What are some career choices for majors in biology or chemistry?

Hi Melanie,

Alexander W., above, gave some sound advice. I would like to add some comments from a different, though not contradictory, viewpoint. I'm trained as a chemist so I'll be focusing in that area.

• First, I want to agree with AW's comment that the bulk of careers in chemistry are in analytical chemistry. If you like experimental science, enjoy measuring or analyzing things, and working with instrumentation, this can be a great choice. Jobs in analytical chemistry also have the advantage of fairly wide geographic distribution. In comparison, if you go into chemical engineering, most jobs will be in those (relatively limited) locations where chemical manufacturing plants are located (e.g. the US Gulf Coast).
• As for the distribution of jobs, vs. education level, I can't contradict AW--there probably are more jobs for BS and MS level chemists--but I would argue that for someone contemplating their education and future career, that this topic should be addressed in somewhat more depth. Yes, the scope for your work becomes increasingly narrow as you pursue more advanced degrees, and necessarily become more specialized. However, the work can also become more rewarding and interesting. So long as you approach things with an open mind and clear eyes, then generally speaking you should pursue the most advanced a degree that your interests, inclination, and ability permit. If you have strong intellectual skills and aptitude, interest in, and a mind for science, then why not pursue a masters or doctorate? It takes more time--and, pretty much, no one really likes graduate school, as it's a bit of a grind--but that's the path to the most significant intellectual contributions and excellence. While it's a bit of a 'slave labor' experience (here's one place you need 'clear eyes'), most graduate education in the sciences is funded, so you can achieve an advanced degree solely by investing your time, and without accruing large debts. Conversely, if you like science, but are more interested in a routine and flexible job, or if you want to learn science but rather than discover new knowledge, use it for business or on more practical projects, then you don't need the advanced degree. Lots of folks secure a degree in chemistry and then go into business or sales, or get a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and go into production. There are lots of choices; the hardest thing is to judge, as a young person, where you really want to go. Give that lots of thought! And, don't go to grad school 'just because'; that's where AW is precisely right. Grad school is not for everyone, and having an advanced degree is not an intrinsic guarantee of a good career. A weak doctorate in an irrelevant topic can be worse than no degree.
• Whatever you do, remember two things: (1) all careers involve other people and (2) your education does not stop when formal school work ends. For the first point, recognize that your people skills will always be important, and that you should be alert to organizational politics. All jobs are part of an organization, and you need to be able to integrate into that environment effectively. Don't suck up; but also don't be abrasive. Be a savvy contributor. On the second point, for almost any technical degree at least, your formal education is just the start. Few academic programs in science genuinely teach you how to use the technical skills they cover. You may learn how to conduct analysis via a degree in analytical chemistry, but it will be on the job that you learn how folks make a business out of analytical chemistry. That's just one aspect of the many things you'll have yet to learn after your formal education ends.

Hopefully this is useful. Best of luck, Melanie!

There are lots of cool career options in chemistry and biology. I've listed some of my favorites below but this is by no means an exhaustive list, just some of the fields I am aware of.

Chemistry

Contrary to what my professors told me in college and graduate school, most of the jobs in chemistry (at least in 2018) are not in Organic chemistry but are actually in Analytical/Instrumentation chemistry. Also, the vast majority of jobs out there in chemistry are for people with undergraduate degrees. There are a lot less jobs for people with masters degrees and even fewer jobs for PhDs. But the high your education level (PhD) the more you will get paid. I will also say that the more education you get the more difficult it will be to get the most plentiful jobs (that require less education). This is a big deal, and I would make sure to weight the benefits and disadvantages before pursuing a graduate degree in chemistry (Disadvantages: less jobs, jobs are more competitive, more time spent in school = less money earned initially, more time in school = less job experience. Advantages: higher pay rate, higher income potential, higher job growth potential (you can do more things with a graduate degree), much more fulfilling scientifically.

Switching gears a bit, there are tons of career options in chemistry. Some of major fields are:

• Organic: The chemistry of carbon/the things that go into making life systems. There are many subsets of organic chemistry:

- Sugar chemistry

- Fragrance chemistry

- Polymer chemistry

- Medicinal chemistry: making medicines, and makes use of many areas of chemistry and biology

- Process chemistry: Large scale chemistry

• Inorganic: The chemistry of metals and main group elements. This field also studies how metals interact with organic molecules, my favorite area of chemistry
• Biochemistry: The chemistry specifically of life systems, the chemistry of proteins, and DNA, etc.
• Analytical: Analysis of molecules including purification, identification and
• Physical: Using math to understand and predict chemistry. I understand this area the least but it's really cool.
• Physical Organic/Physical Inorganic Chemistry: This is one of the coolest areas of chemistry. These chemists work at the interface of chemistry and physics and study how and why reactions happen.
• Materials science/Chemistry: Develop new materials like semiconductors, OLED (organic light emitting diode) technology, quantum dots that often go into new technology fields.
• Polymer Chemistry: Make polymers including plastics for medical devices and many other companies
• Regulatory and Environmental Health and Safety: Chemists that help keep other chemists and the environment safe. They learn a lot about state local and federal regulatory standards.

Specifics on what you can do in chemistry based on my experiences:

• Research: Many of the jobs in chemistry are research roles. When you do research you are constantly trying to come up with something new that no one has ever done before. You do a lot of problem solving, data analysis, and thinking deeply about what your experiments mean and what to do next. Primarily, you use the scientific method to learn about the world of chemistry or to come up with a new and or better way to make a chemical that other chemists need.
• Organic chemistry: I love organic chemistry. It's basically cooking but with chemicals. You can make just about any molecule you want, even ones that have never been invented. Organic chemists do a lot of different jobs but some of my favorite are making pharmaceuticals and developing new ways to make chemical bonds.
• Analytical chemisty: Involves the analysis of the purity, identity and quantity of a chemical. Basically you talk a chemical or a mixture of chemicals and you analyze them with an instrument and you figure out: what is it, how much is there and how pure it is. Many of the jobs of this type are in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. In analytical chemistry, you have to be very careful and meticulous.

Biology

I am a chemist so I don't know a lot specifically about biology but I can say that chemistry and biology are intimately intertwined. A huge amount of chemistry is done because people want to control, understand, or mimic biological systems. Some of my favorite career options in biology are:

- Microbiology: The study of bacteria. In the pharmaceutical industry these biologists study the effects of drugs on bacteria

- Immunology: The study of how the body fights infections and "remembers" past infections

Hi Melanie! I’m sorry no one’s answered your question yet. We're working hard to get it answered by Professionals with the best insights, but in the meantime I've included a link to a relevant Q&A here on CareerVillage.org that should be super helpful for you to read through.

Olivia asked: What kind of career can I get from majoring in biology?, and one of the Pros who answered it said:

There are a lot of careers in biology. I personally studied biochemistry and molecular biology as an undergraduate.

After graduating, most people usually go either into Academia (school), or industry (biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies). Or graduate school.

I personally chose to work in industry after I graduated from my Bacehlors, and I began in manufacturing where I helped produce oncology drugs. I now help oversee clinical trials at a pharmaceutical company. There are many options, from working in research, operations, supply chain, quality, and more!..

Click the question to read more of what this Pro and others had to say!

Good luck! 

Abby 

Community Management Intern at CareerVillage.org