Chemistry

1. Chemistry Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

2. Chemistry Overview: Chemistry helps explain the physical world and its workings, and plays an important role in our lives. Chemists have contributed a great deal to technical advances of society and have made many important contributions to modern life. Everything is made from one or more chemical elements that occur in nature. Chemists use different kinds of chemical processes to make the elements more useful, and they create products that make our lives healthier, easier, and more enjoyable. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

3. Chemistry Overview (continued): A person with a bachelor's level education in chemistry is prepared to assume a wide variety of positions in industry, government, and academia. The more obvious positions for which a background in chemistry is important are those in the chemical industry or in chemical education. Though chemists may change employers several times during their careers, the majority in the field stay in it their entire careers. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

4. Chemistry Preparation: Because chemistry offers so many different career opportunities and can be your entrée into a whole spectrum of careers, scientific and nonscientific, you should consider your options; choose as your goals the fields that interest you most, and plan your education with your goals in mind. Your degree offers vital proof of your mastery of basic principles and how well you prepared for specific career options. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

5. Chemistry Preparation (continued): The variety of degrees in chemistry and related fields include: Associate in Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Science (A.S.); Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in chemistry; Master of Science (M.S.) degree and the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree; and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Some receive additional training in post-doctoral positions. Since the chemical industry has become globalized, you may want to include the study of a foreign language. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

6. Chemistry Preparation (continued): How much education is enough? The answer to this question depends on your interests, abilities, and career goals. Most universities offer degrees in Chemistry. Additional details about preparing for a career in Chemistry are available at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life– Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

7. Chemistry Day in the Life: Private industry employs about two-thirds of all chemists. Most industrial chemists work in research and development (R&D), R&D management, sales, or marketing. Entry-level bachelor's degree chemists may work in research or plant labs analyzing and testing products. They may also work with senior researchers in R&D laboratories. As they gain experience, they work more independently and can advance to supervisory positions or change career tracks to work in chemical sales or other business functions. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

8. Chemistry Day in the Life (continued): About 10% of all chemists are employed by the government. Much of this work is aimed at developing the scientific basis for government regulations. Chemists also perform testing work needed to enforce government regulations and monitor their effectiveness. Others with a degree in Chemistry choose to work in academia, sharing their passion for chemistry with students at all grade levels. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

9. Chemistry - Agricultural Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry - Biochemistry - Biotechnology - Catalysis - Chemical Education -Chemical Engineering -Chemical Information Specialists -Chemical Sales/Marketing -Chemical Technology -Colloid/Surf Chemistry Consulting -Consumer Products Development-Environmental Chemistry - Food and Flavor Chemistry -Forensic Chemistry -Geochemistry -Hazardous Waste Management -Inorganic Chemistry -Materials Science -Medicinal Chemistry -Oil and Petroleum Chemistry -Organic Chemistry -Physical Chemistry -Polymer Chemistry -Pulp and Paper Chemistry -R&D Management -Science Writing -Textile Chemistry -Water Chemistry Day in the Life (continued): Career Briefs The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center offers detailed career briefs for Chemists in: Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

10. Chemistry Day in the Life (continued): The Workplace Working hours for Chemists very much depend on the nature of their work. Chemists working in industry may find themselves in an office setting or laboratory. Those working for government agencies may be in offices, or in the field. Those working in academia will find themselves in school settings, with varied hours. Travel will also be dependent upon the needs of the employer. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

11. Chemistry Earnings: According to the most recent ACS Starting Salary Survey, the median annual salary of inexperienced bachelor's chemistry graduates working full time was $33,000. Starting salaries for new and inexperienced graduates employed full-time in an academic setting were noticeably lower. For the new bachelor's chemists in this sector the median salary in 2004 was $30,100. More detailed earnings information is at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

12. Chemistry Employment: The employment outlook for chemists varies with the state of the economy, the prosperity of particular industries, the needs of specific employers, and the amount of government spending on science programs. Chemistry career options include those in industry, government, and academia. Career opportunities also available in areas outside of the traditional laboratory or academic setting, such as law, business management, journalism, and computer science. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

13. Chemistry Employment (continued): The "Profiles of Chemists" section at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center highlights various careers of chemical professionals in industry, government, and academia, and includes both traditional and nontraditional careers in the chemical sciences. The profiles give a summary of the jobs performed by the chemical professionals profiled, and an opportunity to glimpse at the broad range of career paths open to those with degrees in Chemistry. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment–Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

14. Chemistry Career Path Forecast: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of chemists is expected to grow more slowly than the average rate for all occupations through 2014. Job growth will be concentrated in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing and in professional, scientific, and technical services firms. Employment in the nonpharmaceutical segments of the chemical industry, a major employer of chemists, is expected to decline over the projection period. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

15. Chemistry Career Path Forecast (continued): Consequently, new chemists at all levels may experience competition for jobs in these segments, including basic chemical manufacturing and synthetic materials. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree may find science-related jobs in sales, marketing, and middle management. Some become chemical technicians or technologists or high school chemistry teachers. In addition, bachelor’s degree holders are increasingly finding assistant research positions at smaller research organizations. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

16. Chemistry Resources: More information about Chemistry is available at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, including employer lists, accredited Chemistry programs, suggestions for precollege students, a free monthly careers newsletter, profiles of Chemists, and a PDF that summarizes the field. Associations: American Chemical Society American Chemistry Council International Council of Chemical Associations Institution of Chemical Engineers Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.