Career Guide: Is Major Chemicals A Good Career Path ?
Is Major Chemicals A Good Career Path | Highest Paying Chemistry Jobs. Chemists and chemical engineers are always in demand. The wide variety of skills afforded by the degree makes experts in chemistry a necessity for manufacturing, engineering, energy production, and research. And due to the knowledge base required, people working in the field are well paid.
There are many different employers of chemistry graduates. Some are within the chemical and related industries, such as:
- petrochemicals
- pharmaceuticals
- plastics and polymers.
- agrochemicals
- metallurgical.
- toiletries.
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What do chemistry graduates do?
The top job held by chemistry graduates working in the UK after graduation is chemical scientist. Two of the top 10 jobs are related to chemistry including chemists and laboratory technicians. Other notable professions are biochemists and biomedical scientists.
What are the pros and cons of being a chemical engineer?
- Potentially Hazardous Working Conditions: As with any job, working as a chemical engineer does have a few drawbacks. Chemical engineers are sometimes exposed to dangerous workplace conditions. Despite significant safety precautions, accidents are not uncommon at mining facilities, manufacturing plants and chemical processing operations.
- Mixed Job Prospects: Chemical engineers have mixed job prospects depending on the sector where they work. While the BLS expects average 8 percent growth for the occupation overall between 2016 and 2026, manufacturing has been on the decline in the U.S. for several decades, and this leads to poorer job prospects for chemical engineers working for some types of manufacturers.
- Excellent Pay and Benefits: Chemical engineers are highly paid professionals.
- Intellectually Stimulating Work: Boredom is rarely an issue for chemical engineers.
What are the Best Paying Jobs in Major Chemicals?
The Best Paying Jobs in Chemistry are:
1. Materials Scientist – Average Annual Salary: $83,000
This job is all about studying. It involves analyzing chemicals to better understand both natural and synthetic materials. This is necessary for improving manufactured materials, understanding why certain processes work the way they do, and finding new ways to tackle problems.
2. Quality Assurance Engineer – Average Annual Salary: $86,000
This is a job that is in demand for many companies. It can range from making sure toys meet standards to making sure food and drugs are pure. Many companies have contracts with quality assurance firms, but some hire quality assurance scientists directly.
3. Analytical Scientist – Average Annual Salary: $87,000
An analytical scientist analyzes materials and collects data on them. It’s a specific type of researcher. An excellent choice for someone who’s very detail-oriented and likes to focus on one thing at a time.
4. Validation Specialist – Average Annual Salary: $82,000
People who do this test equipment. Knowing chemistry is necessary as you have to know how various objects will react to heat and stress, as well as how they perform under various conditions. It’s also very math-heavy.
5. Research and Development Scientist – Average Annual Salary: $87,000
Research and Development (R & D) engineers are heavily involved in both inventing new materials and testing them to make sure that they meet requirements. This is a job at many major well-known companies, such as Boeing, Du Pont, and General Electric.
6. Process Engineer – Average Annual Salary: $81,000
This job is about turning raw materials into finished products. A degree of creativity is expected, as process engineers are expected to improve products and processes along the way. It’s about taking your knowledge of chemistry and applying it to solve problems.
7. Chemistry Professor – Average Annual Salary: $66,000
This will vary a great deal depending on what university you get hired by and whether or not you have tenure. But being a professor allows for both teaching and research, as well as publishing papers.
8. Chemical Engineer – Average Annual Salary: $85,000
Chemical engineering is like most engineering: it’s precise and exacting. Essentially what engineers do is create practical solutions to problems. Chemical engineers use their knowledge of chemistry to research new materials to improve products.
9. Pharmacologist – Average Annual Salary: $82,000
A pharmacologist is a medical chemist, so you need to know biochemistry, and most require a degree in medicine or an advanced degree in pharmacology. Schooling and requirements are rigorous, but pharmacologists are tremendously well compensated as a result.
10. Water Treatment Technician – Average Annual Salary: $45,000
While not seen as glamorous, water treatment is absolutely necessary. This can range from treating sewage to making sure water is safe to drink to cleaning up chemical spills. It’s an essential job with possibilities for advancement.
11. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative – Average Annual Salary: $103,000
This is less directly related to pure chemistry but would be good for those who don’t want to do research. A knowledge of chemistry is essential to understanding pharmaceuticals, but you also spend a lot of time talking to people and selling.
12. Toxicologist – Average Annual Salary: $74,000
This focuses on testing tissue samples, so it’s not for the squeamish. However, it helps with solving crimes and detecting what might be making people sick. It’s very much a laboratory environment, but it’s a way to help people without having to interact with the public.
13. Environmental Technician – Average Annual Salary: $41,000
While most people in this career study environmental science, this job works a lot with cleanups and checking natural environments, which is heavily focused on chemistry. If the environment is important to you, this is something you can do to merge your personal and career interests.
14. Pharmacist – Average Annual Salary: $125,000
Pharmacology is actually a different degree, but chemists have much of the necessary knowledge for it. Especially if you studied biochemistry, it’s a very customer-facing job, so it’s a good choice if you like interacting with the public and educating people.
15. Assistant Professor of Chemistry – Average Annual Salary: $70,000
Becoming a professor isn’t easy, so this is a good way to get your foot in the door if this field interests you. It’ll give you experience in research and teaching. Not to mention the important contacts you’ll make in the university system.
Chemists are highly sought after by many companies in many types of industries. Medicine, petroleum production, environmental sciences, and nuclear energy, just to name a few. Because of that, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be stuck looking for a job outside your field.
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