Is Major Chemicals a Good Career Path? (10 Best Paying Jobs)

Are you a lover of chemistry or related discipline, and are you considering pursuing a career in major chemicals? It is just right to make inquiries before deciding to pursue a career. You need an adequate guide to make that kind of decision

Is major chemicals a good career path? Let us get into it, but before that, let us go through the necessary details that will help us conclude if either or not the major chemical is a good career indeed.

Is Major Chemicals a Good Career Path?

Now to the big question, “is major chemical a good career path?” Yes, a major chemical is a good career path.

The potential is so green. If you are naturally passionate about major chemicals, then you will be getting well paid for doing what you love.

Having a career in the major chemical gives so much security.

 

Benefits of a Career in Major Chemicals

Several benefits come with having a career in major chemicals. These benefits could serve as reasons why you need to consider having a career in major chemicals.

1. High pay

Compared to other fields and industries, major chemicals offer enticing and attractive pay. This can fuel your motivation in finalizing your decision of pursuing a career in major chemicals.

The nature and specificity of their work and job are very demanding, so the pay matches and is worth the demands.

People who work in the major chemical industry are highly paid. Even if the economy seems to be experiencing some form of recession, some with a career in major chemical can still maintain their living standard.

2. Intellectual demand

If you are the kind of person that loves challenges and engaging your intellect, I doubt working in the major chemicals industry will ever be a boring thing for you.

You will enjoy it, as your intellect will be highly engaged.

3. Global Recognition

Jobs in the major chemical industry are widely known and available in different parts of the world. You can find jobs in different parts of the world, as this industry is vital. Importantly, the growth of the industry over the past few years has been exponential.

4. Great potentials

After graduating from school, getting a job won’t be a hard knock. And there are a lot of options for you to consider if you intend to pursue a career in major chemicals.

You can either work in the laboratory or be in the field. There are various doors of opportunity that open, which include working in sectors like health, food, and safety, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, etc.

5. Practicality

If you love a job where the experience is hands-on experience, you will enjoy having a career in the major chemical industry.

6. Accolades and respect

Having a career in a major chemical is highly respected. This is due to the high level of qualification to be a professional in this industry, and how well treated the professionals are.

 

Disadvantages of Having a Career in Major Chemicals

As much as there are advantages and benefits to this field, you must also consider the downs that it comes with, to have a balanced view, before making a choice.

The disadvantages of having a career in the major chemicals include:

1. Risk

There is a lot of risks that come with the nature of the field because they deal with chemical and the nature of the working conditions.

Even with safety precautions, accidents still occur sometimes. This is part of the job, due to the demand and nature of the job.

 

Best Paying Jobs in Major Chemicals

Knowing a little about several jobs and their salary or income can help you have an idea or overview of what the field is at large in meaning and financial reward. Here is a list of high-paying jobs in the major chemicals.

1. Pharmacologist

A pharmacologist can be referred to as a medicinal chemist. This implies that a pharmacologist must be sound in biochemistry, and they most often need either a degree in medicine or an advanced degree in pharmacology itself.

Becoming a pharmacologist demands a high level of education, which makes it more competitive. All these add up to the reason why they are heavily paid.

The average annual salary of a pharmacologist is about $82,000.

2. Chemical engineer

Simply put, a chemical engineer is still an engineer. Their job is majorly focused on problem-solving. They provide practical solutions to problems. Chemical engineers use their knowledge of chemistry to find materials that can better the quality of different products.

The average annual salary of a chemical engineer is about $85,000

3. Materials scientist

Their work is mostly about studying. They analyze chemicals so that they can have a better understanding of the chemical.  This is the backbone of manufacturing materials. They understand the how of things in chemical processes and look out to find ways to solve problems

The average annual salary of a materials scientist is about $83,000.

4. Chemistry Professor

This is dependent on the university where you get to work. The salary and the terms of the job will be dependent on the university.

I am pretty sure that you know what a professor does. But I will add that they can couple both teaching and research together.

The average annual salary of a chemistry professor is about $66,000.

5. Process Engineer

Just like the word ‘process’ sounds, the job of a process engineer is to transform raw materials into finished products. You need to be creative as a professional in the field because you are dealing with problems and providing solutions with your expertise in chemistry.

They try to make the process work finer, and this might be about finding how to manufacture cheaply with materials that are not costly.

The average annual salary is about $81,000.

6. Quality Assurance Engineer

Many companies place so much importance on the role of a quality assurance engineer. Their job is to ensure that any production the company they work for makes is very much up to the standard.

There are quality assurance firms, which some companies substitute for these duties. But many companies make use of quality assurance engineers to get this done.

The average annual salary of a quality assurance engineer is about $86,000.

7. Research and Development Engineer

Their responsibility is to research new materials that meet the necessary standards for use. The average annual salary of a research and development engineer is about $87,000.

8. Technical science and development specialist

Their job role is similar to that of the research and development engineer, but theirs is more focused on science.

9. Validation Specialist

Validation specialists carry out tests on equipment. They have to be well versed in chemistry to know the reactions of different objects to some conditions which include heat, stress, and pressure.

The average annual salary of a validation specialist is about $82,000.

10. Analytical scientist

An analytic scientist’s work is with the analysis of different materials and gets information through the analysis. Their job is research-based.

If you are the kind of person that can easily pay attention to details without being distracted, this is perfect for you.

The average annual salary of an analytical scientist is about $87,000.

These jobs demand a high level of requirement. There are degrees that you need to be able to work these jobs. The next section will be a list of jobs with simpler requirements in the major chemicals.

 

Entry Level Jobs in Major Chemical Industry

Are you convinced that you want to have a career in the major chemical industry, but you don’t know where to start because you don’t have a degree yet? Entry-level jobs are good starting points, and they work pretty well.

To aid you, here is a list of a few entry-level jobs that you can try getting into in major chemical:

1. Lab technician

If you want to be a professor in this field, this might be a good way to start – being a lab technician. You have access to see how things are done on a closer range. And yes, you don’t need a degree to be a lab technician, unlike being a researcher.

So, even if you don’t have that degree, you can still start by being a laboratory technician. The average annual pay of a lab technician is about $37,000.

2. Pharmacy sales representative

This does not have anything directly to do with chemistry or pharmacy. You don’t need to be stuffy on the knowledge of chemistry or pharmacy to be a pharmaceutical sales representative. All you need is to know how to communicate well, deal and engage with customers, work well with deadlines, and be able to sell products.

One thing that you will also need is to be able to understand things easily, as you will need to understand the products that you will be selling to potential customers and returning customers. So, even though you are not a chemist or pharmacist, or have any knowledge related to the discipline, you must have a good understanding of the products you are to market or sell.

The average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales representative is about $100,000. This is much dependent on several factors.

3. High School Chemistry Teacher

This might not be the exact kind of break-in job that you need. It needs some level of education, and you must have a level degree in education.

This is an undermined job, but you can think of a high school chemistry teacher as a builder trying to get younger ones to be what they want to be.

The downside to this job is the financial reward. It is not so rewarding, and this might be your off-point if you are particular about the amount of money to be earned.

4. Water Treatment Technician

This might not be the kind of job most people see as a ‘dream job’ but imagine that there is no one to get our water treated, what would the water we drink look like?

Their work includes ensuring that the water that you drink is clean, getting chemical spills cleaned, treatment of sewage, etc.

One good thing about the job is the possibility of advancement. The average annual salary of a water treatment technician is about $45,000.

5. Food scientist

Most of the food manufacturing companies you see around have food scientists working for them. They are saddled with the responsibility of being innovative with food products, the ingredients being used to get what the company wants.

This is not just about the ingredient. The science of the ingredients also matters, as their reaction to conditions is very important to consider.

The average annual salary of a food scientist is about $68,000.

6. Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

I am sure that you know that being a professor is not an easy task. Being an assistant professor can come in handy for you to know more and see if this is something you’d love to do.

This means this will open you to researching and teaching, and you will be able to network with great people while working the job.

The average annual salary of an assistant professor of Chemistry is about $70,000.

7. Environmental Technician

This job deal with environmental science, cleaning up the environment and checking the natural environment, with much attention to chemistry.

This is something you can do if you think this falls in the area of your passion or interests. The average annual salary is about $41,000.

8. Forensic Scientist

You might not need to have a chemistry degree for this job, but many forensic scientists do have a degree in chemistry.

I am sure if you watch a lot of movies, you must have heard about these professionals. They are instrumental in solving crimes, and they can also appear in court to showcase the findings.

This is perfect if you have a balance of passion and criminal justice. The average annual salary is about $69,000.

9. Toxicologist

Their work majors in testing tissue samples. They are also instrumental in solving crime issues. Toxicologists also help find out the reason why people are sick.

They are not interacting with people, as most of the work is done in the laboratory.

The average annual salary of a toxicologist is about $74,000.

 

So, if you think that you don’t have so many educational requirements to work one of the best-paying jobs, you can consider the entry-level jobs listed above. A great advantage about many of them is the potential for advancements that they come with.

 

Reasons You Should Consider a Career in Major Chemical

Several things can help you point out and know if you will be good at having a career in the major chemicals. Here they are:

1. You love to be challenged

Chemistry can be challenging due to its nature. If you are the kind of person that loves to be challenged and see that you see to the end of it, this might be good for you.

2. You want to be paid well

I think everyone will hop on to this boat. If the pay in the industry seems like what you would love, then it is a good pointer for you.

3. You love solving problems

If you love solving problems, and you can be creative with providing solutions to problems, a career in major chemicals might just be what you need.

4. Memorization is cheap for you

Chemistry deals with a lot of memorization. This is probably one of the reasons it is the subject I hated the most in high school. But if you are not like me, and you love memorizing things and you are good at it, you can give it a shot.

Some people are better at memorization. This might just be for you.

5. You love Mathematics

Not everyone can love mathematics. For someone like me, I hate mathematics, and of course, it scares me most of the time.

Some people enjoy the problem-solving characteristics that come with mathematics. They enjoy and love it. It does not in any way scare them, at all.

Chemistry has so much to do with mathematics. If mathematics seems to be your thing, a career in major chemicals might appeal to you.

6. Passion

You may have a deep passion for things that relate to chemistry. This is not far-fetched. if this is so for you, I think you should just go for a career in the major chemicals.

You can do more narrowed-down research about jobs in the major chemicals, so you can have more insights and more knowledge of the industry.

These are pointers you can look out for when making your decision if a career in major chemicals is worth the pursuit.

 

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped you to conclude whether you want to pursue a career in major chemicals or not. I wish you the best in your career pursuits.