<p>Hi!
Background: I am a high school junior and I am about to finish my first chemistry class! Chemistry, by far, has been my favorite class to learn in this year. With college around the corner, I really need to determine my possible future. I've always had business in the back of my mind but I don't have the same interest in it as I do with chemistry. I earn A's with one or two B's and I will be taking AP Statistics and AP Chemistry this coming fall.</p>
<p>So here are the thoughts going on in my head...
1). Am I even smart enough to go into this field?? When I think of chemistry, I think of extremely intelligent people and I just don't think I fit that description.
2). After searching "What can I do with a Chemistry major" I always run into a post about how terrible of major this is and how they don't get paid as well but hey- if you love what you're doing everyday, can you really put a price on that? So I guess I don't mind the "small" salary. My question is, is chemistry a bad idea based upon future prospects?
3). Chemical Engineer. What an awesome job this sounds like! If I want to pursue this, will I be in a bit of trouble for not taking any engineering classes throughout high school?
4). What are some examples of careers?
5). What are really good colleges for a chemistry major?</p>
<p>You are going to run into the posts that say the prospects are grim. Unfortunately, they are correct. The prospects are really that bad. </p>
<p>You say now that you won’t mind a “small” salary. You will probably not be saying the same thing when you graduate college. Money is important, and it cannot simply be ignored. You should want to be passionate about what you do, but you shouldn’t sell yourself short. What many kids don’t understand is that once parents are out of the equation, there are a lot of mandatory costs that will eat away at your salary in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>If Chemical Engineering sounds like an awesome job, then I would see the choice as a no brainer. You can combine your interests in chemistry with a solid major that will lead to much better prospects. You do not need engineering classes in high school. I honestly don’t know what kind of engineering classes a high school would even offer. Colleges don’t expect that kind of preparation. You should, however, take AP Calculus and AP Physics if possible. Those courses are more than adequate preparation for engineering.</p>
<p>My AP Chemistry teacher and her husband both had Ph.D.'s. Her husband was let go from his job and unemployed. She never explicitly told us to avoid majoring in chemistry, but she did not try to hide the fact that prospects are currently pretty grim for those with a bachelors.</p>
<p>High school preparation for chemical engineering or chemistry would be a fairly typical college-prep selection, with particular attention to getting to advanced levels in math and science:</p>
<p>English: 4 years; honors/AP is you can
Math: as high a level as you can get to in high school; minimum precalculus, calculus desirable, honors/AP preferable
Science: all of biology, chemistry, and physics; honors/AP in chemistry and physics desirable
Social studies: 3-4 years
Foreign language: level 3 minimum; higher level is typically favored
Art/music: 1 or more years</p>
<p>Engineering courses in high school are not expected, and rarely available anyway.</p>