<p>First, a bit of background: I had hoped to major in chemistry and some day become a researcher, maybe eventually a professor because I love research (I've done a little already) and I love to teach.</p>
<p>Lately I've been reading a lot lately about careers in the sciences and, frankly, it's frightening. Everywhere I turn I read about researchers who got laid off in their 40s and had to take jobs wherever they could possibly get them, even if that meant as a janitor or a cashier. While I'd love to research, frankly I love to have food on my table even more, so to speak. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience in this area? I would love to hear some encouragement if there's any available, but I'm not too hopeful lately.</p>
<p>I have a MSc. in Chemistry. Frankly I regret it every day and would definitely not recommend it to anyone regardless of their interest and passion.</p>
<p>I loved and had an aptitude for science since elementary school. I studied Biochem in my undergrad and went more a bit more hard core chemistry in grad school. I worked very hard in the lab and studied very hard for quantum and thermo to survive. </p>
<p>The jobs are absolutely terrible. It is a complete slap in the face to be making less than a garbage collector only with no benefits or union protections. Companies hire their science staff via temp agencies and pay them $12 to $20 depending on the company’s stature and how much the agency is robbing you. They can deny you benefits and fire you with one phone call with no cobra or unemployment. You spend your career drifting from temp job to temp job until like me, you leave the field. I am returning for a Master of Science in Accounting next fall. The last statistic I read was that 68% of science graduates are not working in anything science related.</p>
<p>A bit more on the possibility of tenure track professorship.</p>
<p>It requires a Ph. D. Roughly 50% of people who start a doctorate complete it. The plus side is you do not have to pay for it and you get about a 15k stipend. However, your fate is entirely dependent on finding a PI that has a genuine interest in your success and mentors you. A lot of PI’s are in it for themselves. They use grad students as cheap/free technicians to run their labs and the college desperately needs english speaking TA’s to teach undergrad chemistry to all the premed and prepharm students. You will be spending sometimes 12 hours a day and many weekends in the lab with teaching and grading interfering with your research. Graduation can take 5 to 7.5 years.</p>
<p>Once you graduate, however, you will be post-docing. You will be moving all over the country for a 35k a year without benefits post-doc. This is kind of like a limbo that barely sustains you while you conduct your job search which can take many years. Finally, the vast majority of tenure-hopefuls have their careers dead end at this stage around age 40 and need a career change. There is about 1 tenure position available for every 10 hopefuls possibly worse depending on your specific field.</p>
<p>This article sums it up nicely
[Women</a> in Science](<a href=“http://philip.greenspun.com/careers/women-in-science]Women”>Women in Science)</p>
<p>I suggest you pick up a non-spanish foreign language if you want to be a serious researcher. The US doesn’t need science and engineering except for military applications, so if your area is peaceful, constructive and makes lives better for humanity, it’s worthless.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Germany, France, China, Japan, Russia, Singapore, etc. are all looking for highly qualified PhDs in all areas of science and engineering to lead research teams.</p>
<p>Stay the hell away from anything that has to do with biology though, that’s unemployable everywhere. I am a B.S. Chemistry senior.</p>
<p>Wow, that’s really discouraging, and I’m very sorry for all of your troubles, that can’t be easy. Best of luck in your accounting pursuits. What would you recommend a potential-future researcher do instead? And, if you don’t mind me asking, what topics did you research?</p>
<p>I’ve considered taking some German in college, I hear it’s where lots of cool research is going on. A guy who worked in the lab I interned in over the summer went there to rub elbows with Nobel laureates.
LastThreeYears, if you don’t mind my asking, what college are you at?</p>
<p>I researched protein biochemistry specifically proteins that bind to membranes using Cell and molecular biological techniques as well as hard core chemical and biophysical techniques. People that enjoy research should become market analysts or business analysts. Get a degree in computational finance. The degrees that are worthwhile today are the ones that train you for a decent bonafide job title such as accountant, HR, finance, engineering (some disciplines), pharm, med, optometry, nursing etc.</p>
<p>German is a great language to learn for research. BASF is the largest chemical company in the world.</p>
<p>I am going to University of California, Irvine as a senior in B.S. Chemistry. Some useful classes I’ve taken are all the general chemistry and organic chemistry classes and materials lab. Some totally useless classes have been genetics, biochemistry, advanced biochemistry, biochemistry lab, molecular biology and cancer genetics.</p>
<p>Companies that hire chemists for non-pharmaceutical roles include petrochemicals, environmental, materials (steel, ceramics, polymers, paper, semiconductors), functional chemicals (pesticides, coatings, glues) and recycling.</p>