By: Alia Hindi

1. Career in: Organic Chemistry By: Alia Hindi

2. Overview • Organic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the structure, properties, and reactions of compounds that contain carbon. • Organic chemists create and study organic compounds, the reactions that produce them, and their chemical and physical properties.

3. Job Functions • Organic Chemistry is central to the economic growth of the U.S., in industries such as the rubber, plastics, fuel, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, detergent, coatings, dyestuffs, and agrochemicals industries.  • Organic chemists can create new molecules which, if carefully designed, may have important properties for the betterment of the human experience. • Depending on education, skills, employer, specific projects, and career track, organic chemists may be involved in a variety of tasks including: • carrying out procedures at the bench • designing and directing the research efforts of a group of scientists • managing research facilities

4. Places of Employment • Organic Chemists have limited working conditions, where they are mostly needed in labs, working with groups or in classrooms. Their occupation is mainly connected with education and experimentation. • Employment is found in pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, consumer product, petroleum, and other industries • Research universities and Liberal arts colleges for teaching and research opportunities for Ph.D. chemists, or sometimes post-doctoral training • Government labs

5. Personal Characteristics • Just as in any careers, Organic chemists must possess certain characteristics in order to be successful on the job. Some of these characteristics include: • Creativity and innovation • Perseverance • Curiosity • The ability to concentrate on detail • The ability to work independently and with others • The ability to solve problems • Technical mastery • Initiative and follow-through • Leadership • And good oral and written communication skills among other things… 

6. Job Outlook • Jobs in Organic Chemistry are on a constant rise since new sets of problems and opportunities constantly arise in consumer products in many industrial areas. As a result, Organic Chemists are always in demand to synthesize and produce the molecules that solve those problems. • Teaching: • High competition. Research universities and liberal arts colleges require a Ph.D. • Four- and two-year colleges hire master's level chemists for teaching and limited research opportunities. Laboratories: • There are more than 1300 biotechnology firms and they, along with large companies, are hiring all degree levels of organic chemists.   Government laboratories also present opportunity for all levels of organic chemists.

7. U.S. Department of LaborBureau of Labor Statistics • A bachelor’s degree in chemistry or a related discipline is the minimum educational requirement; however, many research jobs require a master’s degree, or more often a Ph.D. • Slower-than-average growth in employment is projected. • Job growth will be concentrated in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing companies and in professional, scientific, and technical services firms. • Graduates with a bachelor’s degree will have opportunities at smaller research organizations; those with a master’s degree, and particularly those with a Ph.D., will enjoy better opportunities at larger pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms.

8. Education & Training • A bachelor's degree in chemistry or a related discipline is usually the minimum education necessary to work as a chemist. • Most bachelor-level organic chemists work "at the bench" in a laboratory setting, often working as part of a team with masters and doctoral scientists or engineers. Some bachelor's chemists work independently and all can advance in responsibility and pay commensurate with acquired experience. • The higher the degree, the greater the responsibility, so the Ph.D scientist will usually have over-all responsibility for the project's content and direction. 

9. Additional Websites… • http://chemistry.about.com/od/organicchemistry/Organic_Chemistry.htmLearn about the chemistry of carbon and life. Lectures, notes, structures, and labs are included. • http://employees.oneonta.edu/pencehe/industrial.html. Provides a list of web sites of the top Industrial Chemical companies. The emphasis is on companies that have major operations in the U.S. and also provide web information of careers. • http://pubs.acs.org/journals/joceah/ From the American Chemical Society. Features full articles, archived content, and an online process for submitting a manuscript. • http://www.chemistry.ucsc.edu/Projects/ThaiREU/ National Science Foundation supported program at universities and research centers for U.S. citizens or permanent residents.http://www.organicdivision.org/organic_journals.html links to organic chemistry journals provided by the Division of Organic Chemistry.