People graduating with chemistry majors are often not completely aware of the plethora of career options they have after earning this prestigious degree. There are so many job roles and professions that require a fundamental understanding of chemistry and its principles. As it is such a vast subject, the opportunities to succeed more are relatively high. So if you are pursuing chemistry majors or have graduated and searching for jobs that can suit your level of education, this blog will be of utmost help to you.
I have listed down the top ten career options you have after earning a degree in chemistry that can help you select the most suitable and feasible option for you. But before going through the list, it is essential to know what exactly you like about chemistry. This will help in narrowing down your search as nobody wants to do a job that they don’t enjoy, right? So get your pen and paper ready, and start reading the career options stated below to know what is best for you:
Contents
Best jobs for chemistry majors
Chemistry Teacher
One of the most underrated professions is teaching. It is such a novel profession as you impart your knowledge and help in shaping the future minds of society by teaching. You can search for chemistry teacher jobs around you if you have a chemistry major and get into the profession.
It is suitable for the people who are searching for entry levels jobs for chemistry majors. Be it a school or university, go ahead and try your luck at being a teacher if you like teaching and want to be in academics.
Toxicologists
Do you like solving mystery cases and have a good knowledge of testing samples, then you can also opt for being a toxicologist. The primary roles are to test various samples and check for the presence of various chemicals. Toxicologists also study the effects of drugs and other methodologies in pharmacology.
It has a decent salary range, and one also has an opportunity to work with forensic labs or pharmaceutical companies if you opt for Toxicology as a career option.
Materials scientist
If you have a keen interest in studying the properties, composition, and various other details about the substances, then material science is something you will enjoy. You can search for material scientists’ jobs as it involves studying manmade and natural substances. Their findings help in doing the further developments of the products and increasing the effectiveness of the materials.
Material scientists are in huge demand, given that they can help improve the existing and new materials. So if you are someone who likes analyzing and experimenting with materials, you will like being in this position.
Quality Control Chemist
It is relatively easy to find a job as a quality control chemist in many chemical-based industries if you have a master’s degree in chemistry. The Quality Control chemists or what are more commonly referred as QC chemists help monitor and test the materials used in all the production processes to ensure that it is as per the standards and meet all the quality criteria.
These jobs are more common among the manufacturing industries as well as pharmaceuticals. So if you are searching for a good start point for starting your career, you can also consider this option.
Analytical Chemist
Opting for analytic chemist jobs can be a viable career option for you, as it is an excellent entry-level job for chemistry majors. Analytical chemists help analyze the substances, their composition, quantities of the components in a given compound, and other such properties.
This job profile is quite versatile as it has applications in various fields such as the food industry, pharmaceuticals, forensics, and more. So if you are interested in such a job role, you can also opt for this career option.
Chemical Engineer
If you have an inclination toward engineering and a thorough knowledge of chemistry and chemical engineering is something you will absolutely enjoy! Many industries hire chemical engineers for designing and developing new products. People with a thorough understanding of basic chemistry can transform the materials by using their knowledge of chemical properties.
There are many industries that look for such professionals that can help with developing innovative products that are quite unique. So if you like to do something different from regular jobs, this career option can be ideal for you!
Forensic scientist
Did you enjoy watching Sherlock and wanted to become a forensic scientist that helps in solving mysterious crimes? If yes, then you have a chance at being that scientist if you have earned your chemistry degree. Forensic scientists analyze the materials found at the crime scenes, such as hair, blood, fingerprints, and more. As these materials can serve as evidence, these materials and substances play a pivotal role in such cases.
As this job involves legal procedure and being present at legal hearings if needed, it is suitable for someone who likes such a job profile.
Organic chemist
If you loved Organic chemistry while you were taking chemistry courses at your university, you could probably opt for Organic chemist jobs. The primary job roles involve the study and research on the materials that have carbon. It also covers the duties to conduct several experiments for knowing the properties of organic compounds.
There are various applications of organic chemistry in pharmacology, research and development, and other such fields having requirements for the basic information regarding chemistry.
Geochemist
Another excellent option for people having majors in chemistry is to opt for the position of geochemist. This field of chemistry involves studying the chemical and physical properties of earth, studying the movement and effects of chemical compounds on the planet, and other such information.
Geochemists also help identify the oil drill sites, identify the substances hazardous waste, and eliminate it. Geochemistry is quite an interesting field, but one needs to know that it will require fieldwork and lab work.
Pharmacologist
This field is specifically suitable for people who would like to work in the pharmaceutical industry. This job role involves the study, test, and development of drugs along with their interactions with the biological systems. A pharmacologist also undertakes the tasks to study the drug’s efficacy, its safety, and effectiveness.
After earning a major’s degree in chemistry, you can either opt for a specialized pharmacology course to get more opportunities or start with entry-level jobs in such pharmaceutical companies and gradually progress to the higher levels. However, this profession involves many lab hours, and there are no specific timings as one to monitor several processes, so if you are comfortable working odd hours and enjoy pharmacology, you can opt for this profession.
Concluding Remarks
People with chemistry majors have the advantage of working in both academic and industrial fields because of their skill set, hands-on experience, and knowledge about the various fields. As chemistry is a vast subject, it can open doors for several career options for you, ranging from chemical engineer to pharmacologists. However, some jobs might demand a higher level of education, such as Master’s, Ph.D., and Postdoctoral. So make sure to go through the particular job profile requirements to know if you are the best fit for the job.
I hope that this list helps narrow down your search and gives you an idea of the possible career options for someone with chemistry majors. Also, I have only listed the top ten career options that I would personally recommend, but more options are available for students with a chemistry degree.
