CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Career guidance and planning help a person achieve a successful career
One way to find out what a chemist does is to work in industry during the school years. Phil Fowler, a laboratory technician in Goodyear s chemical division, attends evening classes at the University of Akron, where he studies chemistry
As chemistry and chemical engineering continue to play increasingly significant roles in our society, more satisfactory methods must be found to meet the manpower needs in these fields. Improved counseling is one way that may encourage more students to prepare for careers in these fields. Although career decisions must remain an individual matter in a free society, these decisions can properly be made only by well-informed persons. Some form of career guidance is necessary at every stage in an individual's development for him to be able to make intelligent decisions regarding
his future. Parents, teachers, friends, a child's chemistry set, summer jobs, and heroes—these are some factors which have early and continuing influence on a person's career decision. So that he may have adequate background information, it behooves a student to collect information and advice from several sources. Libraries, professional organizations, and scientists working in their professions are likely to help a student decide on a career. A high school senior should talk with several college chemistry teachers, for instance, before he decides to follow chemistry as a career. A college senior would do well to talk with as many practicing chemists as possible before he decides whether to continue his studies in graduate school or go directly into industry. Before deciding in favor of industry, he should seek advice from workers in several phases of the operation—from research laboratories to the production line—to find out what the work involves. A career in an unfamiliar area usually appears more glamorous from the outside than it actually is. Some day-to-day drudgery is part of all jobs and a person should try to find out the particulars before taking the plunge. A budding chemist should try to find out, for example, what an industrial chemist does in the research laboratory and in the control laboratory. He should try to find out some of the less glamorous aspects of being a university chemistry professor. A graduating engineer should try to determine what life is really like for a chemical engineer on the production line. Students should also explore the opportunities for chemists and chemical engineers away from the laboratory in fields such as technical writing, sales, and, later, management. The interested, bright young person
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usually manages to dig up for himself much, if not all of the information he needs to make his career decisions. Others—those who are bewildered by the variety of opportunities in this technological age—need more help. But it seems that the necessary help isn't always available where and when it's needed. The requests received in the Educational Secretary's office of the American Chemical Society, for instance, suggest that many students are not aware of guidance information sources. Moreover, the large number of requests and their nature suggests that career guidance services or advice frequently is either unavailable or inadequate. Many students seem unaware of simple references, for example, which give information such as the lists of colleges and universities, the names of professional, educational, and related organizations, and the availability of scholarships and other financial aid. This is the type of information which can be found in most libraries and bookstores. Presumably, these reference sources are unknown not only to students, but to their teachers, parents, and advisors as well. Probably, too, some career literature mailed by many organizations never reaches the intended audience. Career Guidance
Literature
Besides the American Chemical Society's educational office, guidance literature for careers in chemistry and chemical education is available from several sources. In Washington, D.C., for example, interested persons may write to: Manufacturing Chemists' Association, Inc., 1825 Connecticut Ave., N.W.; U.S. Office of Education; U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Employment Security; The Scientific Manpower Commission, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W.; B'nai B'rith Vocational Service, 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W. In New York City, write to New York Insurance Co., Box 51, Madison Square Station. The American Legion's Educational and Scholarship Program, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Ind., also has career information. In Canada, the Chemical Institute of Canada, 48 Rideau St., Ottawa, Ont., has information for those interested in careers in chemical engineering. (See Guide to JobHunting Tools on page 20A in this issue.)
The type of questions students ask depends largely on their level of sophistication. In what is, perhaps, an oversimplified example, a prehigh school student may want to know: "What is a chemist?" At the high school level, the question may become: "What is an analytical chemist?" And at the college level, the question might become: "What does an analytical chemist do in industry?" or "Which graduate schools offer programs in biophysical chemistry?" Which he asks depends on whether the student plans after a bachelor's degree to go into industry or go first to graduate school. There are other questions, almost as popular as these, that come into organizations such as ACS. Students at all educational levels are interested in what financial aid is available to them. A list of schools offering a major in chemistry interests high school students mainly, but some college students who are transferring will also seek this kind of a list. Ratings of schools and departments are important concerns to high school students, and they would like more information than is supplied in a simple list such as the ACS list of approved chemistry departments. Senior college students will inquire which graduate schools offer particular programs. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students in chemistry and chemical engineering want job advice. A student at this stage in his career may want to know something about job opportunities if he combines two interests. For example, he may have competence in chemistry and an interest in psychiatry (chemistry of the insane) or he may want to combine a knowledge of chemistry with an
career guidance are their parents, friends, and relatives. But many of these people are poorly informed about science careers, according to a study made by the Joint Committee on Career Guidance in Science. (Released last December, the committee's report, "Toward Cooperation in Career Guidance in Science," deals with a study made by representatives from the American Personnel and Guidance Association, the National Science Teachers Association, and the Scientific Manpower Commission, all of Washington, D.C.) Television, newspapers, magazines,
Before deciding on a career in industry, a budding chemist should find out what the job is like in the control laboratory or research hb such as this one at B. F. Goodrich Co's Brecksville, Ohio, facility
aptitude in art and writing (CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING N E W S ) .
Some other typical questions are: • "What are the chances of becoming an executive in the chemical industry?" • "What can I do? I like chemistry, but not lab work." Also, students in chemistry and chemical engineering at advanced levels want to know the basic duties and opportunities for those who hold traditional bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees. Science Career
Information
For prehigh and high school students, the people most likely to give
and other news media may generate interest in science for young people. A scientist acquaintance also may influence a student at this level. Many local professional organizations (such as the ACS local sections) have guidance programs, at least to the extent of having vocational literature available for high school students. Many secondary schools have aptitude testing and guidance programs to help students toward a suitable career. It's probably easier for college students to get career information than it is for high school students. For one reason, college teachers are probably more aware of career opportunities in science than their high MARCH
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school colleagues are. The college student also has opportunities to question industrial job recruiters visiting campuses. But at all levels, the science teacher is probably the best counsel. With the increasing interest in continuing education, job retraining, and adult counseling, more avenues are opening up for people seeking information before changing jobs. Along this line, the American Association of University Women has started a program of training counselors for women returning to the job market after being absent several years. Although there is more emphasis on career guidance in science today than there was a few years ago, there is still a need for more adequate counseling. As recently as last month, Norman C. Harris, a University of Michigan professor of technical education, said that high school students are not prepared for college level technical programs. And part of the fault for this is the inadequate counseling for technical occupations. The demands of most semiprofessional and highly skilled technician jobs require the equivalent of two years of posthigh school technical training. This training involves courses in mathematics, science, and English, as well as courses in a technical specialty such as electronics, mechanical, civil, or chemical technology. To complete these requirements in a two-year curriculum in a junior college, the entering student must start the freshman year with courses that presume a working knowledge of elementary algebra, geometry, elementary physics, and mechanical drawing. But 50% of junior college freshman students enrolled in technical curriculums, Prof. Harris says, are not properly prepared to take the first-semester courses. This situation might not have developed if students were counseled properly. In the typical high school, he says, counseling time usually is not adequate. "In Michigan," he says, "we need persons who are thoroughly familiar with today's rapidly changing technologies," and who "can interpret conditions as they are today and make reasonable forecasts of conditions which will probably exist when the student begins his career." Most counselors, Prof. Harris believes, are well acquainted with college preparatory programs. But not very many are familiar with the needs 10A
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of industry and with the technical and semiprofessional occupations. He believes that vocational counseling on a general basis should begin at the junior high school level. If occupational information were available to students early in their school careers, they would gradually be able to relate these ideas to their own specific abilities and interests. They would do this before making curriculum decisions in senior high school which affect their educational goals and lifetime careers. Other counselors and science teachers agree that formal guidance should begin in junior high. They point out further that satisfactory experiences in science and mathematics classes, beginning as early as kindergarten, inspire students to choose science as a career. Po8tsecondary School Flanning Besides helping students understand themselves, select subjects, and plan programs, counselors in secondary schools may have an important function in helping high school seniors make appropriate postsecondary school plans. After consulting with a student, his parents, and teachers, and interpreting various aptitude test results, the counselor should be in an excellent position to advise a student. If a student has ability and proper motivation, a counselor can direct him to a suitable college and help him find financial aid, if needed. Counselors would also be doing everyone a favor if they would persuade high school graduates who do not have the ability or lack the motivation for college to seek more suitable careers. Maybe then, fewer students would be heard on college campuses confessing: "I don't know why I'm going to college, to tell you the truth." Parents, students, and counselors should beware of some college placement agencies which "guarantee results" for students, regardless of their ability. Some of the commercial agencies are legitimate, but others are out for the fast buck. The services of the legitimate agencies are usually in the areas of aptitude testing, vocational and educational guidance, rather than college placement. Such agencies are approved by the American Board on Counseling Services, a part of the American Personnel and Guidance Association in Washington, D.C. Students having admission problems
should be referred to nonprofit organizations specifically set up to bring colleges and applicants together. For instance, College Admissions Assistance Center, 41 East 65th St., New York, N.Y.; Catholic College Admissions and Information Center, 3805 McKinley St., N.W., Washington, D . C ; College Admissions Center, 610 Church St., Evanston, 111.; and American College Admissions Advisory Center, 12th and Walnut Sts., Philadelphia, Pa. Besides guidance literature available from many chemical industries, universities, institutes, and professional organizations to help students choose careers, there are some national organizations that bring practicing scientists and students together. The Chemical Industry Council is one such organization of local groups of representatives from chemical industry. The national organization is divided into state councils, and the state councils are further divided into regional chapters. In Ohio, for example, the Akron chapter is one of eight regional chapters. In broad terms, the CIC's objective is to win friends and understanding for the chemical industry. Part of this effort is directed toward interesting high school science students in careers in the chemical industry. Last year, the Ohio council sponsored a "Chemical Caravan" to Ohio State University in Columbus for about 150 outstanding high school science students from throughout the state. The member companies of the Akron chapter— Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; B. F. Goodrich Chemical Co.; Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co.; Chamberlain Engineering, Inc.; General Tire & Rubber Co.; Malco Products, Inc.; Damon Chemical Co.; Pittsburgh Plate Glass; and Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.-sent 33 students to the OSU program, one from each high school in the Akron area. This spring, Ohio's council will repeat the program at Case Institute of Technology. Programs such as this attempt to give students an idea of what the future holds for them in the chemical industry. Students may find out what demands will be made upon them in the way of education and ability, and what rewards they can expect from careers in the industry. A few similar programs for college chemistry majors have been tried. Last fall, for example, 26 chemistry majors from 23 upper-Midwest universities and colleges spent a week tour-
ing industrial plants and laboratories. The program was designed to give students a first-hand view of the industrial aspects of chemistry and what it means to work in some phase of chemical industry (C&EN, Sept. 13, 1965, page 56). The visiting scientists program of the National Science Foundation is another nationally organized program in which scientists help students plan their careers. Leading scientists from universities and government and industrial laboratories visit high schools and colleges in the U.S. They usually lecture about their research specialties and discuss science career opportunities with students. They also offer advice to teachers and administrators about new developments in science teaching. The visits are arranged by local academies of science or institutions of higher education.
One way to find out what a chemist or chemical engineer does is to work in industry during the summer or parttime while finishing college. Some chemical companies have programs which allow this. Some chemical companies have training programs for their new technical personnel. Diamond Alkali Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, for example, has a year program designed to expedite the transition from classroom to industry for its new employees. Diamond finds that graduate chemists or chemical engineers many times go into the wrong field at graduation because they don't understand what the work in industry involves. Only about one out of three B.S. technical personnel knows what he wants to do, according to G. H. Varney, of Diamond's employee relations department. Many of those who are undecided initially
Chemists and chemical engineers many times go into the wrongfieldat graduation because they do not understand what work in industry involves. Some companies have training programs to help a technical person (such as this trainee at Diamond Alkali's Painesville, Ohio, plant) make the transition from classroom to plant
Poetcottege Career Phnning The difficult career decisions are not over for a student by the time he graduates from college. A B.S. chemist may be undecided whether he wants a career in industry or should follow a career in the academic world after graduate school. If he chooses the nonacademic route, he should find out what the job opportunities in chemical industry are for a B.S. chemist or chemical engineer. He may also want to compare opportunities between industrial and government laboratories.
leave the company if they begin work in an area that isn't of interest to them. Diamond says that the retention of its technical personnel is higher now than before the company's orientation program was started. To be most effective in giving career guidance, a counselor should know something about the process of career decision. According to Dr. John T. Dailey of George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), there are three major factors that determine the probability of achievement by an individual. The factors are:
• His family's position within the socio-economic structure. • His intellectual abilities. • His motivation to achieve. The most important of these is the position within the American class structure to which the child is born. In his review for the Joint Committee on Career Guidance in Science, Dr. Dailey said that this status ladder is an occupational hierarchy which correlates well with education. Skilled professions are rated at the top of the ladder and unskilled labor at the bottom. Most children in the U.S. aim higher on the ladder than their parents are. Although his initial position on the ladder is more or less fixed by the education level of his parents, his position is hardly permanent. The system is fluid. Thus changes in rung position can take place readily. Fortunately, most progress is up, rather than down the ladder. The potential that an individual has to rise on the ladder is his same potential for academic work. While it isn't possible to predict the exact profession a student will elect, it is possible to predict accurately (on the basis of his ability) the level he will reach. Without massive intervention, Dr. Dailey notes, about half the children born into families at the bottom of the ladder will stay at the bottom. The essential element of the upward movement on the status ladder is motivation. If a desire to move up is lacking, even a bright child may not succeed. Guidance counselors and parents first must assess an individual's ability and then try to motivate him to rise as high as his ability warrants. The knowledge of the existence of this status ladder is important in career recruitment. Although technicians, for example, will require more and more skilled training and ability to maintain efficiency in a technologically advancing society, the placement of technicians on the status ladder is now too low to attract the kind of people needed. It's desirable to begin gathering guidance information early but students should not make career choices too soon. They may thus find it difficult to change later. Rather, a student should take courses that keep his field of choice as broad as possible. He will then be prepared to change career direction easily as his interests change or as circumstances dictate. M A R C H 14, 1966 C & E N
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