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CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS
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Copyright 2008, American Chemical Society
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Volume 86, Number 44
THIS WEEK’S SUITE of cover stories is
C&EN’s annual “Employment Outlook”
feature. The stories were coordinated and
edited by Senior Editor Corinne Marasco,
who also wrote the lead story.
Not surprisingly, Marasco’s interviews
with numerous company representatives
and university department heads revealed
that the economic chaos of recent weeks
has turned the outlook for jobs for chemists
somewhat cloudy. “Although industrial
representatives who spoke with C&EN this
year report that their companies are hiring,”
Marasco reports, “they are doing so
with a ‘wait and see’ attitude toward a possibly
weaker job market in 2009. The exception
is chemical engineers, who continue to
be in high demand at all degree levels.”
Indeed, one hard truth that comes
through in Marasco’s story is that, if your
passion is chemistry and you want a job in
industry, you’d better plan on getting that
Ph.D.—or develop a passion for chemical
engineering. For example, Cary W. Wilkins,
director of recruitment for the Americas
at Shell Chemicals, told Marasco that the
overall market is very good for chemical
engineers at all degree levels and for Ph.D.
chemists, groups that Shell is recruiting.
Eastman Chemical workforce planning
and staffing manager Sharon Cooper says
Eastman is looking to hire B.S., M.S., and
Ph.D. chemical engineers and Ph.D. chemists.
Sue Sun-LaSovage, global university
relations leader for Dow Chemical, calls the
competition for engineering graduates in
the U.S. and Europe “fierce.” Dow is recruiting
for bachelor’s- and master’s-level chemical,
mechanical, and electrical engineers
and Ph.D. chemists with experience.
Marasco also learned that companies are
looking for well-rounded candidates, those
who possess excellent technical proficiency
along with good communication skills
and the ability to work in teams.
The importance of being well-rounded to
career success was echoed by one of the students
interviewed by Assistant Editor Kenneth
Moore for his story on international
internships. Aanchal Raj, a second-year electrical
and computer engineering student at
Carnegie Mellon University who participated
in Rice University’s NanoJapan internship
program, told Moore: “To be a leader in
FROM THE EDITOR
Employment Outlook 2009
science requires much more than just technical
expertise. It requires entrepreneurship
and skills in leadership, communication,
and, most of all, cultural awareness with the
ever-increasing global collaboration.”
Like Moore’s story on international internships,
the other two stories in the “Employment
Outlook” package emphasize the
need for flexibility, daring, and following
your passion in building a successful scientific
career.
Senior Editor Susan Ainsworth’s story
on “Entrepreneurial Trailblazers” profiles
nine women scientists who, for a variety of
reasons, started their own small businesses.
All of the women Ainsworth interviewed
stated that starting a business is not always
easy, but each also expressed deep satisfaction
with their chosen career paths.
Pamela G. Marrone, who founded two
companies focused on pest management—
AgraQuest and Marrone Organic Innovations—eloquently
captured that passion. “I
was driven by a vision and a dream of what
I wanted to accomplish—to change the
world through pesticide products that are
safer and effective,” she told Ainsworth. “I
didn’t think about the barriers or the problems
or challenges. I only thought about the
possibilities and visualized the end game
and the success.”
Associate Editor Linda Wang’s story,
“Extreme Chemistry,” looks at chemists
doing research in exotic locales, like the dry
valleys of Antarctica, in the deep ocean, and
on the rims of volcanoes. George W. Luther,
a chemist who is a professor of oceanography
at the University of Delaware,
told Wang: “Just because you’re a chemist
doesn’t mean you’re limited to doing exactly
what chemists are supposed to be doing.
What’s critical is finding a scientific topic
that you’re passionate about.”
The employment outlook for 2009 is,
without doubt, unsettled, but passion for
your science and flexibility about your career
path can make a world of difference in
a job search.
Thanks for reading.
Editor-in-chief
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.
WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 3 NOVEMBER 3, 2008