Does a chem degree pay off?

[Alfred88]

Dear Chromatographers:
I found this question interesting. It was posted on another forum, at
http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=31850.0

From my observation, ACS's CEN has info on salary surveys, and other publications too. But I feel that most of people who responded are paid better, and in higher positions (i.e. less lab work).

If you have a chance to do it over again, will you still choose to study and then enter this field? I realize that Nursing is hot with much better pay. Saving for your retirement, anyone?

[skunked_once]

My philosophy is that it's more important to choose a career that you will be happy with than to work in a field that you don't enjoy for more money. I'd still go for a chemistry degree with my master's in biochemistry.

[Don_Hilton]

I'm having a blast -- and getting paid reasonably well for it. I've been a lab chemist for over 20 years and should be able to retire well - assuming that they eventually throw me out of the lab...

[tom jupille]

If you have a chance to do it over again, will you still choose to study and then enter this field? I realize that Nursing is hot with much better pay. Saving for your retirement, anyone?

I'll expand on skunked_once's comment (with which I agree): "the secret to happiness is to a) find something you enjoy doing, and b) finagle a way to get paid for doing it."

For what it's worth, my wife is a nurse, and each of us feels that we come pretty close to that ideal.

[JGK]

I agree with previous comments totally, I would far rather be in a job that I enjoyed earning reasonable money (although great money would be nicer) than in a high paying job I despised.

[TimB]

I have a long way to go until I retire... But so far I am not regretting my chemistry degree at all.

[chemwipe]

My thoughts:

I thought I wanted to be a writer or journalist, but I ended up with a chemistry degree after my pre-med options didn't pan out in college.

Since graduation, I've worked in food chemistry, environmental chemistry and now hazardous materials waste management. I feel lucky to be in a field where there are many options (more than I would have ever thought) for a person with my education and background.

I have a degree and varied job experience, I would say I'm happy with how things turned out. It pays to have my chemistry degree...

-although-

I hate those salary websites - it seems that I've been underpaid at every company I've worked!

[NALI]

Currently I'm nine months into my first job in the field. Landed it 52 weeks to the day after the BS degree. I love the lab work, I love the competition and I can't see doing anything else for a career.

[caius]

I'm 2.5 years into my first job after graduated with my BS in chemistry. I just came home after preparing 77 samples into volumetric flasks and setting it up to run overnight on HPLC. Everyday, I'm bored to tears with these kind of repetitive tasks. I hate lab works. Lab sucks, I hate going in every morning breathing organic vapors and handling carcinogen/mutagen/cytotoxic/etc.

From my understanding there seem to be very limited on how high you can rise with chemistry degree. I already thinking about switching field. Or just new job. lol



If have to start over again I would probably just get an degree in chemical engineering. Or apply to professional school right after college.

Then again my experience might not be typical. I'm sure there are a lot of happy chromatographer out there. If this is field you really enjoy then by all mean go for it. Good luck!

[caius]

Oops just realized this is almost 8 months old topic.

Sorry!

[Don_Hilton]

caius,

The fact that the topic is 8 months old is not a problem - some seem to have been around longer thant that.

I'm glad you wrote -- and let me give a word of encouragement. Doing nothing but sample prep and pushing the start button on an instrument is not my idea of a good time. There are some who can find such work to be a satisfying challange. I have had the good fortune to work in research and method develoment positions - and sample prep has been just one of the parts of getting a project done.

How far can you go with a BS in chemistry? I've worked for managers who have had nothing more than a BS. Even at the level of Vice President of R&D for a very large company. (The fellow woked hard, gave good results, presented them well, and he showed leadership - and he made VP afer 25 or 30 years with the company.)

Start looking for a way to grow. It may involve a change of jobs. It may be within your company, it may be with another company, or it could involve a bit of time in a gradualte program. And, it could even start in the job you have. Be the guy who figures out how to solve problems and to make the lab more productive.

Most important, figure out what part of your job you like and see how you can grow that part of your job.

Let us know how you progress.

[chemwipe]

Caius-

If you're doing chromatography as your first chemistry job, consider yourself lucky that you're not in a wet chem lab doing bench work.

I worked in wet chemistry for almost 6 years before I got a chance to do GC. And I would say that tests like % solids and melting points are way more repetitive than chromatography.

What kind of industry are you in? Would you rather have something like a project manager position? Quality control/quality assurance?

John

[Peter Apps]

Hi Caius

Clearly you don't like routine simple procedures. Neither do I, and I say God bless the people who can happily do this work day after day, because then I do not have to. Nonetheless, no matter what job you have there will always be some routine that you have to grind your way through.

You now know one thing that you do not like, you need to work out what it is that you think you would like (and be realistic about it) and then find that job. If it turns out that you were wrong about it, don't spend another 2.5 years confirming your suspicions, think again and move again. You are probably too young to remember Billy Joel's Piano Man: "I know that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place". The getting out is the important part. Good luck.

Peter

[Rootfa]

Many of the chemists I graduated with went into accountancy and finance. They all earn considerably more than I do, and seem happy enough. My only regret was that chemistry seemed more demanding to study and excel in than other subjects. I had a girlfriend who did Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology as a combined honours degree yet only had 10 hours a week of lectures.

[willnatalie]

I started as a bench chemist working on a leaching process for an enviromental lab. Basically anything they could send, they would (including pigeon poo). I had to test the pH, place them into a buffer solution based on that pH, let it rotate then separate the liquids for anaylsis (in which I did not do). I then got bumped to a prep lab where my job was to take samples that had around 300ml of CH2Cl2 and boil it down to one ml. I worked 10 hours a day and did I mention my days of work were mon, tues, fri, sat. I questioned my degree as well. Then I moved and found a better job and love it. Now I'm glad for my degree. So there is the long version of my short story.