CHEMICAL CAREER INSIGHTS - A Guide to Careers in Chemistry

Most chemists are employed in one of four areas: Industry (60%), Academia (24%), Government (9%), or Non-
Traditional (7%). The following is a brief introduction to each of these four areas.

INDUSTRY: R&D, PRODUCTION

Industry can be thought of as an entity that produces and sells a product or service for a profit. The
product starts as an idea and, with the support of chemists, becomes a viable, saleable product. The chemists
involved may have a hands-on responsibility, a supporting role, or a supervisory role in turning the idea into a
product. Typical duties and activities of three industrial chemical careers are summarized here:
 The Research Chemist will run chemical reactions, take part in meetings, operate sophisticated
instruments, write technical reports, and use computers to solve complex scientific problems.
 The Development Chemist will work with and supervise technicians, develop assay procedures, find
optimum process conditions, and scale-up reactions.
 The Production Chemist will work with plant engineers to maximize the design and use of plant
equipment, supervise production, ensure quality control and ensure compliance with environmental
protection policies.
The industrial environment offers a multitude of chemical careers in addition to those mentioned briefly here.

INDUSTRY: SALES, MARKETING & TECH SERVICE

Once an idea has become a product, as described above, chemical careers in marketing, sales, and
technical service are necessary to provide the customer with the product. Each of these careers involves a
product-customer relationship.
A career in marketing deals primarily with analyzing groups of customers known as "markets." From
such analyses, the marketing individual must predict future trends and sales, determine market needs, and
develop advertising strategies. Individuals working in sales deal with the customer one-on-one as the company's
most visible employees. Interpersonal skills are highly valued in this function, and the work schedule is very
self-structured.
A chemical career where laboratory work and customer interaction are intertwined is Technical Service.
Responsibilities include: developing new applications for products, writing instruction manuals, and
troubleshooting for customers with problems or questions.
A background in business is required to a varying extent for each of these careers. Success depends
upon effective communication with the customer.

CAREERS IN ACADEMIA

An academic career can offer the most independence and flexibility in lifestyle and career achievement;
however, positions are competitive and require hard work and long hours to establish an independent research
program while fulfilling teaching and other administrative duties. The four types of academic occupations in
chemistry are described as follows.
 A Secondary School Science Teacher may teach other sciences as well as chemistry and have the
potential of sparking a student's interest in the chemical sciences.
 A Lab Technologist or Instrumentation Specialist at a research university would be responsible for care,
maintenance, and operation of highly sophisticated instrumentation.
 As Lecturer or Professor in a department without a Ph.D. granting program, one would be expected to
excel at lecturing, oversee laboratory classes, and perhaps maintain an independent research program.
 Professors at major research universities are expected to develop vigorous research programs at the
cutting edge of science as well as teach and solicit funding.
 Academia offers tremendous challenges and rewards for those who choose a career of this type.
CAREERS IN GOVERNMENT

Major government research centers are found not only in Ottawa but throughout the provinces in
Canada, and include the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agricultural, Ministry of the Environment, Department
of Defense, and the Ministry of Energy. At these facilities career opportunities range from basic research similar
to that performed at major universities to applied research similar to that done in industry, but directed to
supporting government projects.

Environment Canada, the RCMP, and the Food and Drug Administration offer regulatory careers
involving research and analytical method development for those products or processes the government regulates.
As a chemist working with enforcement agencies you will perform analyses and review data and make
recommendations to assure compliance with existing regulations and laws. If you have a desire to do something
for your country, then a government career may be for you.

NON-TRADITIONIAL CAREERS
 A few of the multitude of non-traditional careers in chemistry are outlined below.
 A career as a Chemistry Librarian or Information Specialist involves locating information (public
service) or ordering, processing and cataloging materials for a library (technical service).
 As a chemist at an Art Museum, one would restore, preserve and authenticate works of art.
 As a Financial Analyst, one would be employed by a brokerage or investment firm to estimate the future
profitability of a company. This also involves reading chemical literature and attending scientific
meetings, as well as a background in business.
 Manufacturer's Representatives work as sales representatives for a number of companies, often on a
commission pay schedule. Success in this career requires a highly motivated individual.
 For a career as an Independent Consultant one must possess some special knowledge and experience
that makes his/her perspective on a problem valuable.
 A Chemical Safety Engineer monitors day-to-day plant operations, applies local and federal safety
regulations, and when necessary, prescribes appropriate action.
 Clinical or Medicinal Chemists are employed by hospitals, research facilities or independent testing labs
to perform routine diagnostic procedures on biological samples.
 A Chemical Patent Attorney possesses an educational background in both law and graduate level
science. He/she is responsible for determining whether a new compound or manufacturing process is
sufficiently novel to be patentable and preparing the patent.

Assignment:

Find a career in chemistry that you find interesting. Search for positions for the career you are interested in.
List the job title, basic expectations, education needed, experience and salary for the position you choose. Write
a brief summary that outlines a path that a Grade 11 student would take to gain this position. For example, what
courses in high school are needed to get into the desired program at university or college? Do you need a
Master’s or Ph.D. degree? How will you get the experience they require for the job? You do not need to be
specific (i.e. what university or college, just the program).

The following websites will help your job search:

www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/Jobs.aspx monster.ca
jobs-emplois.gc.ca/menu/alljobs_e.htm – click on www.planetfriendly.net/gw.php
“job opportunities”. www.ecoemploy.com/
www.workopolis.com