d00bleA
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Job Market for Chemists ?
Hey guys hows it going?
I used to come here a while back and posted under a diff name, which I forgot, so I'm not a total newb.
Anyway,
I am about to graduate with a bachelors in chemistry. I have a significant amount of research experience and prob. be on two papers or so by this time
next year and I have good grades (meaning I should be competitive in the application process). But I am undecided between graduate school for
Chemistry or Pharmacy school for a regular professional degree.
Pharmacy school means a good job outlook but no fun research! Also more student loans... But a good starting salary.
Graduate school means fun research but then maybe no job or a low paying one afterwards! (In the United States).
So can anyone give me some thoughts about one whether or not my assumptions are correct and/or experiences in the workforce?
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smuv
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you aren't really giving enough info. Do you want to go for a PhD or a masters in chemistry?
What type of research do you want to do and what have you done? What is your ultimate job goal?
Anyways, the department of labor projected that b/t 2008-18 there will only be a couple percent job growth in chemistry. So on the whole things don't
look good. That being said, it is only half the story, in reality people in some chemistry disiplines will be having a lot of trouble finding jobs,
where in other sectors there will be job growth. For example the related field, materials science is expected to show good job growth like 10-15% in
the same time period; it might be reasonable to assume that materials chemists may share similar opportunities. But if you want to go into natural
products or any other pharma track specialization, the job market when you get out of school may not be much different than it is today (pretty bad).
Also, by that time pharma may be a lot different, there will be less job security than there was, and a good amount of drug development will probably
come out of volitile startup companies which are vying to produce something appealing enough that they can be bought by a larger company (say gsk or
lilly) who will, in turn, bring the product to market. In short, possibility of really hitting the jackpot, but a lot of job insecurity and a lot of
busts. Also, some big pharma companies have restructured drug development in ways that really kill R&D job security.
Anyways good luck, what you are doing is smart. Not enough undergrads are so forward thinking.
Must Read: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos049.htm
This is good to follow too, very informative: http://www.biojobblog.com/
I pretty much based most of my post on info from those (I was going from memory so my numbers might be a little off).
[Edited on 4-14-2011 by smuv]
"Titanium tetrachloride…You sly temptress." --Walter Bishop
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d00bleA
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Thanks for your help!
You pretty much confirmed my fears about how the job market looks for PhD chemists (which is what I would be going to school for, if not Pharmacy).
I have actually read the government Occupational Outlook handbook that you linked me and I tend not to believe those salaries when I see job postings
looking for BS chemists that pay 12$ an hour!!!! That would barely cover rent, food and undergrad student loans! It goes without saying that benefits
would be non-existent.
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smuv
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Yeah, you can pretty much get payed more to go to gradshool than you will making as starting salary for a bachelors. That being said, even just a
masters degree opens up a lot of doors (especially If you haven't done internships in the field) and paygrades.
"Titanium tetrachloride…You sly temptress." --Walter Bishop
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d00bleA
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Internships are def. hard to come by right now! Last year was even worse, I must have done 20 applications with no response! Luckily I ended up
getting a fellowship to undergrad research in a biochemistry lab so I didn't spend the summer doing nothing.
BTW how do employers look at research experience? I should have almost 2 years worth (as part of a research group at my school) by the time I
graduate. I totally have learned how to operate tons of instruments but if it is not in a "work setting" how much do they care about this?
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smuv
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Hate to say it, but everyone has research experience. For pharma type jobs, they want industry experience. Which is hard, because you need to get in
somehow, one thing is that often they say need X years experience OR a masters. Considering a masters can be done in 18 mo. it is definitely one
avenue if you don't have/can't get an internship. In academia some people scoff at people with masters, but I think it is a good option.
Edit: Instrument experience is good, that said, being a pro at interpreting NMRs is not going to help you. HPLC, GC/GC-MS are the instruments that
matter. Outside of pharma, it can be good to have experience with some lesser used instrumetns, for example I had ICP-AES experience which apparently
not a lot of BS graduates had, which made me more desirable for certain jobs.
[Edited on 4-15-2011 by smuv]
[Edited on 4-15-2011 by smuv]
"Titanium tetrachloride…You sly temptress." --Walter Bishop
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d00bleA
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Ah that is interesting I would have thought NMR would be more in demand. But you are right if you look at job postings they all want HPLC experience!
That is kinda sad about research experience, but I guess that is true, my University requires a research capstone to graduate, so everyone coming out
has a decent amount.
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Mumbles
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Most decent institutions will require research in some way. Even if not required, it's essentially expected by some people. I graduated last
December 2009 from a fairly major research institution and had a similar choice. Right now there is a surplus of graduates for a lack of jobs. I had
offers in the mid $30,000's to low $40,000's even from pharma companies I had connections and internships with. For a multitude of reasons I felt
like grad school was the right choice. Money was honestly not one of them.
I had a pretty good undergrad career and had fairly extensive experience in many instruments including GC/MS and ICP as already mentioned.
Microfluidics can open some doors too. I found the same things out. Only people doing primary research, which generally require a PhD or minimally a
masters with experience, really care about NMR. As good as you think you may look, there are dozens of people who greatly overshadow you on paper.
A lot really depend on your ultimate career goals. Ask yourself that, and perhaps we can help more.
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