y*********u
发帖数: 7 | 1 大家好！
我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
要原因从我说起。
2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
能是我自身原因吧），所以和自己女朋友经常大吵，我也觉得很对不起她，和我在一起
三年了，我还没有钱娶她（化学博士的工资一个月扣完税大概还剩一千二百刀，我们两
个人用，所以基本月光了，我是农村出身，所以父母也帮不了我什么）。所以感觉做化
学，我得不到很多人事，说话方面的锻炼（当然，这主要是我自己的原因，但我整天担
心反应做的 不够多，实验做得不够有成果，所以担心被老板骂，所以心情什么的不太
好，有时真的一天很焦虑，提心吊胆的，也没多大心思去想自己的性格，兴趣，该怎么
说话做事什么的，就连我未婚妻都说我25了，但比起其他男生真的幼稚了很多，而且不
爱自己。所以我觉得好像做化学，我的自我提升做得不好，或没有机会。
3有机化学博士在美国的前景问题，我们系毕业的几个中国师兄师姐，他们说工
作很不好找，都得去做博后。说实话，我不觉得做博后有什么不好，只要能混口饭吃。
只是我很想早点能找到工作能娶我女朋友做老婆，还有给父母点钱（说实话他们在中国
农村过得也不算好）。让我再做三年有机拿到博士，再两三年博后，我真的有点等不起
，我女朋友更熬不起啊。她说不怕我现在穷，就怕我穷一辈子，或让她等太久（她家里
也不会同意）。她觉得只要我能去做一个有前途的工作或学一个有前途的专业，她就算
砸锅卖铁都会帮我。我自己也是，和她订婚后，明白了家庭是人生第一重要的，养家糊
口是男人第一要做的事，其他科研什么的其实都是后话。
4 老板知道我对化学有动摇，所以也不太高兴，都不想听我解释，建议我拿硕士
走人。我能理解他，毕竟人家招人进来是希望能一心一意做科研的。
我自己去对其他行业有过了解，觉得物理治疗师（Physical Therapist) 不错，
就业率百分之八，年薪平均八万刀，而且可以帮助老人，或身体有病痛的人，让他们变
好，变开心，我觉得很不错。我看到他们老一辈，说实话感觉像看到了自己的爸爸妈妈
，有一种亲切感，也很愿意去为他们服务，帮助他们。我希望能在这个行业做一个特殊
的人，又能帮助美国人，又能帮助中国人（中国人来美国养老的挺多的，但很多不会英
文，说实话人老了谁没个病痛，所以能减轻他们的痛苦，让他们过好一点，说实话我就
算不收钱也可以的）。 我还希望把中国的针灸等技术传到美国，把他们发扬光大，为
大家所用，也可以让先祖的东西能帮助到更多地人。只是物理治疗师很难申请，一般一
个学校300 个人申请，大概30 个人进吧。我一个中国人，其实心里不知道自己能有多
大机会。
第一次发帖，写这么多，实在不好意思，我牢骚太多了。希望大家能给我一点建
议，或坚定我想要去做的。真的谢谢大家能过来关注，还读了这么多。希望大家有一个
愉快的周末！ | D******K
发帖数: 557 | | L********o
发帖数: 178 | | g***l
发帖数: 3142 | 4 Organic chem is a dead-end. Switch as early as you can. | r*******r
发帖数: 2565 | | s*********r
发帖数: 1374 | 6 啥都别想，转石油，工资又高消费又低（除非你想创业）
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| p********6
发帖数: 1339 | 7 发到化学版上问问，那里的人体会多。
我是生物出身，很理解你的想法。火坑专业真的很难熬。我很想说再熬两年拿到个PhD
。但是看你的情况老板不一定会放人，或者就算放人以后也不会有什么support。
理疗师这个专业不是很了解，中国人做这个的貌似不多。但你帮助老人的想法非常好，
支持你。一颗乐于助人的心会是你一生前进的动力。我建议你多了解一下这行的从业情
况。下定决心后直接找相关的招生老师，把你的想法告诉他。你这种发自内心的愿望往
往最能打动人，比任何成绩背景都管用，千万不要浪费了。
另外拿master走人也不是不行。至少可以早点找工作。 | l***i
发帖数: 2542 | 8 赶紧转，石油也好，cs也好， 听我的。 几年后你会感谢我的。 | a**l
发帖数: 1166 | 9 我是化学出身，现在做护士，学医疗对语言要求高，工资并不高，建议学化学工程，以
后做石油行业，想不富都不行； | t***t
发帖数: 6066 | | | | G*****y
发帖数: 2768 | 11 PhD修课都是免费的，直接修你们学校cs课程，有机化学PhD毕业顺便拿个cs master，
毕业找码工工作，perfect。
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| d**l
发帖数: 897 | 12 居然学有机还在发呆 这专业已经能够在美国像抽水马桶的水一去不复返 | k******n
发帖数: 451 | 13 老板愿意给master，赶紧拿。不然越到后面越生不如死。化学系的变态太多了。
理疗师，绿卡怎么解决？ | T**T
发帖数: 1439 | 14 Not true, it's very useful, all org/bio materials starts from here,
just too many people in the pharmaceutical industry.
【在 g***l 的大作中提到】
: Organic chem is a dead-end. Switch as early as you can.
| s******0
发帖数: 1269 | 15 这个要看你遇见什么样的人，别的专业也有变态的老板。
我也是化学转的统计，化学的老板人还不错，但是统计遇见的人非常变态，后来quit统
计phd拿ms走人。
给你的建议只能说越早转越好，有机化学的好日子早都过去，分析可能还好点，但是没
身份什么都很难，除非你老板牛鼻将来能让你做上faculty的位置，不然基本都是扯淡
。转专业慎重，多考虑考虑，不要跟风。当初跟风转了统计基本上是我最后悔的事情。
你女朋友是个好人，一定要珍惜。 | m*********s
发帖数: 1188 | 16 转计算机或者统计?
再让女朋友去读个护士
30岁以前华丽转身...
俺就是醒悟的太晚了, 研三想转EE吭吃了一年也没转成, 后悔终身啊. | g*****x
发帖数: 3283 | 17 1. 孤立找你自己的原因，和有没有中国人什么的没任何关系。
2. 有机范围太大了，有些方向工作挺好找的，总体也不算最难找。如果你是做合成的
就还是早点换吧。
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| y*********u
发帖数: 7 | 18
谢谢您！ 好人一生平安！
【在 D******K 的大作中提到】
: Bless!
| B***W
发帖数: 126 | 19 生物转行(biojailbreak)俱乐部 欢迎您。 | y*********u
发帖数: 7 | 20
谢谢您的关注
老板说以我的效率和现在的成果来看，还需要三年，要是还没成果的话，可能来拿不到
。是在等不起太久啊
【在 L********o 的大作中提到】
: 如果两年内能毕业，读完再转！
| | | y*********u
发帖数: 7 | 21
谢谢您的关心，好人一生平安。
【在 g***l 的大作中提到】
: Organic chem is a dead-end. Switch as early as you can.
| o****c
发帖数: 511 | 22 本人有机化学出身，拿了博士。结果pharm不景气，人又多，没戏了。转行做材料了，
觉得还不错，。而且以前做的有机也是偏材料，不是纯有机。纯有机太基础了，基础行
业发展缓慢，现在也就是可再生原材料为基础的合成方面在工业界有些前景。但是还不
成气候，还是石油占大头。关键看自己的喜好吧，不喜欢就趁早换吧。 | b*********1
发帖数: 22 | 23 lz其实我比你更惨，带着五岁的孩子来这里去年来的，英语都不够好，又没学历，国内
大学毕业后就进了一个化工研究所，之后就开始自己做内贸，现在quit job到了美国敲
门砖就是英文，不然什么都做不了，借你的帖子，也求大家的建议和安稳。
挺羡慕那些父母帮忙带孩子，当妈的能出去工作的，甚至一些回国的朋友都越做越好，
受到高薪应聘，本打算来美国一展身手自己创业的，但是很多都听不懂别人说什么，怎
么起步呢？悲催啊。再说了都三十五岁的女人，带着孩子，又要照顾家里，真是心有余
力不足的痛苦！求大家给点招数吧，感激不尽。
今天又收到一个朋友国内来信，说找到了某跨国大公司的工作，老公也出来单干了，真
是只有羡慕和堕落的份了，自己没有美国的研究生背景，又没有其他学习背景，在美国
混似乎真难啊。。。。 | m******n
发帖数: 453 | 24 家里农村过得不太好的你
转专业的钱你怎么拿得出 | y*****a
发帖数: 580 | 25 赶紧转 差专业伤一辈子
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| y*****a
发帖数: 580 | 26 这种专业就是孤立专业 听谓奈着寂莫做学问 伤人啊
【在 g*****x 的大作中提到】
: 1. 孤立找你自己的原因，和有没有中国人什么的没任何关系。
: 2. 有机范围太大了，有些方向工作挺好找的，总体也不算最难找。如果你是做合成的
: 就还是早点换吧。
| n******u
发帖数: 4271 | | i******r
发帖数: 1415 | 28 转专业需要魄力+资金（有时候）
到网上问 肯定一堆人说坚决转cs之类的
但是每个学校制度不一样 不是说说那么简单的
楼主要衡量好了自己的性格和可能发生的各种状况 | h*********e
发帖数: 723 | 29 赶紧转吧，这个行业里的千老我不知道见过多少
我就在pharm，这么说吧，大家都在一起工作，一个项目上
做蛋白、做生化生物物理的，给research sci/investigator
做细胞的，更多的给合同工
做化学的，只给postdoc
你说这说明了什么
【在 T**T 的大作中提到】
: Not true, it's very useful, all org/bio materials starts from here,
: just too many people in the pharmaceutical industry.
| C**E
发帖数: 2573 | 30 正解。
cs 或 统计硕士找工作最现实。
名校化学博士都不好找工，烂校phd做到快50的博后都见过，做博后时不时的老板没钱
断炊，然后从一个火坑再找另一个火坑跳。
做生化类的博后，每天十小时辛勤加班的表现，其实就是为了最终从现任奴隶主手里拿
到好推荐信，然后比较容易找到下一任奴隶主去继续做奴隶。
呵呵
【在 G*****y 的大作中提到】
: PhD修课都是免费的，直接修你们学校cs课程，有机化学PhD毕业顺便拿个cs master，
: 毕业找码工工作，perfect。
| | | M*****8
发帖数: 17722 | 31
1。选CS课，看喜欢不。喜欢则多修，准备转行做码工。
2。选仪器分析课，然后准备转行进石油，MedLab,MedTech。
3。考虑其它前景好，能用你背景的的行业，补充还缺的知识。
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| T*R
发帖数: 36302 | 32 理疗师属于SCHEDULE A，办绿卡相当于EB1，不需要LC，直接FILE 140，485，675.可以
OPT先工作，一般两三个月后就能拿到765工卡。所以绿卡/工作许可不是问题。
问题是学这个，从先修课开始，到最后拿下，得5，6年。学费也很贵。
所以对你基本是不可能的了。 | s*****l
发帖数: 1844 | 33 First thing, cheer up and get ready for a change! You are far far far from
the worst. You are only 25 years old, and your advisor is OK to give you a
MS and let you go (do you know how many people want this, but cannot get it?
)
Below is very detailed suggestion for your reference. Good luch.
1. Give up the idea of getting a Chemistry PhD. A Chem PhD from a 70' Chem
rank,and 100' school rank is not attractive at all. From your description,
you will have a long long way to go, even though you work your head off to
get a PhD, you advisor probably will not give you good recommendation, which
will make your job hunting even more difficult.
Of course if you need to be in the Chem Phd program to keep your student
visa, then stay there, but your prinoriy should not be Chem PhD. Your goal
is not to do it well, but not too bad to be kicked out.
2. Getting a Chem PhD while getting a CS or Statistics or Chem Eng.
simultaneously is very tough, unless you are outstanding and your boss is OK
with this. From your description, this is not the case. This path will be
very difficult.
3. This is what is best to you, in my opinion, tranfer to MS (since your
boss is good with this), focus on what you need to graduate, and look for a
job ASAP. Once you find a job, even though it may be a lab technitician, you
are almost there. Take it and you will feel you are in a much better
position than most Chem PhD students, but this is just a start. Transfer to
CS, Statistics, Physical Therapy, or whatever you are interested with good
job opportunity. Nowadays Chem MS future is not so bright, compared to CS,
Statistics, etc. This path does not need much $. Finding a job is the key.
4. Do you have the $ support to transfer to Chem Eng, CS etc. without
assitantship? if yes, focus on this, and 3. above. Do NOT worry about the
tuition etc. cost, they will come back easily.
Good luck!
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| f**c
发帖数: 192 | 34 现在学化学的，大概80%的祖孙三代要倒霉。
2007年以后才开始读博士的，如果学有机，已经是白痴。
2014年还在学有机合成的，99%的祖宗八代子孙后代都要倒血霉。80年代的有机土博美
国制药工作N年，55岁回国挣大钱操小妞的，不算，人家那是80年代学的化学。
http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i45/Barely-Hanging.html
Home > Volume 90 Issue 45 > Barely Hanging On
More On This Story
For Hire
Tepid Recovery Curtails Hiring
Barely Hanging On
ACS Launches New Resources For Unemployed Chemists
Carving Out A New Path: Unemployed Chemists Apply Their Skills And Expertise
To Nontraditional Careers
ACS Member Support: Help For The Unemployed
Chemical Professionals Are Moving Away From Family To Find Job Prospects
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ALONE
Job loss can feel like a lonely journey.
Credit: Shutterstock/C&EN
Five years after the economic collapse began in the U.S., unemployed
chemists are still struggling to find jobs. The unemployment situation is
especially dire for mid- to late-career chemists who, instead of
anticipating a comfortable retirement, now face the possibility of
bankruptcy and financial ruin.
As their life savings evaporate, and their hope turns to desperation, these
chemists are beginning to question whether they can continue supporting a
field that can no longer support them.
In agreeing to share their stories with C&EN, chemists in these dire
circumstances requested anonymity to protect their job search prospects;
their names have been changed and some details about their situations have
been generalized. This article focuses on chemists who were laid off from
the pharmaceutical industry, because that’s one of the sectors where the
fallout from the Great Recession has been severe.
The impact of this recession has been unlike that of previous recessions. “
The fact is that the number of jobs has declined,” says Bassam Z.
Shakhashiri, president of the American Chemical Society. And the usual
methods for obtaining a new job aren’t working. “If the jobs aren’t there
,” Shakhashiri says, “no matter how much you network, you’re not going to
find them.”
“The situation today is a tragedy of national proportions,” says Madeleine
Jacobs, ACS executive director and chief executive officer. “It’s
devastating to individual lives, and it’s devastating to this country.”
According to the 2012 Comprehensive Salary & Employment Survey of ACS
members, 4.2% of members in the U.S. are unemployed. Although this
percentage may seem small compared with the national unemployment rate of 7.
8%, there’s more to this statistic than meets the eye.
“I’m listed as employed,” says “Eric,” 46, who was laid off in 2007
from his position as a senior chemist at Johnson & Johnson and is now an
adjunct professor at three different colleges and universities. “I got
reemployed, but is this what employment should be like for someone at my
level?”
“The data that ACS has is for the most part self-reported, and that’s
always going to underreport the truth,” says Lee H. Latimer, a consultant
and longtime ACS volunteer, who was laid off from Elan in 2011. “Many may
have a job, which keeps them from collecting unemployment, but they’re not
working either in their field or in a position that comes anywhere close to
matching their previous income”—meaning, he says, that they’re
effectively underemployed.
“Jeff,” 59, a Ph.D. chemist in New Jersey, is in that boat. He was laid
off in 2008 from his position as an associate director for a major
pharmaceutical company, where he had worked for 22 years. He thought it
would only be a matter of months before he found a new job. “Normally you
figure three months, and with the economy going bad, I figured six months,”
he says. “I did not expect it would take this long.”
Although he’s had several adjunct teaching positions and temporary contract
jobs, Jeff has not had a permanent, full-time position since 2008. “It’s
frustrating at this point in a career when you’re at your highest earning
potential to suddenly not be earning or have greatly reduced earnings,” he
says. “You’ve put all this time and effort into an advanced degree, a good
career, and worked hard for your company, and to suddenly be tossed out, it
’s disheartening.”
Read about chemists who found new careers, and member benefits for the
unemployed.
Since Jeff is the sole provider for his wife and their 12-year-old daughter
who is being homeschooled, he has had to tap into his savings and 401(k) to
make ends meet.
His family has had to cut back dramatically on expenses. They’ve canceled
their cable and lawn service, they’ve scaled back on their cell phone plan,
and they don’t eat out or take vacations. “At one point, we had a boat.
We’ve had to get rid of that,” Jeff says. “And there are repairs on the
house that really should be done that have been put off.
“I don’t think there’s a whole lot else that we can really do. You need
the phone, you need electricity, and you need health insurance,” he says.
“We’ve got to have the trash picked up, and we have to pay taxes.”
Jeff has considered selling his home, but in his neighborhood, “houses
simply aren’t selling, or if they do sell, prices are quite depressed,” he
says.
“Alice,” 52, a Ph.D. organic chemist, had to make that trade-off when she
and her family downsized their home. Alice was laid off from Pharmacopeia in
2008 and then from Merck & Co. in 2010. Her husband also lost his job at
Merck.
With their savings disappearing, the couple, who have a 12-year-old daughter
, sold their home in an affluent suburb in New Jersey at a loss and bought a
home half the size in another community. “We had to take money out of our
401(k)s to buy a smaller home,” she says.
file
Because she had to pay a hefty fine for tapping into her retirement account,
her savings have taken a big hit. “I used to have a lot of money in my 401
(k), and now I practically have nothing,” she says. “I went from $220,000
down to $30,000 in my 401(k).”
Eric has also had to make tough choices. He teaches as an adjunct professor
on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, splitting his time among three colleges
and universities that are 50 to 70 miles apart. He leaves around 10 AM and
doesn’t get home until after 11 PM, leaving little time to spend with his
twin daughters, who are nine years old.
Because of the length of his commute and the high cost of gas, Eric sold his
car and bought a used Suzuki with better gas mileage. “The previous car
was costing me about $1,000 a month in gas, and that was not sustainable,”
he says.
He has roughly $400 left in his 401(k). “Four hundred bucks is no 401(k);
it won’t buy you a plane ticket anywhere,” he says. But he’s not one to
dwell on his difficulties. “It’s tight financially, but the fact is we’re
still surviving. It’s just a little harder, that’s all.”
Alice says that what’s more painful than losing her retirement savings is
having no money to send her daughter to college. Alice, who came to the U.S.
from Southeast Asia, says that getting an education was her ticket to a
better life. “I feel very sad. I went for a Ph.D. because I thought that
with a Ph.D., I should be able to have a good life and be able to give my
daughter a good life,” she says. “I never thought this would happen.”
Jeff is in a similar predicament. “There’s no way we can afford to put my
daughter through college now,” he says. “It’s discouraging, it’s
disheartening, it’s frustrating. You start to feel like a failure.”
For unemployed and underemployed chemists, life can be an emotional roller
coaster. “Some days you’re on top of the world. You’ve got interviews,
and something looks promising,” says Jeff. “The next day, the interview
fails and the world looks darker than the inside of a cave.”
“Michael,” a Ph.D. organic chemist in his 50s, living in California, knows
just how unsettling this roller-coaster ride can be. Since he was laid off
from a biotech company in 2008, he has applied for more than 10,000 jobs,
some 7,000 related to the chemical sciences and 3,000 outside of science.
He has had 10 interviews and was offered three jobs. The first offer came
less than a year after he was laid off. The position was with a small start-
up company in California. But after he received the offer, the company was
bought out, and the offer fell through. “The person who was going to hire
me lost his own job the next day,” he says.
The second offer was in 2009 for a contract position at a large
pharmaceutical company in California, but the company notified him four days
before his starting date that it had instituted a hiring freeze, “so they
stopped everything,” he says. “According to them, they had a computer for
me, a phone number, and everything was ready.”
The third offer came in 2010, and it was with a government agency near
Washington, D.C. “I was supposed to start working with them on Sept. 27,
2010, but because of the budget issue going on in Congress, they froze
everything,” he says.
Michael sold his condo in preparation for the move. “I put everything that
I had in storage, and I was in the process of moving, and I had a couple
days before I moved, so I said, ‘I’ll go stay with my friend in L.A.’&#
8201;”
It’s been two years, and Michael is still living with his friend, and his
belongings are still in storage. He can’t afford to pay for health
insurance, so he’s uninsured.
“I’m nearing retirement, and that’s very scary because as time goes by,
it’s difficult for me to get a job. And at the same time, I’m not earning
anything, so I’m not contributing to retirement,” he says.
Meanwhile, Michael has earned certifications in clinical trial design and
management, regulatory affairs, quality assurance and control, and project
management. But “by the time that I finished, not only did the number of
these jobs decrease, employers weren’t going to take anybody who doesn’t
have experience. The training is not enough for them,” he says. “I went
and retrained myself, but I still cannot get a job.
file
“I have applied to work for free just to be working, and I can’t do it,”
Michael says, noting liability issues in industry can prevent employers from
using workers not on the payroll. Even in academia, he’s approached
professors to work as a postdoc to get some experience in a new area. “But
they can’t do that because they hire postdocs and graduate students, and I
wouldn’t technically be considered a postdoc because I have more than 15
years of experience,” he says.
He’s even been turned down for jobs at local grocery stores, for positions
that pay less than $10 an hour. “When I was an undergraduate, I worked in a
supermarket, so I have some experience,” he says. “But I can’t even get
a job in a supermarket. They say, ‘You don’t have the right skills.’ Or
they think, ‘Tomorrow he’s going to get a job, and he’s going to leave.’
”
The ups and downs of job searching can bring life to a screeching halt, as
“Tom,” who was laid off from Sanofi in 2011, has discovered. “I’m 50
years old, and I can’t make any long-term plans,” he says. “I can’t look
at a new car, I can’t get the latest big-screen TV, I can’t get the
latest iPhone. I can’t look at that stuff because I just don’t know where
my next paycheck is coming from. I’m not starving, but I’m not advancing
either.”
Michael, who is single, has an even more pressing issue. “I can’t even ask
a woman out, because I’m unemployed and I don’t have a place,” he says.
“You can’t do very simple fundamental things in life. Your life is
completely on hold.”
Even everyday interactions can be awkward. At the exposition at an ACS
meeting, for instance, “when you walk around all those booths, people say
hi to you and ask you where you work. I say, ‘I’m unemployed,’ and the
person doesn’t know what to do with me,” says Michael.
The constant uphill battle can take a mental toll. “I think it’s cut me
down a couple of notches,” Jeff says. “The group I was part of for so many
years was considered one of the top in the industry, so certainly it
impacts your pride.”
Tom, who has a master’s degree in chemistry, says he has come to terms with
his new reality. “There’s no room for pride here,” he says. “If I have
to stack lumber at Home Depot, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
In this unstable job market, even the elation of starting a new job can be
short-lived. Two-and-a-half years after being laid off from his previous
position, Jeff was offered a temporary contract position at Roche, in Nutley
, N.J., that had potential to become permanent. Although the position pays
less than half of his previous salary, and he does not get any vacation days
, sick time, or health benefits, Jeff says that was a godsend for him and
his family. But 11 months after he started, the company announced that the
entire facility would be shut down; he will be out of a job again in
December.
“I’m working at Roche, and there are people who mop the floors, and as I
walk by, I always say hello to them,” Jeff says. “But I’m thinking in the
back of my mind, ‘In a few months, I may have to be doing this too.’&#
8201;”
This extreme hardship is causing chemists to question their faith in
chemistry. “My passion for chemistry is gone,” Tom says. “I used to read
C&EN for the newest trends and discoveries. I’ve lost interest in all that
because I don’t see a future in it.”
“I’m a chemist, I love chemistry, and I want to tell other people to go
ahead and study chemistry,” adds Michael. “But then I think about it—and
what kind of a future will they have?”
Alice says she worries about the next generation of students, who are losing
their interest in science. “I can see it in my daughter,” she says. “She
used to love chemistry, and she went to all the ACS meetings with me. Now,
I tell her to put her poster in the science fair, and it’s like pulling
teeth.”
Jeff, who volunteers as an ACS career consultant, says he’s conflicted as
to what to tell job seekers: “I’m looking at other chemists’ résumés,
with many people wanting to go into the pharmaceutical industry—which is
going through a major downsizing—and I’m wondering, ‘Is it fair to
encourage people to go into chemistry, and what do I tell people who are
looking for jobs?’
“I’d love to be able to wholeheartedly encourage people to go into science
, to go into chemistry. It’s fascinating, it’s interesting, it used to be
a great career,” Jeff continues. “But now, I can’t promise that there
will be a reward for their hard work.”
Despite the lack of jobs, ACS’s Jacobs maintains that chemists and
chemistry are critical to the U.S.’s advancement. “I don’t want to
discourage the best and brightest students from entering the chemical
sciences, because there is no way to solve these great global challenges—
providing clean water, providing sustainable energy, providing enough food,
curing disease, protecting the homeland, and protecting the environment—
without chemists and chemical engineers.”
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| s*********r
发帖数: 1374 | 35 建议转CS的，还是先比较一下码工和油工吧，不是说码工一定不好，但是很多人不了解
油工，至少得先比较一下再得出结论 | s****7
发帖数: 2507 | 36
理疗要自费吧
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| l*****6
发帖数: 162 | 37 我是学化学的转了精算，供参考，当年我也交不起学费， 在化学系做了四个学期TA, | f*******3
发帖数: 577 | 38 楼下很多人建议一边读完博士，一边读CS的课。只有3种情况下，这才是一个好的建议
，否则很容易博士拿不到课也上不好.1)老板非常nice.半年不干活也不在意，LZ的老
板不是这样的 2)人十分用功可以博士和修课兼顾，看来LZ的老板是要求出活的那种人
，做完实验就被榨干了，除非你愿意每天睡4个小时 3)LZ是天才，不用花太多的时间做
科研和上课，就可以无师自通，这个就要看LZ对自己的定位了。
说实话，如果学校是20名之前的，冷门专业也许还值得一读，otherwise,化学不容易找
工作，拿到了博士，其实用处也不是特别大。看出来LZ很聪明很勤奋，但是对科研的热
情加上看前人的例子不是特别高涨所以读这个博士也不是特别的喜欢。早点转了其实是
不错的选择。现在最重要的，是要看好要转什么专业。建议去学校的career
consulting center求建议，问问师兄师姐。还有，一定要选适合自己的专业。不要因
为CS,统计，金融热就去选。如果金钱是一个很大的问题，可以考虑读一个好专业的PhD
。如果不是特别大的问题，读了一个好就业的硕士，其实工作如果一年10万左右或者更
高，2-3年学费就回来了。不要对生活失去信心，你还很年轻，还没有小孩，年轻就是
资本。
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| f****r
发帖数: 105 | 39 总之不要学有机就
目前看来当然是CS最好
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| c***1
发帖数: 117 | 40
【在 L********o 的大作中提到】
: 如果两年内能毕业，读完再转！
| | | T******s
发帖数: 372 | 41 既然你已经感觉这么不爽了,就不要犹豫了, 趁年轻赶紧跳出化学这个火坑吧.不过,读
所谓的热门专业也会有风险的,需要仔细研究慎重考虑,不要盲目跟风. 不管怎么样, 年
轻都是你最大的资本,现在不敢TAKE RISK,等你人到中年就更不敢了.
【在 y*********u 的大作中提到】
: 大家好！
: 我在美国一所一百名左右的公立大学（全美排名一百左右，化学排名70左右）做有
: 化学博士，刚做满了三年。但做得很不如意，具体原因主要是：
: 1 我第一年学化学专业课的时候很认真，门门课都拿A加，但开始做实验后因为
: 很多事，比如说生活上的事，自己做事比较拖拉等等，所以其实不是那么认真，学习也
: 不如以前那么勤奋，所以老板也不太高兴，对我也是经常质疑和生气等。所以我觉得首
: 要原因从我说起。
: 2 我在实验室里做了两年，说实话，感觉有机化学博士还是比较孤立的（实验室
: 都是美国人，就我一个中国人），所以我感觉一天下来都说不上几句话，一直做实验，
: 感觉一天下来脑袋都有点放空的感觉，说话做事都会比较迟钝，为人处事也不太好（可
| A*****a
发帖数: 52743 | 42 转护士专业
做有
因为
习也
得首
验室
验，
（可
【在 T******s 的大作中提到】
: 既然你已经感觉这么不爽了,就不要犹豫了, 趁年轻赶紧跳出化学这个火坑吧.不过,读
: 所谓的热门专业也会有风险的,需要仔细研究慎重考虑,不要盲目跟风. 不管怎么样, 年
: 轻都是你最大的资本,现在不敢TAKE RISK,等你人到中年就更不敢了.
| l****y
发帖数: 32 | | T***U
发帖数: 5 | |
|
