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What is a good job for someone who likes chemistry

I like chemistry but people have told me there are no jobs except DR. is that true?
#chemistry

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Claire’s Answer

Chemistry is awesome, it was one of my favorite subjects in school! While becoming a doctor is a popular career for chemistry majors, it is actually a very diverse subject, and therefore a lot of options exist. If you wanted to stay in the sciences, you could go into Research and Development or Quality Control. There's also a significant impact in the Legal and Environmental spaces as well!


Additionally, if you wanted to major in chemistry because you liked it and add either a business major or minor, that would show you have a strong technical mind but might have interests outside of the sciences as well.

Claire recommends the following next steps:

Check out this link for a more in depth view of different chemistry careers: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/college-to-career/chemistry-careers.html
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Adam’s Answer

I've come across and worked alongside many different professionals who only have a bachelors in chemistry. It all depends on the field of work and industry you want to get into. For academia accolades and research related positions, pursuing a PhD in chemistry is heavily emphasized to achieve high pay and prestige; however, that is not the only avenue to gain success if you're just wanting to acquire a bachelors. I've come across quite a few engineers whom only have a chemistry, biology, or environmental science bachelors and have blossomed their careers to become process engineers or managers of engineering/lab departments. Curating your career once in the working world is most important than what degree you obtained, although having the right degree can open doors more easily depending on the industry and role you're going after.

In the manufacturing realm, a bachelors in chemistry is enough to solidify a role out of school in Quality, Product Development, or Analytical Lab work where you can move around to different positions and tier levels until you find your niche. These are also areas where you work alongside other scientists and collaborate with engineers and operations to develop and test new products, evaluate issues of existing formulas, manage raw materials, and become subject matter experts of ingredients making you an asset to a company's mission and reproducibility. Chemists can also build up their resume of experiences within this realm for 5-10 years then transfer into management to become lab/department supervisor/managers or step into other roles like engineering. Good companies usually provide leadership trainings and classes for certifications to become skilled managers. Companies can also provide tuition reimbursement if you wanted to go back to school and further your education to be better equipped with management roles or just enhance your education in general.

There are no limitations with obtaining only a bachelors degree in science and engineering. There are definitely structured prestigious positions that require a PhD or minimum Masters in chemistry to be considered but experience overrides those requirements after time passes. There is an experience equivalency (10-15 yrs) that some positions consider if you only have a bachelors, which again is acquired with time as you move throughout your career. The key component for chemists who only have a bachelors is to build your skillset up through the positions you take on. Not everyone has the capacity to continue onto graduate school but a bachelors is sufficient in providing a rewarding career. It's vital to in your early career after college to chose roles that aren't just restricted to Lab Technician type work but also include collaboration and cross-functionality with other departments.

An undergraduate degree in Chemistry is great base to ensure a successful career path in many areas (Nutrition, Medicine, Manufacturing, Research, Chemical Handling, etc. ). It's best to figure out what industry interests you and what roles chemists hold to evaluate your career trajectory. Calculated experiences in the working world is key to ensure progression in most cases without the need for acquiring a PhD.
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