Chemistry is the science that studies the properties of matter, its composition and the transformations it undergoes. In this article, we will go further to show the career opportunities of a chemistry degree . We are faced with a very popular discipline, although few people would know how to give a definition of it. It is basic knowledge within STEM careers chempire.net, perhaps because almost everyone has had notions of it at least during secondary education. Chemistry is studied in many universities and in recent years new university courses derived from it have emerged, the most notable being biochemistry and chemical engineering.
Although chemistry is a relatively well-known science, its career options are not so well known. Therefore, in this article, we are going to see what career opportunities chemists have. Some may sound familiar to you, while others are more unknown and may surprise you. In total we present fifteen different job opportunities divided into four blocks: research, teaching, industry and services.
Career opportunities for a chemistry career in research
To start in the field of research within chemistry, it is best to start by completing your doctoral thesis after completing your university degree. Once you have completed your doctoral thesis and obtained your doctorate degree, you can now look for work in the field of research. Job opportunities will be in universities, research centers or companies.
Professional opportunities for a chemistry career in teaching
One way out of chemistry studies that everyone knows is teaching. We are going to distinguish here between pre-university teaching and university teaching.
1. Teaching in secondary education, baccalaureate and vocational training
To work as a teacher, the first thing you must do after finishing your degree is the Master’s Degree in Teacher Training. This master’s degree includes theoretical and practical subjects in the classroom. Once it has been completed, you can work as a teacher in public or private centers. In private centers, you enter with an employment contract. In public centers, you enter through calls for public employment.
2. University teaching
There are several options to be a university professor, which are the following:
Doctor assistant professor: must have the doctoral thesis and accreditation from the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA). It has a full-time , temporary contract and has teaching and research tasks.
Contracted doctor professor: in this case ANECA accreditation is also necessary, although it is specific to contracted doctors. The difference with doctor assistants is that hired doctors have an indefinite contract . This contract is one more step towards becoming a full professor.
Associate professor: they are professors who dedicate a few hours to university teaching, but have their professional activity outside the university.
Professional opportunities for chemists in the industry
Many of the people who finish their chemistry degree go on to work in industries. The fundamental role of a chemist in industries is to apply chemical science to industrial processes. The types of tasks that chemists perform most in industries are production control, quality control and commercial tasks.
1. Production control in industrial processes
Chemists have several tasks here and one of them is to innovate, that is, to research to produce new materials that are more resistant to pressure, heat or wear. Innovation in industrial processes is also important to achieve better use of by-products and the energy invested in production chains. Today everything must be aimed at achieving more sustainable products, easier to recycle and reuse, and more respectful of the environment.
2. Quality control
Quality control is established to identify and record the processes that chemicals require, as well as ensure hygiene and environmental conditions during storage and transportation. Chemists usually act as quality managers, as they know the products perfectly.
3. Marketing and sales
All companies think about the possibility of expanding and gaining more and more customers. Chemists, as department heads, are aware of all this and some of them also carry out their work directly in commercial departments.
These functions can be carried out in many types of industries, such as the following:
Petrochemistry
Agrochemistry
Oenology
Pharmaceutical
Construction materials, ceramics and steel
Alimentation and drinks
Paints and varnishes
Cosmetics
Automotive