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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.
*Salary information represents averages according to the ACS Salary Survey and Starting Salary Survey (Department of Career Services, Membership Division).
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