Career Opportunities wifgi m Large Company FLOYD C. PETERSON The Dow Chemical Co.
T h e horizons seem unlimited for the chemist or chemical engineer in a large corporation these days— at least they are in The Dow Chemical Co., and I am sure that this situation holds true throughout the chemical industry. At all levels of administration and in all phases of corporate operations, men with technical training and background are finding opportunities in challenging and rewarding careers. The chemical industry has its foundations in science. It is a flexible and growing industry that challenges the ingenuity of research and the ability of the production engineer—conditions which spell opportunity for the technically trained man. What other area of American industry offers a young man greater diversity and variety of opportunities? Often, as many graduate chemists are found in the sales department as in research and development laboratories. This reflects the technical training required to promote sales in light of established uses and new applications. Technical M a n a g e m e n t
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It seems logical that the chemical industry, being "highly technical," requires technical management. This is true in a sense, but technical training alone is not just enough. Scientific knowledge can soon become outdated when duties put the emphasis on other areas of activity, but the qualities of diligence, objectivity, and keen analysis—which scientific training seems to develop—are effective tools for the technician turned administrator. This, it seems to me, explains the new and growing respect for the management qualifications of the scientifically trained. As this well-deserved respect grows, the notion that scientists as a class are incapable of getting along with other people seems to be dying out. And well it should. As a group, scientists rate high in their ability to get along with people. It is far from unusual in the chemical industry to find that corporate leadership in the top, middle, and lower management levels rests with those trained in the sciences. A look at the background of the members of Dow's board of directors and top management dramatizes the opportunity that technically trained men find in a large corporation. Of the 15 men on the board of directors, 13 have a technical background. And what was the route of their advancement? In this respect they found opportunities in all phases of company operationssales, production, maintenance shops, legal department, purchasing, technical service functions, research laboratories, accounting, and general administration. The emergence of these scientifically trained men in positions of leadership also emphasizes the high value placed by most corporations on individual initiative. Quality is generally considered more significant than quantity and most corporations encourage professional
development on a broad base. This attitude of respect for the individual was summed up this way by Dow's president, Leland I. Doan. In a recent statement, h e said: "In spite of the bewildering mechanical complexity of the modern chemical industry, we at Dow regard people by far our most important natural resource. A corporation can b e no better than the minds and hearts of the humans of which it is made up. 'Tn order t o maintain our position in today's dynamic industrial society we must continue to attract young people with vision and determination. Practically every type of skill and training is required in the execution of our business; w e continually must develop experts in all scientific fields and in all phases of business management." A G r o w t h Industry
Much has been said and written about the growth of the chemical industry, but the prediction of James Bryant Conant o n the diamond jubilee of the AMERICAN' CHEMICAL SOCIETY highlights the challenge. Conant described the "growth of the chemical profession" as one of the "amazing social phenomena of my time," a n d predicted that the "work of the chemist in the United States has only just begun." It is logical to feel that this pattern will continue because expansion of t h e chemical industry requires a high capital investment per dollar of product. It also takes a large volume of experience—and courage—to expand in t h e face of ever-growing competition. It has been said that "progress is not a single filament . . . but a strand of many fibers." T h e truth of this is obvious. I n modern industry, there are not enough individual geniuses t o go around. No one person could hope t o master skills as varied as glass blowing and nuclear physics. So it requires the pooling of individual skills and talents to weave a fiber that will sustain growth. This theory of teamwork is a basic concept with the chemical industry. With teamwork comes growth. And with growth comes opportunity. W e have seen how scientific training can open the door to administrative and management responsibilities outside the area of classroom background. But all the opportunity for the technical man in a large corporation is not outside his field of educational interest—not by a long shot. The. Author,,
FLOYD C. PETERSON, director of industrial relations for Dow Chemical, began there as a research consultant on cellulose derivatives in 1936. He has served the company as director of research and development, assistant manager, manager, and assistant to the executive vice president. I n his present post, to which he was appointed in 1954, he coordinates all Dow employee activities and is in active charge of labor relations, salary and wage administration, security, recruitment, training programs, employee relations and benefits, and safety and medical work. He has a number of patents in cellulose chemistry and is the author of many papers in the field. JAN.
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The larger the company the wider the variety of opportunity. Process engineers at Dow model a new ethylene plant as a preliminary to full-scale construction Size Offers V a r i e t y
The larger the corporation, the larger the number and variety of its products. These products range into the thousands and cover tbe field from general chemicals to synthetic textile fibers. While the actual products are numerous indeed, their applications seem almost infinite. For example, polystyrene alone has some 7000 known industrial uses. Each new product and each new use has its tangible effects in the shape of new opportunity. Currently, there are 12,000 chemical plants in the United States. These plants turn out 8500 products and provide johs for nearly 850,000 people in every region of the country and in almost every state. Opportunities and economic benefits have combined to produce a low rate of labor turnover—the mark of a healthy industry. Since 1939, production of industrial chemicals has grown at an average rate of a"bout 10$ a year. This compares with a 3% average for all industry. And continued growth is the prediction for t h e future! Domestic chemical construction projects aggregating $1.1 billion were completed during 1956 and further expansion is the watchword of the industry. The Manufacturing Chemists' Association has estimated that the industry will spend $2.5 billion on 406 projects in 1957 and 1958. These projects, under way in 44 states, are being carried out by 327 companies. Paving the way for expansion are research and development programs throughout t h e chemical industry which far exceed research activities in any other industry. The National Science Foundation reported in 1956 that "the chemical industry far exceeds all others in the magnitude of its basic research program" and cited a 1953 survey7 which showed chemical industry basic research investments of $38 million—25% of total basic research expenditures b y private in80
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dustry. The larger corporations in the industry carry on the more extensive research programs, naturally, a n d therefore offer more opportunities in this specialized area. This research activity generally extends beyond t h e laboratory workbench a n d includes the fields of technical service and production development. The fields of investigation in our own company, for example, include basic and exploratory research; organic and inorganic product and process development; research on plastics production and application; biochemical research of all types; nuclear research; t h e production and use of nonferrous alloys; synthetic textile fibers; and t h e development of new instruments, apparatus, and machinery. Just a casual glance indicates that these fields r e quire the services of organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemists; biochemists; biologists—from agronomists t o zoologists; physicists, metallurgists; chemical, mechanical, electrical, and electronic engineers; and almost every specialist and technologist in the book. And out of this research may come ideas and areas which will require the services of specialists not yet in the book. Basic Research O p p o r t u n i t i e s
In this area of basic research, the large corporations offer exceptional opportunities, it seems to me. In their size alone, they have a base for broad programs that smaller corporations just wouldn't have t h e manp o w e r to tackle. And in terms of t h e manpower to carry out these programs, there is sort of a hand-inglove relationship between good men and good programs. That is, good men are attracted b y good programs and good facilities; in turn, good men attract other good men. Thus develops in larger corporations t h e opportunity to associate with recognized leaders in many fields of activity. And through this association comes professional—and personal—growth and development. Emphasis on basic research also ties in with the accent on individual initiative . . . the freedom to make mistakes . . . the freedom to explore. Pioneering is encouraged in most large corporations and many of the new products which have sparked the growth of the chemical industry were developed by pioneers who explored unknown areas. These products, such as nylon, owe their being to an idea that was born in the brain of a creative individual and nurtured in a healthy research climate. Just think of the dollars and untold man-hours expended in developing the "unknown quantity" that came to be nylon. Magnesium provides another example where a company spent years of research and large sums of money to bring forth a major achievement. T h e broad geographical base of research also typifies the scope of large-corporation activity. With divisions and plants in all points of the nation, and most sections of t h e world, the larger corporation offers nearly unlimited opportunity in terms of climate a n d living conditions to suit individual tastes. In the b i g cities, the small towns, the cold climates, the warm and temperate zones, larger corporations in the industry have divisions, plants, or laboratories offering living conditions to meet nearly any ideal.
