Branch of Chemistry vs Real Life

[PaulinaTheChemist]

Hello everyone,

 

I read a lot of stuff on the internet today and as usual it resulted in me knowing even less than before. I am wondering which branches of chemistry are more in demand in the job market right now? I was convinced (by impressions I got in my undergrad classes and common logic) that orgo is a pretty solid field to specialize in, in terms of finding a job later on (because so many industries rely on organic compounds). However, some opinions I've read today claimed the very opposite (because outsourcing and China). Some people claimed that Environmental Chemistry is far more desirable by employers which is exactly the oposite of what I would have guessed.

 

I am not going to describe my particular situation, I am just interested what is your experience with different branches of chemistry. For simplicity, let's assume that job market is hard and life is hard and we all know it, but certain specializations are probably less in demanded by employers than the others and that's what the question is about.

Thanks!

[St Andrews Lynx]

The advice I received from several industrial employers was not to become too specialised when doing my PhD.

For instance, pharmaceutical companies would prefer to recruit an entry-level scientist who was an Organic Chemist, rather than a Medicinal Chemist or Chemical Biologist: the principles of med chem & chem bio are quite easy for the companies to teach themselves to new recruits, but general competence at synthesising chemicals is harder to teach from scratch. If you've spent a lot of time during your PhD doing Med Chem then you will have spent less time doing standard synthesis, etc.

 

My approach towards maximising employability during a PhD is not trying to 'game the system' (ie, choosing an in-demand research area) because everybody will be thinking along those lines; rather, cranking out publications, attending conferences, networking, keeping in contact with the industrial folk I've met, choosing a university that companies recruit from on-campus. Oh, and knowing my chemistry. 

 

Actually, the best piece of advice I received from an industry contact was this: "Don't think about what jobs are in demand now, try to predict what jobs will be in demand in 5-10 years."... 

[aberrant]

The advice I received from several industrial employers was not to become too specialised when doing my PhD.

For instance, pharmaceutical companies would prefer to recruit an entry-level scientist who was an Organic Chemist, rather than a Medicinal Chemist or Chemical Biologist: the principles of med chem & chem bio are quite easy for the companies to teach themselves to new recruits, but general competence at synthesising chemicals is harder to teach from scratch. If you've spent a lot of time during your PhD doing Med Chem then you will have spent less time doing standard synthesis, etc.

Technically, same thing can be said to that organic chemist in a biotech company. For this particular example, what you said about medicinal chemist in pharmaceutical companies isn't entirely true (look at the degree requirement here: http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/divisions/medicinalchem/graduate.html).

 

The point is, a PhD is supposed to be specialized or even an expert in something. Question is, are you specialized in a chemical/biochemical problem or a technique/techniques/experiment method(s).

 

As far as I know, analytical chemistry / bioanalytical chemistry are the branches that allow those chemists to work in variety of fields within the science industry, not necessarily just, for example, pharmaceutical industry. Even in a pharmaceutical company, I would expect one has to quantify the quality of a newly synthesized product and whatnot.

 

But hey, what do I know? I'm no longer a chemist per se.

[PaulinaTheChemist]

My approach towards maximising employability during a PhD is not trying to 'game the system' (ie, choosing an in-demand research area) because everybody will be thinking along those lines; rather, cranking out publications, attending conferences, networking, keeping in contact with the industrial folk I've met, choosing a university that companies recruit from on-campus. Oh, and knowing my chemistry.

 

This is the voice of reason I needed to hear. Thank you