Evening all, Was hoping to get a bit of help and suggestions on taking a "year in industry". I am currently a 2nd year chemistry student, and plan on taking a gap year next year to work in a chemistry based company, returning in my 3rd year to finish my degree. I have been trying to find placements, but have found it quite hard. If anyone can think of, or knows of companies preferably around the Midlands and has a Research and Development dept. Thanks for any help
Astra Zeneca in Loughborough; ICI also has several sites throughout the midlands, I think. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think at the mo
A sign that the chemical industry is on its knees. Cutbacks means things like placements go out of the window. Been here since I graduated 12 years ago since then most sites have shutdown, jobs are non existent. No one wants to to do undergraduate courses so departments are shutting down. Do your self a favour, yes finish your degree, but please dont go into chemistry or manufacturing. Unless you like having no prospects and **** pay.
BS! There's a massive demand for chemists out there, but you need experience. Traditional chemistry is on its way out but there is a wealth of stuff still available just check jobs.ac.uk for starters. You either have to be a bio-chemist or physical chemist, but if you can get into industry my lecturer was earning a 6 figure salary before he gave it up to work at my uni. Chemistry courses at good universities are overloaded. When I started in the first year at manchester there was too many people to fit in the lecture theatre for the first month or so but the entire first year it was packed out.
Why would you give up a 6 figure salary, in the private sector, presumably with prospects to be a lecturer? Thats not what the RSC are saying. Or maybe that many departments are closing other courses are getting over subscribed. If i could go back 20 years and was given the option of doing the same thing again, or learning a skill trade aka Plumbing, Electrician. It wouldnt be Chemistry.
I think that Bindis experience was from about 4 years ago that he started at uni. Since then there has been a monumental decrease in the number of applicants, universities cannot afford to keep departments open if they are undersubscribed (normally <50%)
The cost of a cutting edge research based department is also very large, costs have a large influence on why just a few Chemistry courses have been closed... I have 18 days to decide if I want to take Chemistry for my degree next year
We don't know why he gave it up either!? Stress? Family?? He still earns 60k as a lecturer. He's not even head of department but he REALLY knows is stuff. Chemistry courses are dieing because they are expensive to run compared to the new fashionable subjects which dont require labs or chemicals. Universities are complaining they don't have enough money for departments and smaller departments aren't economically viable enough. Universities make money through IP and all the best people go to the bigger universities which in turn again make more money. Sure, the services are essential and always in need, and if you are absolutely dedicated to doing science then you'll do a PhD and find your neiche and earn potentially 40-70k a year in a government facility, moreso in industry. This is my problem because I don't really give a crap enough about what I'm doing but it does allow you a better potential to do graduate schemes if you have a Masters degree in a science. Not just chemistry but ALL sciences are closing: physics in reading iirc is due for closure because its under subscribed. But then, reading isn't really a first university of choice for many (no offense). The whole issue of university underfunding and students not prepared for the kind of top-up-fees debts that americans (who's parents save from young or who's universities are sponcered by business) pay for. The major income for universities is foreign students and LOADS want to come to the UK (in fact it's the largest form of immigration into the UK) and we risk them going elsewhere further increasing the funding problem. What is your other choices for degrees?? I'd suggest do it if you can get into a decent university and make sure you go for a Masters course because that's what most people are doing now. If you can make it through the first year you can finish the course so don't worry about that.
