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I have a mentee who loves Chemistry and wants to major in it in college. I just need general information about this major. Are Chemistry majors in demand? What type of jobs are available? What other routes can you take with a Chemistry degree? Chemistry or Chemical Engineer? Life experience preferred but all info/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. I found one discussion site but it was dated and not much US involvement.
I have a mentee who loves Chemistry and wants to major in it in college. I just need general information about this major. Are Chemistry majors in demand? What type of jobs are available? What other routes can you take with a Chemistry degree? Chemistry or Chemical Engineer? Life experience preferred but all info/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. I found one discussion site but it was dated and not much US involvement.
Thank you.
NO! Although there is demand the a lot of the jobs are terrible. Companies are going to using staffing agencies to staff their bench science positions and those agencies rob their workers blind, provide no benefits, no professional development, pay $15-20 an hour and the companies just keep them on contract for years.
I have a mentee who loves Chemistry and wants to major in it in college. I just need general information about this major. Are Chemistry majors in demand? What type of jobs are available? What other routes can you take with a Chemistry degree? Chemistry or Chemical Engineer? Life experience preferred but all info/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. I found one discussion site but it was dated and not much US involvement.
This was also posted in the University forum.
Thank you.
If you really want to do anything interesting with those, you probably have to go to get a pHd.
In which case, that person will figure out their path and interests as they go through school.
Day jobs for BS Chemistry and BS Chem E tend to be pretty uninspiring ... lab work, Environmental Engineering, Process Engineering, especially for somebody who has a passion for the stuff. I work with all of these types.
If I had a kid who had a passion for hard, physical science, I'd tell them to get a pHd and then try and get into academia.
Most people go into Chem E because there's a high average salary. You could not do a dumber thing IMHO.
The average chemist is working in a factory for between $35-60k a year doing quality control or R&D. It's a decent, boring, middle class career that is absolutely nothing to write home about.
Chem E is where it's at. Only get a BS in Chem if you want to eventually get a PhD or go to med school or if you are fine with the boring, boring life of an industrial QC chemist
I would not get a PhD. They work for 5-7 years on a $15-30k stipend and end up with even worse job prospects. There are not enough jobs for PhD level Chemists, most are very very specialized, noone will hire them for BS level jobs as they are overqualified and any out of field jobs will also assume they are overqualified if they find out about the PhD.
I've seen some PhD scientists end up in very dire straits. There was one that asked about suicide last week on the science careers forum. The post was deleted by the mod but very alarming.
I would not get a PhD. They work for 5-7 years on a $15-30k stipend and end up with even worse job prospects. There are not enough jobs for PhD level Chemists, most are very very specialized, noone will hire them for BS level jobs as they are overqualified and any out of field jobs will also assume they are overqualified if they find out about the PhD.
I've seen some PhD scientists end up in very dire straits. There was one that asked about suicide last week on the science careers forum. The post was deleted by the mod but very alarming.
I understand that pHd level jobs are hard to find.
But if you have a passion for Chemistry, then doing a pHd should be enjoyable.
If you take the straight path, have good grades, get a pHd from a good school, and get it before age 33 or so, you 'should' be able to find some pretty interesting work.
That's why you take that chance when you're young. Say you get a pHd Chemistry from U. Michigan and you end up doing GC/MS which you only needed a BA to do. Oh well, at least you tried.
That's why you don't go half-a@@ and pick something you 'sorta' like and something that 'sorta' makes good money. You go gung ho and if it doesn't work out, you're in the same place with the rest of us suckers.
But if you have a passion for Chemistry, then doing a pHd should be enjoyable.
Doing a PhD is rarely "enjoyable." There are a lot of sadistic and psychologically dysfunctional PI's in academia that only use grad students as cheap labor and are awful mentors. They will work you long hours, belittle you, threaten you, delay your graduation, use their reference to extort you. The PI's are pretty much accountable to noone they have tenure they have to be on tape murdering someone to get fired.
Doing a PhD is rarely "enjoyable." There are a lot of sadistic and psychologically dysfunctional PI's in academia that only use grad students as cheap labor and are awful mentors. They will work you long hours, belittle you, threaten you, delay your graduation, use their reference to extort you. The PI's are pretty much accountable to noone they have tenure they have to be on tape murdering someone to get fired.
Well then. I guess Chemistry sucks which ever way you try to go, don't it?
So tell us. What would you do with your life if you had a do-over?
MSChemist-
Did you use post at a college majors website a few years ago?
You seem familiar and your posts were equally against science majors as I recall...lol
Anyway to the OP-
If you enjoy chemistry but don't want a PhD go the ChemE route.
My hub hires lots of ChemE's, and in his industry (oil refining, management level) they are paid very well ($150-200K, sometimes higher, plus another 50% or more in bonuses on good years). These people have to be willing to transfer to various refineries throughout their career, and work their way up, but even the entry level ChemE's start at over $100K base.
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