in the chemical sciences. This collection
consists of two- or four-page briefs, each focusing
on a different career area. The first page of
each brief contains an overview of the career
area and includes interviews with chemists at
all degree levels working in that specific career
area in various positions in industry, government,
and academia. The chemists interviewed share their
experiences with working in the field and give
examples of the types of positions held by professionals
in that career area. The four-page briefs contain
personal profiles of the chemists interviewed
and other professionals in the field with more
in-depth descriptions of their actual work functions.
The last page of each brief, called the Fact File,
includes information on working conditions, educational
requirements, employment outlook, salary averages*,
and the skills needed to pursue a career goal
in the specific area.
The briefs are packed with
information that is helpful to students preparing
for careers in the chemical sciences, and, as
a set, they are a valuable career-planning resource.
Each individual brief title can also be used alone
as an important source of career information in
one specific career area.
The professionals highlighted
in these briefs represent a sample of the types
of positions held by chemical professionals in
each of the career areas. This list of career
areas is by no means exhaustive; however, the
material presented illustrates a wide variety
of options available to those who obtain degrees
in the chemical sciences.
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*Salary information represents
averages according to the ACS Salary Survey and
Starting Salary Survey (Department of Career Services,
Membership Division).
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