[Jonnyyboyy21]

Hey guys! This is my first time posting on this site and I had a few questions I was hoping ya'll could answer!

To give ya'll some background I am currently going through undergrad at a very good school in the southeast (US), and am planning on graduating with a BS Chem degree in December of 2016. My GPA isn't great (~2.80), but I've managed to make B's of better in all of my chemistry related classes thus far with the exception of a C in Analytical (most boring teacher of my life). As of right now I'm planning on graduating in December of 2016, so I want to make sure that I have realistic goals to chase after. With all of that said, I had a few questions that I would love some feedback on from those of you that have made it into the real world.


To start, what types of jobs are open to people with only a Bachelors in Chem? What fields are in the most need of employees? What fields are highly competitive and saturated with jobs?



How much of a difference do you think it makes to have a MS as opposed to just a BS when searching for careers?



Although I've made pretty good grades in all of the chemistry classes I've taken thus far, my overall GPA isn't as good as I'd like it to be. In your experience, will my job options be limited by my mediocre GPA?


Do you have any suggestions on what types of things I could do to look good to an employer and boost my resume? I'd love to get involved in assisting research, interning, or even shadowing different companies to see what it's like. The only problem is I don't know where to start.


Lastly, if you could do one thing differently in college that you believe would've helped you later in your career, what would it be?


I appreciate any answers/comments/questions in advance!

[jjwinkle]

There are various laboratory jobs you can get into. And there are other, less well known career tracks that are open to anyone with a physical science degree. I happen to have noticed these latter in the public sector particularly, and so I have just now searched through everything they have at governmentjobs.com that requires a bachelor's degree in chemistry, physical science or science in general but no experience. This is what I found:

INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

Environmental (some biology coursework may be required):

https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/411140/environmental-specialist-level-i-ii
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1269911/environmental-quality-analyst-9-p11
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1271651/environmental-health-manager-i
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1272899/environmental-health-specialist-i-food-safety-inspectors-two-positions
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/898980/environmental-health-specialist-trainee

Agricultural:

http://www.jobaps.com/Marin/sup/BulPreview.asp?R1=0825&R2=15&R3=09 (Agricultural Weights & Measures Trainee)


LABORATORY/ANALYSIS

Water:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1271380/laboratory-technician

Forensic:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1271151/forensic-scientist-i
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1264420/forensic-chemist-i

Agricultural:

http://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1272663/chemistry-technician-iii

(I didn't include some jobs that were virtually identical to a job already listed.)

Your GPA MIGHT be some sort of issue in the private sector at the beginning of your career. The public sector often requires applicants to take (written or oral) examinations for the job class they are pursuing, and in those cases, the exam scores are crucial. In my experience (30 years as a chemist, dozens of job applications), GPA from school is not an important concern in either the public or private sector.

Generally the application process is a lot slower in the public sector than in the private, but once in, it is easier to stay in and to see what you have to do to move up.

If you want a laboratory career, I recommend you get all the experience you can working on GC/MS, GC, HPLC and ICP-MS instruments.

Generally, it's experience that employers really care about.