Employment Outlook?

[freemab222]

I'm wondering how others are seeing the employment outlook for chromatographers. All sources I have viewed are largely devoid of job openings of any seniority. When you add to that the impossibility of selling a house in this economy so you can relocate, it looks very bleak.
Any thoughts or insights?

[tom jupille]

I think that, paradoxically, as more people use chromatography, the number of "chromatographers" will decrease. Chromatography is not an end in itself, it's a tool. There will continue to be a need for specialists to support the use of that tool, but the tool itself will be an appliance accessible to the non-specialist.

Superimpose that on the trend to globalization and draw your conclusions.

[Consumer Products Guy]

I'd chime in that there is a HUGE difference in real chromatographers (people who are able to develop test procedures for new actives, and to develop chromatographic procedures to troubleshoot manufacturing issues) and chromatography operators. Here and at our QC locations we have mostly chrmatography operators who can run the assay procedures that are written, but they don't have the knowledge or experience to be able to do any development work.

Maybe the difference between a $35K job and a $100K job.....

[chromatographer1]

There are fewer and fewer positions, especially in the pharmaceutical and energy fields.

Any seeker of work should have LC-MS experience as a minimum.

Rod

[DR]

There are fewer and fewer positions, especially in the pharmaceutical and energy fields.

Any seeker of work should have LC-MS experience as a minimum.

Rod

Or a death grip on a CDS admin. job in addition to conventional method development and/or routine sample analysis.

[freemab222]

This pretty much reinforces my opinion. Anyone young enough to be still employable (there IS age discrimination -- never doubt that) should learn HPLC-MS as soon as possible, even if he has to drop thousands of dollars to get the courses. That's the big problem. I sought for years to take such courses on the company's dime, but they wouldn't come through. If I had it to do over, I'd have paid for it myself, but at the time I didn't feel I had the money.
The funny part is that some folks where I worked "learned" LC-MS on their own using the new "easy" systems. Frankly, having seen the ordinary HPLC methods these folks developed, I have serious qualms whether their LC-MS methods were worth the paper they're written on. We had folks quantifying minor components against major components, only sometimes using "calibration factors", completely without regard for differences in the UV spectra, and without any attempt to correct for such differences or to correct for detector-to-detector differences.
I finally quit (to accept another position) largely because management chose to turn a blind eye to such stupidity. But then, it was they who had chosen to employ "chromatography operators" as chromatographers.
A sad commentary.
I pursue self-employment, but can afford to live off savings. Hope you all are doing as well.
(BTW, I am a chromatographer with 35 years experience and two methods in the USP, for whatever that indicates.)

[krickos]

Hi

Well I think it is going to be tight for some time further, however I have a slightly more optimistic view or well hope that is.

For example The Asian tiger economies sooner or later can not substain their high inflation rate forever, was in India last year and amazingly the inflatione rate was still like +10% or so, while US, most of europe is like 0-2%. Increased enviromental awareness (shut down of certain plants),childwork awareness and better quality enforcement (like FDA opening office in Asia, China closing plants) seems to slowly help bringing compitition to a more "fair" level.

[Consumer Products Guy]

...there IS age discrimination -- never doubt that...

I'm appalled to hear you say that there is age discrimination !!!!

However: you are absolutely correct, and some is likely salary reasons for that as well.

My family has been fortunate, I haven't been affected by any of our restructurings. And today my daughter (Dec. 2010 university graduate) leaves for a great science sales job out of state: good salary, company car, signing bonus, paid housing during training, laptop, cell.....way better starting job than most people I know have had....

[gcguy]

We have a placement for an undergraduate student evey year. By the time they leave they seem to have formed they opinion that they have waisted two years of their lives studying chemistry....

Not sure if it based on the current economic climate or looking at our miserable faces!

GCguy

[bgranot]

...there IS age discrimination -- never doubt that...

I'm appalled to hear you say that there is age discrimination !!!!

However: you are absolutely correct, and some is likely salary reasons for that as well.

My family has been fortunate, I haven't been affected by any of our restructurings. And today my daughter (Dec. 2010 university graduate) leaves for a great science sales job out of state: good salary, company car, signing bonus, paid housing during training, laptop, cell.....way better starting job than most people I know have had....

'Fortunate' This is an understament can you tell me which company is it. I am wondering signing bonus for scientists. Scientist are treated like garbage in 99.99% of employer.

[Karen01]

There are fewer and fewer positions, especially in the pharmaceutical and energy fields.

Any seeker of work should have LC-MS experience as a minimum.

Just saw this thread... I think not having that experience (as well as age, and only having a Masters), despite having been the R&D manager for analytical development/support at a small drug delivery company for over 10 years is why i was out of work for 1.5 years... 30 years experience without the 'right' experience does not get you much.

In the job I have now we don't have an LC-MS either, so if/when that goes away, I fear my career will be over despite having solved a lot of problems ...

I'm still 11 years from my full SS retirement age and don't have nearly enough savings now (and may not even if I keep working until then). If I knew then what I know now, would have seriously considered majoring in something else beside chemistry.

- Karen

[Camisotro]

I used LC-MS for my M.Sc. thesis project, and I've also supervised GC-MS, ICP-MS & LC-UV experiments in undergrad labs. So I hope that counts for something regardless of what is the first lab job I actually get.

And rather than learn on a "simplified system" I had the opportunity to string together a 1994 gradient pump, a 2001 autosampler and a 2005 MS by soldering together the appropriate cables to communicate via contact closure. It was an experience that makes a good story but that I hope I won't have to repeat very often

[bgranot]

I'm wondering how others are seeing the employment outlook for chromatographers. All sources I have viewed are largely devoid of job openings of any seniority. When you add to that the impossibility of selling a house in this economy so you can relocate, it looks very bleak.
Any thoughts or insights?

The problem with jobs is 'all of the above'. There was always discrimination (human neture). Discrimination is like prostitution. It is always be there. The law cannot stop it. In good economy some employers may overlook their desire to discriminate, because they need you more. In bad economy it is easier for the employer to discriminate. Only Black and Latino, by the practice law, can claim discrimination in the US only.
Unfortunatly the justice system in US is only for some only, not for all.
The US Govrement (democrates and repoblicans) sold the US economy to China. Washinton care only for themself, not for the American poeple.
Washinton also stole all the money from social security by using this money to finance their personal instrests.

We the poeple cannot do anything about it. We do not have the money (usually paid by China) to run for office.
The bigest enemies of the US (we the people) are the people who run our govrement.
If we want to save money we need to closed the EEOC, FDA, EPA, OSHA etc.. There are all usless department of goverment that do not do their job anyway: More than 50,000 poeple in US dies from food Poisening. Many drugs do not work, and countless poeple dies from adulterated and fails claim drugs.
The FDA inspectors drives new $60,000 cars while we cannot even efford new car for $30,000, and the same time the inspectors is ignoring gross cGMP issues.
All other agancies are the same thing.
Above the average lifestyle plus easy inspections spells corruption in any country.

[Axar]

Dear bgranot.
You arguing about corruption in USA, but have never experienced corruption in third world's countries. Bunch of money there can solve any problem...

[HW Mueller]

One does not need to compare developing cuntries to the US. I have spent 20 years in the US, the rest in Germany (almost 50 years). Almost anything bad in the US is worse in Germany (notable exception is health insurance). On job availability I didn´t encounter, in the US, many restrictions that operate here in Germany. Just one example: After post-docing and running a lab in a university clinic I looked for a job in industry, over a 100 application came back with "....sorry.....". I was able to arrange talks with two top officials of two of the better known chemical companies in Germany. Both said the problem is that I stayed too long at the university, not pliable enough, etc. In the US they are more prone to have you proof to them that you can handle the job, rather than have a strong pejudice.