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发信人: myosotis (阿金), 信区: AdvancedEdu
标 题: 98-99 ocupational outlook/Chemists
发信站: BBS 水木清华站 (Mon Apr 6 22:04:05 1998)
(D.O.T. 022.061-010, -014, and .137-010)
Significant Points
* A bachelor's degree in chemistry or a related discipline
is usually the minimum educational requirement; however,
many research jobs require a Ph.D. degree.
* Job growth will be concentrated in drug manufacturing and
research, development, and testing services firms.
* Nature of the Work
Everything in our physical environment, whether naturally
occurring or of human design, is composed of chemicals.
Chemists search for and put to practical use new knowledge
about chemicals. Chemical research has led to the discovery
and development of new and improved synthetic fibers,
paints, adhesives, drugs, cosmetics, electronic components,
lubricants, and thousands of other products. Chemists also
develop processes which save energy and reduce pollution,
such as improved oil refining and petrochemical processing
methods. Research on the chemistry of living things spurs
advances in medicine, agriculture, food processing, and
other fields.
Chemists can apply their knowledge of chemistry to various
purposes. Many work in research and development (R&D). In
basic research, chemists investigate the properties,
composition, and structure of matter and the laws that
govern the combination of elements and reactions of
substances. In applied research and development, they create
new products and processes or improve existing ones, often
using knowledge gained from basic research. For example,
synthetic rubber and plastics resulted from research on
small molecules uniting to form large ones, a process called
polymerization. R&D chemists use computers and a wide
variety of sophisticated laboratory instrumentation. They
also spend time documenting and analyzing the results of
their work and writing formal reports.
Chemists also work in production and quality control in
chemical manufacturing plants. They prepare instructions for
plant workers which specify ingredients, mixing times, and
temperatures for each stage in the process. They also
monitor automated processes to ensure proper product yield,
and they test samples of raw materials or finished products
to ensure they meet industry and government standards,
including the regulations governing pollution. Chemists also
record and report on test results, and improve existing or
develop new test methods.
Chemists often specialize in a subfield. Analytical chemists
determine the structure, composition, and nature of
substances by examining and identifying the various elements
or compounds that make up a substance. They study the
relations and interactions of the parts and develop
analytical techniques. They also identify the presence and
concentration of chemical pollutants in air, water, and
soil. Organic chemists study the chemistry of the vast
number of carbon compounds which make up all living things.
Many commercial products, such as drugs, plastics, and
elastomers (elastic substances similar to rubber), have been
developed by organic chemists who synthesize elements or
simple compounds to create new compounds or substances that
have different properties and applications. Inorganic
chemists study compounds consisting mainly of elements other
than carbon, such as those in electronic components.
Physical chemists study the physical characteristics of
atoms and molecules and investigate how chemical reactions
work. Their research may result in new and better energy
sources.
Biochemists, whose work encompasses both biology and
chemistry, are included under biological scientists
elsewhere in the Handbook.
* Working Conditions
Chemists usually work regular hours in offices and
laboratories. Research chemists spend much time in
laboratories, but also work in offices when they do
theoretical research or plan, record, and report on their
lab research. Although some laboratories are small, others
are large and may incorporate prototype chemical
manufacturing facilities as well as advanced equipment.
Chemists may also do some of their work in a chemical plant
or outdoors pollutants, for example. Some chemists are
exposed to health
or safety hazards when handling certain chemicals, but there
is little risk if proper procedures are followed.
* Employment
Chemists held about 91,000 jobs in 1996. Nearly half of
chemists are employed in manufacturing firms chemical
manufacturing industry, which includes firms that
produce plastics and synthetic materials, drugs, soaps and
cleaners, paints, industrial organic chemicals, and other
miscellaneous chemical products. Chemists also work for
State and local governments, and for Federal agencies.
Health and Human Services, which includes the Food and Drug
Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the
Center for Disease Control, is the major Federal employer of
chemists. The Departments of Defense and Agriculture, and
the Environmental Protection Agency, also employ chemists.
Other chemists work for research, development, and testing
services. In addition, thousands of persons held chemistry
faculty positions in colleges and universities. (See the
statement on college and university faculty elsewhere in the
Handbook.)
Chemists are employed in all parts of the country, but they
are mainly concentrated in large industrial areas.
* Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
A bachelor's degree in chemistry or a related discipline is
usually the minimum educational requirement for entry-level
chemist jobs. However, many research jobs require a Ph.D.
degree.
Many colleges and universities offer a bachelor's degree
program in chemistry, about 620 of which are approved by the
American Chemical Society (ACS). Several hundred colleges
and universities also offer advanced degree programs in
chemistry; around 320 master's programs, and about 190
doctoral programs are ACS-approved.
Students planning careers as chemists should enjoy studying
science and mathematics, and should like working with their
hands building scientific apparatus and performing
experiments. Perseverance, curiosity, and the ability to
concentrate on detail and to work independently are
essential. In addition to required courses in analytical,
inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, undergraduate
chemistry majors usually study biological sciences,
mathematics, and physics. Those who are interested in the
environmental field should take courses in environmental
studies and become familiar with current legislation and
regulations. Computer courses are essential, as employers
Within the chemical industry, job opportunities are expected
to be most plentiful in pharmaceutical and biotechnology
firms. Stronger competition among drug companies and an
aging population are contributing to the need for innovative
and improved drugs discovered through scientific research.
Chemical firms that develop and manufacture personal
products such as toiletries and cosmetics also must
continually innovate and develop new and better products to
remain competitive. Additionally, as the population grows
and becomes better informed, the demand for different or
improved grooming products products, products with
milder formulas, treatments for
aging skin, and products that have been developed using more
benign chemical processes than in the past strong,
spurring the need for chemists.
In the remaining segments of the chemical industry,
employment growth is expected to be much slower than in drug
manufacturing, and in some cases, may decline as companies
downsize and turn to outside contractors to provide
specialized services. Nevertheless, some job openings will
result from the need to replace chemists who retire or
otherwise leave the labor force. Quality control will
continue to be an important issue in the chemical and other
industries that use chemicals in their manufacturing
processes. Chemists will also be needed to develop and
improve the technologies and processes used to produce
chemicals for all purposes, and to monitor and measure air
and water pollutants to ensure compliance with local, State,
and Federal environmental regulations.
Outside the chemical industry, firms that provide research,
development, and testing services are expected to be the
source of numerous job opportunities between 1996 and 2006.
Chemical companies, including drug manufacturers, are
increasingly turning to these services to perform
specialized research and other work formerly done by
in-house chemists. Chemists will also be needed to work in
research and testing firms that focus on environmental
testing and cleanup.
During periods of economic recession, layoffs of chemists
may occur This industry provides many of the raw
materials to the auto
manufacturing and construction industries, both of which are
vulnerable to temporary slowdowns during recessions.
* Earnings
A survey by the American Chemical Society reports that the
median salary of all their members with a bachelor's degree
was $49,400 a year in 1997; with a master's degree, $56,200;
and with a Ph.D., $71,000. Median salaries were highest for
those working in private industry; those in academia earned
the least. According to an ACS survey of recent graduates,
inexperienced chemistry graduates with a bachelor's degree
earned a median starting salary of $25,000 in 1996; with a
master's degree, $31,100; and with a Ph.D., $45,000. Among
bachelor's degree graduates, those who had completed
internships or had other work experience while in school
commanded the highest starting salaries.
In 1997, chemists in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and
managerial positions in the Federal Government earned an
average salary of $60,000.
* Related Occupations
The work of chemical engineers, agricultural scientists,
biological scientists, and chemical technicians is closely
related to the work done by chemists. The work of other
physical and life science occupations, such as physicists
and medical scientists, may also be similar to that of
chemists.
* Sources of Additional Information
General information on career opportunities and earnings for
chemists is available from:
American Chemical Society, Education Division, 1155 16th St.
NW., Washington, DC 20036.
Information on acquiring a job as a chemist with the Federal
Government may be obtained from the Office of Personnel
Management through a telephone-based system. Consult your
telephone directory under U.S. Government for a local
number, or call (912) 757-3000 (TDD 912-744-2299). That
number is not toll-free and charges may result. Information
also is available from their Internet site:
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
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[Image] Occupational Outlook Handbook Home Page
[Image] BLS Home Page
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kristina Shelley
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Shelley_T@bls.gov
Last modified: January 30, 1998
URL: http://stats/bls.gov/oco/ocos049.htm
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