Why should you consider a career in Chemistry? — There are numerous careers out there you can select and specialize in; however, one of the best that can offer you practicality, stability, and excitement, and you get to discover many new things that are beyond human knowledge is Chemistry.
Chemistry is simply defined as the study of matter. It deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances. As a core science subject, it provides graduates with career opportunities in varying sectors in research, teaching, development, healthcare, analytics science, etc. It is an excellent career option that can be quite rewarding and profitable. So, why should you consider a career in Chemistry? Let’s find out.
Reasons You Should Choose To Consider Chemistry As A Career
Chemistry is a broad field, which means you have multiple options to choose from and specialize in once you finish your first degree. Selecting a specific field is essential because, in your first degree, you will touch every aspect of chemistry. After then, you can choose a field you are best at, making everything more impressive and interesting.
Even though most of the courses are similar, they can be differentiated from each other. You can select an independent area and specialize in it. This is also essential when you want to change profession because aside from qualifying for chemistry-related courses, you have understood it already. Without further ado, below are reasons you should choose chemistry as a career;
1. High employment opportunities
As a broad field, chemistry offers many opportunities, which means no matter which area you specialize in, you will find a job. You will have many roles to play in different industries besides chemistry. You can work in sectors like healthcare, education, research, manufacturing, law, and more. Chemistry is a rewarding field with lots of employment opportunities.
2. You will get to understand the world revolves around you
Chemistry involves studying matter alongside all the changes associated with it, including the matters you can see and those that aren’t visible, like air. One of the essential advantages of chemistry is that you will find it everywhere.
Everything around you revolves around chemistry, what you see, hear, touch, and smell. Chemistry is the study of matter and you will always include matter interaction in your daily life. The ability to listen and hear words, smell, and touch is due to chemical reactions inside your body.
Chemists believe every aspect of life involves changes due to chemical reactions, including what you eat. This makes it exciting to study. Moreover, if you don’t want to explore the things around you, you will learn many mysterious things in the universe once you choose chemistry as a career path. The knowledge you get will go as far as helping develop essential products that will benefit people.
3. Chemistry assists you with the knowledge of the things you purchase
Sometimes, even a basic understanding of chemistry will assist you in many places. For example, some products have chemical ingredients or labels, and a little knowledge of chemistry will allow you to understand what’s written in the product and what it is used for. With the knowledge you have, nobody will scam you. You will know the original and the fake products by merely looking at them.
4. Great entrepreneurship potential
Chemistry is so broad and useful, You easily leverage it because it offers you countless business opportunities. If you have already graduated, the simple thing you need to do is to incorporate some entrepreneurship skills into the field and commercialize your path. With consistency and hard work, you
are likely to benefit from the business and even create opportunities for other people, including those that aren’t in the chemistry industry. The business doesn’t have to be a big enterprise, you can begin with a small business and then grow it into a large-scale business.
In fact, there is a specific course for this sector called Chemistry Entrepreneurship. This is focusing on how you can turn your discoveries into something that will benefit your community. Once you follow the right approach and innovations, especially those set by top-notch scientists, you can develop a good product that will be licensed, patented, and commercialized. Even the government can invest in you once they understand that you are trying to create a solution, especially if it’s a daunting problem.
5. You will earn a high salary
You can classify chemistry among the highest-paying professions, regardless of your level and qualifications. The annual income of a chemist is usually around $40k to $85k annually.
There are numerous benefits associated with pursuing a career in Chemistry, above are just a few reasons why you should consider a career in Chemistry. Moreover, as a graduate of chemistry, you can work in diverse sectors. In the next section, we bring you the different places you can work in the Chemistry industry.
Places You Can Work In As A Chemist
Having looked at reasons why you should consider a career in chemistry, let’s look at some of the places you can work. As a chemist, you can work in different industries of your choice. Some of the places you can work include;
1. Research centers
Science generally is all about research; you can use your knowledge to work in different research areas and play a role of a chemical engineer, healthcare chemist, and many more. In terms of places to work as a chemist, research centers can be considered the most diverse because every day, more new reasons to conduct research are discovered, and there are numerous research environments globally.
You can even choose a career in teaching and combine it with research since most universities have built-in research centers. You can also work in pharmaceutical companies and connect your work with research; this will help you maintain a pace with discoveries in your working place.
Even though research is broad, most chemists who specialize in research spend their time in the lab rather than in the outside world. Some of the known contributions that research chemists made to the world include discoveries of new drugs and vaccines, forensic analysis in criminal cases, enhancing knowledge of environmental problems, and producing new chemical products such as paints, cosmetics, drinks, foods, etc.
2. Chemical engineering departments
If you study chemical engineering directly or choose chemical engineering after your first chemistry degree, you can work in different sectors, including oil and gas companies, energy, water, pharmaceuticals, food and drink, toiletries, plastics, etc. You will be involved in the design, creation, manufacturing, and development of new products. You can even find researchers in chemical engineering departments; these people deal with creating products.
Sometimes, they combine their activities with advanced scientific ideas, including nanotechnology and biomedical engineering. Before releasing any new chemical products, they must ensure their safety in the environment. Note that even though studying chemistry at the undergraduate level might create a chance for you, people that study chemical engineering are likely to receive better offers and roles in the chemical engineering industry.
3. A career in the healthcare sector
Most of the opportunities for chemists in the healthcare sector are laboratory-based, you can also find opportunities to work at the care point assisting with patients’ investigations. Chemists working in healthcare sectors are called clinical biochemists or healthcare scientists. You will be helping medical doctors investigate, diagnose and treat illnesses/ diseases. It’s an added advantage if you have a degree in the medical field, too.
However, you can still find opportunities; you will simply be required to interpret a patient’s test result and provide support during diagnosis and assessment. Even though you would have a say during medical treatment, your role is to ensure all results are interpreted correctly, and if required, you will research an illness. Most chemists in the hospital work together with other professionals like clinicians, pathologists, biochemists, and biologists.
4. A career in pharmaceutical sciences
Even though pharmaceutical science is part of the healthcare sector, it’s an independent industry on its own. It offers a wide range of opportunities; every day, the demand for drugs and vaccines is increasing, which means increased demand for pharmaceutical chemists. Their roles include designing, analyzing, evaluating, and regulating new and old pharmaceuticals.
5. A career in the public sector
Aside from other health-related sectors, chemists can also work in public sectors too. Regularly, the government creates opportunities for chemists in industries like law, defense, public health, policy, and many more. For example, in the law sector, chemists can work as forensic doctors who will be summoned to court to discuss their findings; they can also work with the law to ensure existing country policies align with the latest scientific development. Generally, public sector opportunities for chemists are aimed at solving environmental problems.
Branches of Chemistry You Could Specialize In
Below are some branches of chemistry you could consider pursuing;
- Organic chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Physical chemistry
- Inorganic chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Nuclear chemistry
- Polymer chemistry
- Environmental chemistry
- Biophysical chemistry,
- Bioinorganic chemistry, among others
Conclusion
Choosing a career in chemistry is one of the best decisions you can make. Not only does it have countless opportunities, but you will also be excited and interested in what you will be doing. Moreover, chemistry is divided into many branches, so you have a lot to analyze before choosing the one that suits you perfectly. So make that decision now and enjoy the best of it later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chemistry a good career option?
Yes, chemistry is a good career. It offers a wide range of career opportunities in different sectors and has massive growth opportunities.
Do Chemists make a lot of money?
Yes, chemists are well-paid.
Are Chemists in high demand?
Yes, professional chemists are in high demand. There are required in different sectors across the world.
References
https://chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/study/current-students/why-study-chemistry
https://www.geneva.edu/blog/career/why-majoring-in-chemistry-today-can-make-for-a-successful-career-tomorrow
https://www.uwlax.edu/chemistry-and-biochemistry/student-resources/why-study-chemistry/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/why-study-chemistry
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