1. Yr2 Career Planning
What are your options with a
chemistry degree?
Deborah Fowlis
Careers Adviser
www.chemistrycareersmole.blogspot.co.uk

2. This session will cover:
 Information on the graduate labour market
 Career options for chemistry graduates
 Recent job adverts for chemists & the skills &
experience required
 Suggestions for developing your skills and
work experience
 How to actively CHOOSE your career rather
than let it choose you

3. Career Management Programme Yrs 1-5
 Year One – Getting the most out of University
 Year Two – Career Planning
 Year Three – Implementing Career Decisions (Where to look
for jobs, applying for placements, making successful applications/getting
through the selection process)
 Year Four/Five – Career Review – how to review career
progress and plan for the future)

4. Quick Quiz

5. 1. Approximately how many UK students
graduate with a degree in Chemistry EACH
year?
A) 2,330
B) 5,729
C) 19,106
D) 284,165
Source:www.prospects.ac.uk

6. 2. How much more can a 2010 chemistry graduate
expect to earn over the course of their career
compared to someone with A-levels?
 A) £1,395
 B) £77,197
 C) £108,020
 D) £214,626
 E) £403,353
Source: www.bis.gov.uk

7. 3. What is the average 2011 graduate
starting salary?
 A) £20,000
 B) £25,000
 C) £29,000
 D) £40,000 + car
 Source: various

8. 4. Play your Cards Right (or Guess the
2011 median graduate salary by sector)
 Energy/Water/Utility  £25,000
 Investment bank  £39,000
 Science  £25,000
 Actuarial  £28,500
 Logistics  £25,000
 Managt. Consult.  £27,750
 Law  £35,500
Source:www.agr.org.uk-Winter 2012

9. 5. On average, how many applicants were
chasing each graduate-level job in 2012?
 A) 35
 B) 47
 C) 52
 D) 127
 In 2012, 69% of top employers stipulated a 2.1
 Source :http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/GMSummerUpdate12.pdf

10. 6. Which of the following are NOT
possible career options for a chemistry
graduate?
 Human Resources Officer
 Health and Safety Inspector
 Recruitment Consultant
 Petroleum Engineer
 Accountant
 Investment banker
 Marketing Executive
 Prison Governor
 Management Consultant

11. How do you generate ideas for a career?

12. First destinations of Edinburgh
chemistry graduates 2011
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/career

13. First destinations of Imperial
chemistry graduates 2011
 http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/careers/resources/dest
inations/undergraduates/chem

14. Where could chemistry graduates
work (as chemists)?
•Food & Drink
Manufac.
Industry
•Brewing &
NHS Pharma Distilling
. •Toiletries
Academic
Oil & Gas •Paper
Research
•Plastics
Chemists
Env Power •Metals
Protection Gen
•Paints
•Polymers
Consultancies Gov’ment
•Fine
Water chemicals
Education
Industry

15. How do you generate ideas for a career?

16. Websites …
 www.rsc.org/Education/courses-and-careers/profiles/in
- profiles of people with a chemistry background.
 http://careers.abpi.org.uk/case-studies/Pages/default.as
- 97 profiles of people working in chem/pharma
industry
 www.careersbox.co.uk/films/royal-society-chemistry/
- 8 talking heads of chemistry graduates
 www.rsc.org/images/gotadegree_tcm18-48908.pdf
downloadable booklet from RSC covering everything
 www.chemistrycareersmole.blogspot.co.uk

17. Websites……..
 www.prospects.ac.uk
 See “Options with your Chemistry Degree”
for a range of possible careers.
 See ‘Types of Jobs’ provides further
information on jobs eg entry requirements, job
content
 ‘What Job would Suit Me?” (Prospects
Planner) -interactive interest/skills programme
generates list of possible careers based on
your answers.

18. How do you generate ideas for a career?

19. Vacancies/Job Descriptions:
What are they?
Description of the essential and desirable qualities
wanted in potential employees
MOST candidates will have the essential qualities to a
greater or lesser extent.
SOME candidates will have SOME of the desirable
qualities
FEW candidates will have ALL the qualities

20. *Matching vacancies to your skills
1. Find a position that interests you from the vacancy list.
2. Identify the 3 main “general” skills that are looked for.
3. Outline an example of how you would demonstrate each
skill right now.
4. Add another example of how you could develop that skill
further or in a different way while you are at university.

21. *What can I do alongside my degree
to develop skills?
 Work part time
 Get vacation work/industrial placement
 Sports & Student Societies
 Attend skills/languages courses
 Volunteer (in the UK and abroad)
 Travel
 Study abroad

22. Vacancy websites
 Look at job vacancy websites
- to collect a ‘portfolio’ of interests
 www.ed.ac.uk/careers/sage
 www.newscientistjobs.com/
 http://jobs.rsc.org/
 www.prospects.ac.uk
 www.jobs.ac.uk

23. How do you generate ideas for a career?

24. Interactive Career Tools
Career Planning Programme (Careers Service)
Prospects Planner
Target Jobs Careers Report

25. How do you generate ideas for a career?

26. What about YOU?

27. The Career Planning Process
Making decisions Implementing decisions
Engaged Self Opportunity Making Deciding
in awareness awareness applications what next
process
Finding the Reviewing
opportunities Progress
Managing
the selection
process

28. Now stand up.
 Yes, really – STAND UP
(please)

29. *YOU make choices :
Your career choices are likely to be linked to
 Values
 Interests
 Abilities and achievements
 Work and life experience
 Skills
 Personal qualities and temperament
 Subject-specific knowledge
 Personal barriers and restrictions

30. Some important values…
 Location
 Salary
 Working Hours
 Opportunities for Advancement
 Altruism
 Ethical Companies
 Working Environment
 Autonomy

31. *YOU make choices :
Your career choices are likely to be linked to
 Values
 Interests
 Abilities and achievements
 Work and life experience
 Skills
 Personal qualities and temperament
 Subject-specific knowledge
 Personal barriers and restrictions

32. What about YOU? Eureka moment?

33. It’s the year 2020

34. So what happens next?
 Use the booklet to help you think about your own
career management
 Start to use careers service centre, sessions and
activities
 Research any ideas you have in more detail –
www.prospects.ac.uk & www.ed.ac.uk/careers are
good places to start
 Talk your ideas through with a careers adviser

35. Where is the Careers Service?
Weir Building, KB
Tel: 0131 650 5773
9.15 to 4.45 Mon- Fri, except Tues 11-4.45
20 min appts booked on the day 1-3
Longer if necessary
DROP IN CHEMISTRY MUSEUM THURSDAY 1-2
Main Library, Central Area
Tel: 0131 650 4670
Email: careers@ed.ac.uk
www.chemistrycareersmole.blogspot.co.uk