Careers in Chemistry

Industrial Positions

Chemists begin their industrial careers with positions that may involve quality control or research activity under the close supervision of someone with more experience.  Quality control involves the various tasks that are necessary to assure that a high quality product is being produced, which requires analysis of the starting materials, the final product, or some intermediate step in the production process.  Chemists might also need to test the product to ensure that it has the characteristics identified as important.

Chemical Engineer

Chemical engineers are most commonly involved in producing useful chemical products in commercial quantity.  In order to produce the item in question commercially, the chemists' operations must be scaled-up to industrial size.  Materials produced may be a medicine, fine chemical, polymer, feedstock, consumer item, etc.  Chemical engineers are also involved in designing and running pilot and full-size plants.

Manufacturing Firms

The chemical manufacturing industry employs the majority of chemists.  This industry includes firms that produce plastics and synthetic materials, drugs, soaps and cleaners, paints, industrial organic materials, and other miscellaneous chemical products.