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What to do with chem?

citra

citra

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
233
Location
Colorado
Hey guys...
I'm gonna graduate in a couple months and i'm completely lost as to what to do with my degree...i'll have a BS in chem and a lot of research exp in various fields. I've looked at job boards etc. my problem is I am not ready to apply to grad school. I don't wanna be a lab tech (unless I am working on a defined project ie not just grunt work), and i don't wanna teach. :( Any thoughts?
 
Hmm, it does narrow it down if you don't want to work in a lab :\ But if you want something unique, I can think of a few things.

Biochem
Food/Drink Research - Doing the stuff where foods and such are altered to become even better.
Beauty Product Development - Big skin/hair/body care companies are always hiring chemists.
Public Blood/Health Work - Might be a bit routine, but it's definitely an area where you help others.

Chemical Engineering
Mining - There's money to be made in the mining industry, with a chemistry degree.
Petrophysicis - Another area with money. And travel options. Might need grad work, though.
Nanotech - There are a lot of open jobs right now in private-sector nanotechnology.

For pharmacology, you'll probably either need grad school, or end up in a pharmacy dispensing medicines. Not a ton of options there.
 
Computer lithography? Just me though, i'm into that stuff. Work at a research hospital or the likes? Just tossin out ideas for you.
 
Check into the "Army Chemical Corps", You get to make weapons of mass destruction, and get to play with super dangerous chemicals. Sounds fun and hell yeah you get an extra .50cents per hour for hazardous pay!

My daddy got his BS,MS, and PHD in Environmental Toxicology. He worked as a teacher at University of Alabama.
Go with your heart, do you want a sit down desk job, or on your feet playing with chemicals.
 
citra said:
Hey guys...
I'm gonna graduate in a couple months and i'm completely lost as to what to do with my degree...i'll have a BS in chem and a lot of research exp in various fields. I've looked at job boards etc. my problem is I am not ready to apply to grad school. I don't wanna be a lab tech (unless I am working on a defined project ie not just grunt work), and i don't wanna teach. :( Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

When you say that you're "not ready" to apply to grad school, does that mean you intend to do so at some point, but aren't ready at the moment?

If you do intend to do so at some point, then that might be a factor to take into account. As a lab tech you may do a lot of grunt work--I think that's likely true in starting out in any field or job--but you may also get to know some researchers doing really interesting things in a field you like, and perhaps even get your name on a paper.

Every job is going to involve aspects that you dislike, or that seem boring or routine, and mainly require disciplined application of time and effort. But don't look at the jobs you take as a line with zero slope. Some might be, but the ones you really want should be those that lead places. The question is whether you want to go where they lead you. Someone doing lab work at t(3) might be applying to graduate programs at t(7), doing their own research at t(9), and so forth.
 
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