As you prepare to move into the next phase of your profes- sional life, you are probably weighing your options—
becoming a professor, moving into industry. If you are really
adventurous you may have considered starting your own
company or working for the government.
At this point, you probably know a significant amount
about careers in academia. You have spent years watching
your professors, so you know how they spend their time. But
unless you’ve worked in industry, you probably don’t know
nearly as much about that sector. And even worse, many of
the things you think you know are not actually so. There are a
lot of well-meaning people passing along advice that has not
kept up with the changing employment landscape, and in addition they have different interests, values, and skills.
Below are some of the most common myths about non-traditional (and traditional) careers in chemistry, along with
current realities.
1. MYTH. There are no jobs for chemists.
REALITY. The vast majority of all chemists are employed.
In fact, as of the 2014 ACS Salary Survey1 of March 2014,
only 2.9% of all chemists surveyed were unemployed and
seeking employment—meaning 97.1% had a job. The ACS
Starting Salaries2 survey of 2013 graduates in C&EN showed
that unemployment rates were 7%, 19%, and 20% respectively
for new doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degree chemists.
Of course, that still means that 93%, 81%, and 80% of these
graduates are finding jobs or pursuing advanced education
15 Myths
About
Nontraditional
Careers
in Chemistry
And the Realities Behind Them
Dr. Lisa M. Balbes, Ph.D.,
freelance technical writer and editor and
ACS Career Consultant
Dr. Lisa M. Balbes, Ph.D.,
freelance technical writer and editor and
ACS Career Consultant
