2 answers
Sydney
Student
Lyons, Ohio
1
Question
Asked
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What advice would you give a female student interested in pursuing a career in chemistry?
I have grow up in an agricultural community, and I know how important it is for many of the small scale farmers to use agricultural chemicals. I want to help make these chemicals safer for them to use. #chemistry #women-in-science
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2 answers
Melissa Master-Holder
Human Resources/Talent Management
2
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Melissa’s Answer
Yes! Yes! And your thinking is so on to make a difference. Look for internships that align to your interest and give you access to the hands on work .
Carol Walker
System Admin | Tech Support | Keeping technology running
29
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Carol’s Answer
Go for it. I studied Chemistry at undergrad level, then went into chemical manufacturing for a while. For personal reasons I couldn't stay in the field (health issues) but I worked with quite a few women in the lab while I was there. There's no reason at all why you can't make a great career of it, several of the women I was at college with have gone on to have long and rewarding careers in the field.
In addition to getting good grades at Chemistry itself, remember you'll also need a reasonable background in physics and mathematics (and possibly biology if you want to head towards agricultural chemicals). Good english grades won't hurt either, there's a lot of report writing in most science fields. Sciences aren't the easiest course loads sometimes, I roomed with girls in several majors, the modern language students seemed to have barely any lectures while the chemistry and biology majors were doing 40 hours a week in class or lab, plus assignments outside those hours, so it was hard work keeping everything up. Be prepared for the workload, and talk to the counsellors at school for advice (if chemistry is what you decide to do) to make sure you don't overload yourself with too many courses.
In addition to getting good grades at Chemistry itself, remember you'll also need a reasonable background in physics and mathematics (and possibly biology if you want to head towards agricultural chemicals). Good english grades won't hurt either, there's a lot of report writing in most science fields. Sciences aren't the easiest course loads sometimes, I roomed with girls in several majors, the modern language students seemed to have barely any lectures while the chemistry and biology majors were doing 40 hours a week in class or lab, plus assignments outside those hours, so it was hard work keeping everything up. Be prepared for the workload, and talk to the counsellors at school for advice (if chemistry is what you decide to do) to make sure you don't overload yourself with too many courses.