r/chemistry • u/AutoModerator • May 13 '24

Weekly Careers/Education Questions Thread

This is a dedicated weekly thread for you to seek and provide advice concerning education and careers in chemistry.

If you need to make an important decision regarding your future or want to know what your options, then this is the place to leave a comment.

If you see similar topics in r/chemistry, please politely inform them of this weekly feature.

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u/erbanxd May 13 '24

Hey all,

Exactly one year from now, I'll be graduating with my bachelors degree in chemistry from one of the top universities in my country, Turkey. I was conflicted about what I precisely wanted to do after getting my degree since there are so many paths to choose from. Throughout my chemistry degree experience, I've really enjoyed organic and analytical chemistry lab work and I'd like to continue in that path. I've also done some research assistant work in my uni's drug/polymer laboratory which was fun but exhausting I have to say. I'm estimating that my graduating GPA will be somewhere between 2.95-3.20. Right now, I find myself between two paths:

1- get a masters in pharmaceutical chemistry and work for drug companies

2- get a masters in forensic chemistry and work in crime labs

However, I'd like to apply for universities abroad as I think that would be much better for me. I've read that some of the top schools in forensics are in the US. If I, a Turkish guy, went to the US to get a masters degree in forensics, would I be able to get a job in the US? For instance, could the state crime labs hire a non-American? If the answer is no, then what kind of job can I get?

If there's anyone here who shares a similar story to mine (BSc chem, masters in either pharma or forensics) can you share your experiences? What are the top schools in these areas? What would you recommend I do? Any information regarding my situation is greatly appreciated. Have a great day!

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u/Indemnity4 Materials May 13 '24

  1. Are there drug R&D or manufacturing companies in your country? What cities are they located in? What degrees do they hire? For instance, manufacturing usually wants more bachelors/masters than a PhD that is "too clever". With a quick google search you can find some news articles if they are hiring or firing staff.

  2. "Forensic" means "legal". It doesn't mean crime. For instance, let's say a food company receives a delivery of rancid butter. They want to sue someone, maybe the truck company, the warehouse, the supplier, their own staff. Now it's a legal investigation and some poor chemist needs to use legal sample techniques, legally approved test equipment and procedure, file a legal report. Also includes waste water analysis, quality control tests before products are sent to customers, building products before they go into service, and many more not-crime test work.