PathSource - PHYSICAL CHEMIST: Solving Scientific Problems

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PHYSICAL CHEMIST: Solving Scientific Problems

About this video

As a physical chemist, a diverse set of skills is necessary to be successful. Not only is a love of science and math required but also a strong command of reading and writing in order to do work and then convey that work to others. The career objective involves solving a problem and helping others through the use of applied science.

Degree: Chemistry

Job Title: Physical Chemist

Job Summary: Chemists and Materials Scientists

Job Description

Chemists and materials scientists study the structures, compositions, reactions, and other properties of substances. They use their knowledge to develop new and improved products, processes, and materials.

On-the-Job Training

None

Quick Facts

Average salary

National Statistic Change Location

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$40,000 - $120,000

Projected Job Growth

0 to 10 percent

Typical schedule

Full-time

Typical workplace

Indoor, Office, Home, Travel, Physically demanding

Personal Qualities

Analytical skills, Mathematical skills, Problem solving skills, Public speaking ability, Teamwork, Verbal communication skills, Written communication skills

Educational Path

Education Requirement

Bachelor's degree

Recommended Education Degree

Bachelor's degree
Master's degree

Recommended Majors

Biochemistry
Chemistry
Mathematics
Computer Science
Biology
Materials Engineering
Engineering
Physics
Materials Sciences

Related Careers

Agricultural and Food Scientists
Biochemists and Biophysicists
Chemical Engineers
Environmental Scientists and Specialists
Geoscientists
High School Teachers
Materials Engineers
Natural Sciences Managers
Physicists and Astronomers
Postsecondary Teachers.

View Detailed Career Data

P3.instances[0].transcript.parse_transcript_data({"transcript":"Hi, my name is Dan, and I am a physical chemist at a university in the San Francisco Bay Area. And I went through college to get a degree in chemistry, and then I went into graduate work at another California university. And finally, I'm now doing post doctoral research, or research for a living, at one of the local universities. And so my typical week is basically trying to solve a problem with science that concerns energy for the rest of the world. And that's what I do five, six days a week. My career path to get there, as I said, is basically in high school working on math and science. And of course, other things you may not think are important to science, but reading, writing, and communicating, and basically getting a bunch of skills that allow you to do your work and then convey your work to people who aren't working in your area. That's very important. So again, build up a skill set that is very diverse in not just being able to do what you do, but also talk to people about it. And that's very important, and not a lot of people tell you to do. My motivation was, I guess I really liked science class. It was neat, you had different problems and challenges, and if one challenge didn't specifically interest you, there was another one a week later. And so it's nice to be able to help people with the challenges that science brings. And then finally, what I kind of wish I would have known was that just because you want to do something in science doesn't mean you just work on that area of the science. It's actually very important to be very broadly skilled and get a diverse set of talents. Mainly, like I said, reading and writing. I hated reading and writing when I was little. I wish I had done a lot more reading and writing. Other things that are kind of specific to science, I wish I'd done a little more electrochemistry or some of this, and I didn't see that in the beginning. And so the main point is, always talk to older people who are kind of doing what you do and ask them that question, what do they wish they would have done? And I wish I would have gotten advice from them. So my advice is, if you like things in high school or college, talk to people who do those. See what they say is their biggest talent, what's their main point that helps them work during the day, and then try and do that, and then most of all just listen. And you'll get through and be a very successful person in life. ","file":{"id":167947,"video_id":"2700505149001","name":"121589357","duration":134652,"thumbnail_url":null}});