Would you like to have a BA with a major in chemistry, but not sure what the possibilities are? Would you like to apply your Environmental Studies Concentration to your career? Looking for a research assistant or lab tech job? Want some time away from academia before graduate school, but still want to work in a chemistry related field?

The good news is that you are qualified for many jobs in chemical fields with a Bachelor's degree. So where do you look? Professional societies, university job postings, national laboratories, industry, and other job posting sites are all promising avenues to explore.

Compiled here are some ideas on where to start.

Professional Societies
Professional societies offer the opportunity to network with professionals in your field. Many have their own web pages with job postings. In addition to posting jobs, professional societies' web pages give information for undergraduates on how to prepare for a career in chemistry-related fields. Below are some examples; however, this is far from a comprehensive list. Ask your professors which societies they belong to for more ideas. By becoming a student member of a professional society, you gain all the benefits of membership at a reduced student price (around $15-$20 compared to the $40-$60 regular membership). These benefits include reduced registration costs for attending and presenting at annual society meetings, reduced journal subscription costs, and newsletter subscriptions. Student members gain access to society job listings as well.

American Chemical Society -- According to this site, "the American Chemical Society (ACS) is rated #1 by recruiters as their main source of qualified chemistry professionals worldwide. ACS offers a variety of formats for recruiters and chemical scientists who want to expand their career options and gain career management skills." See the ACS Careers and Jobs page to browse available positions at ACS and other job options.

Chemical and Engineering News -- The "Newsmagazine of the Chemical World" keeps up with current events in chemistry. This publication and its classified ads are published through the American Chemical Society. The classifieds can be accessed through the C&EN or the ACS link below.

ACS Career Pages -- Links with information about career opportunities, fellowships and grants, and more. However, their job listings are for use by members only.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers -- "The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, AIChE, was founded in 1908. AIChE is a professional association of more than 50,000 members that provides leadership in advancing the chemical engineering profession." Check out the link to Careers and Employment to find information about jobs as well as information for students looking for internships and other opportunities (see the link below for more explicit student information).

AIChE for Students -- Information on career paths in chemical engineering.

The TMS Foundation -- "In 1993, the TMS Foundation was established by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) to develop and fund programs that will fully prepare future generations of professionals for leadership roles in the international minerals, metals, and materials community." Check out the "Job Postings" and "Scholarships" pages, accessible from the main page. Also see the link below for information regarding student membership.

TMS Student Members' Home Page -- Information for students on society membership and benefits as well as information on careers in materials science.

Career Resource Center for Materials Science and Engineering -- A wealth of information and resources for careers in materials science and engineering.

University Job Postings
If you are interested in a Laboratory Technician or Research Assistant position, the job postings of the university or college you want to work for are promising places to look, though professional societies and industry will advertise these positions as well.

Once you've decided where you might like to work, visit that university's website and look for the Job Opportunities or Employment Opportunities page. If it is not immediately obvious on the university's main page, often the quickest way to locate it is by accessing the site index. In addition to checking the job listings, it is a good idea to research the professors working at the institution and to contact them directly (telephone, e-mail, letter) about the possibility of working with them.

Below are a few examples of job listing sites from universities. Though you may not want to work specifically at one of the listed schools, you can access them to compare job responsibilities and pay scales. While there are a number of Lab Tech and Research Assistant positions advertised, note that these are not the only types of jobs available to graduates at universities.

Iowa State University -- General information about jobs offered at Iowa State. Check department web pages for specific jobs that may interest you.

University of Iowa, Department of Chemistry -- See "open positions" to find out more about professional and research positions in Chemistry at the University of Iowa. For questions about job benefits or more information, contact Human Resources.

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Department of Chemistry -- This Chemistry Department web page has a section entitled "Job Openings," which has up-to-date information regarding available research positions and other job openings within the department. For more general information about jobs and benefits, see Human Resources.

The University of California, Berkeley -- This site has general information about available jobs at the University. For more detail go to "Employment Opportunities" and then "Academic Positions," from which you can access a complete listing of job opportunities. You can also browse the Department of Chemistry web page.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- This is MIT's job search page for "external candidates." This page features search options as well as "fast search"--a list of jobs posted in the last 7 days.

The University of Chicago -- This is the "UChicago Jobs Online Employment Site," from which you can search job postings and learn more about working for the university. Or you could sift through information on the Department of Chemistry web page.

National Laboratories

Lawrence Livermore National Lab -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a world-renowned research and development center. The mission of the Laboratory is to serve as a national resource of scientific, technical, and engineering capability with a special focus on global security, global ecology and bioscience. LLNL is operated by the University of California under a contract with the US Department of Energy. This site lists job postings by easy-to-search categories and also features job postings that LLNL is especially looking to fill.

Los Alamos National Lab -- Los Alamos Lab, located approximately 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, occupies 43 square miles of land in Northern New Mexico. Owned by the Department of Energy, Los Alamos has been managed by the University of California since 1943, when the Laboratory was born as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic weapons during World War II. National security remains the central part of Los Alamos' mission, but the lab also offers the opportunity to work on issues related to the environment and infrastructure as well.

Oak Ridge National Lab -- "ORNL is a multiprogram science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC. Scientists and engineers at ORNL conduct basic and applied research and development to create scientific knowledge and technological solutions that strengthen the nation's leadership in key areas of science; increase the availability of clean, abundant energy; restore and protect the environment; and contribute to national security."

Sandia National Lab -- Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Brookhaven National Lab -- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research facility located in Long Island, New York. Since 1947 BNL has focused on scientific research in physics, medicine, biology, chemistry, and environmental science.

Industry
Industry offers not only research and lab tech positions, but opportunities in sales and marketing as well. Many companies hire chemists, not just the ones below. Contacting the company you want to work for directly is a great way to gain contacts and information on job opportunities.

Top US Chemical Companies links -- This site provides a quick reference to the web sites of top Industrial Chemical companies. The emphasis is on companies that have major operations in the U.S. and also provide web information on careers.

Procter and Gamble -- Manufactures and markets a broad range of consumer products in many countries throughout the world. Products fall into five business segments: Laundry and Cleaning, Paper, Beauty Care, Food and Beverage, and Health Care. From this web page you can view and apply for jobs at Proctor and Gamble.

Dow Chemical Company -- A global science and technology based company that develops and manufactures a portfolio of chemicals, plastics and agricultural products and services for customers in 162 countries around the world. This site gives access to job postings and also has a special link to "Student Jobs."

Monsanto -- This is the career page for Monsanto, a large provider of agricultural products. This company focuses on plant biotechnology, genomics and breeding. They also make herbicides and provide seed companies with genetic material and biotechnology traits for their seed brands.

Organic Chemistry Jobs Worldwide -- An intuitive job site for synthetic organic chemists.

Roche Bioscience -- According to its website, the Roche center in Palo Alto, CA, is "dedicated to discovering and developing new medicines that improve the lives of people affected by serious illness. Our approach combines the best of two worlds: those of small biotechnology companies and of larger, multi-national pharmaceutical R&D entities." You can access their "Careers" page from this link.

Other Job Postings

Chemjobs.net -- This searchable database has many chemistry jobs for all education levels.

On Assignment -- This "Healthcare and Life Sciences Staffing Services" site specializes in placing technicians and scientists into laboratories. Part time jobs are also available.

Nature -- Nature Magazine's searchable database for all types of science jobs around the world for all education levels.

Science -- Science Magazine's searchable database for all types of science jobs for all education levels.

Sciencejobs.com -- Free site for job seekers listing industry, academic, and government bioscience and chemistry employment opportunities from the scientific publishers Cell, ChemWeb.com, BioMedNet, and New Scientist.

Student Conservation Association -- Offers short- to long-term positions with national parks, non-profit organizations, and private preserves for undergraduates and graduates. Some positions carry education awards upon completion to be used for further study or loan repayment.

What else do chemists do?
Want more information about what kinds of jobs are out there for chemists? Here are some good places to start gaining more information.

• Talk to your professors -- after all they have careers in chemistry!
• Talk to alumni who work in chemical fields. It may be especially helpful to talk to alumni who do not have careers in academia. They can give you an idea of what chemists do outside of academics. A Career Counselor in the CDO can help put you in touch with alumni.
• Talk to a Career Counselor. They can help you focus your career and job searching goals as well as give you ideas on where to look and who to talk to about the type of job you want.
• The CDO library has numerous resources to help you explore careers in chemistry. Check out the sections in the library marked "Careers in Health Professions," "Careers in Science," and/or "Environmental Careers." They contain resources such as Nontraditional Careers in Science, Job Opportunities in Health and Science, 100 Jobs in the Environment, and Alternative Careers in Science.

In addition to print resources, you may want to investigate professional societies' web pages or these other web-resources:

• National Academy of Science Publication -- Careers in Science and Engineering
• Careers in Chemistry -- A web page maintained by SUNY Oneonta that contains information about a wide variety of chemical careers and graduate schools as well as information for undergraduates on planning a career in chemistry.
• American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) -- General information on medical school admissions, a link to the American Medical College Application Service, and help registering for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).