Nontraditional Careers
from Traditional
Collegiate Curricula
by T. C. Ichniowski
Illinois State University
The pHilter/Winter1990
(Reproduced with permission.)
Do you know that chemists work in the sales and marketing divisions
of many chemical companies? Do you know that some chemists are patent attorneys?
Are you aware that the U.S. Navy actively recruits college science and engineering
majors for its program in nuclear propulsion and that some insurance companies
that specialize in services to industrial firms also recruit science and
engineering majors?
Not all chemists and chemical engineers pursue careers in laboratories,
teaching, or manufacturing. Chemical professionals are also journalists,
environmentalists, and legislators. Some chemists use their expertise in
museums, libraries, and crime laboratories. Thus, the stereo type that the
chemist is the white-coated professional in a laboratory or that an engineer
is the hard-hatted professional in a plant does not accurately portray the
range of careers available to the chemical professional.
Your college education as a student of the chemical sciences is both scientific
and technical. The application of this information requires that you develop
skills in analytical thinking, quantitative evaluating, and, in general,
problem solving. This type of education, along with professional experience
as a scientist or an engineer, lends it self very well to creative growth
and development into careers that some consider unusual. In the chemical
profession these so-called unusual careers are called nontraditional or
specialized careers. There is a growing need and demand for individuals
with technical expertise to function in a range of nonlaboratory and nonmanufacturing
situations. For example, the left-hand column of Box I lists some specialized
careers that individuals with collegiate chemical or engineering degrees
can pursue. While the demand for some of these is limited (e.g., museum
work and industrial insurance), the demand for some is relatively great
(e.g., sales, marketing, and patent law.) As you study and consider the
various careers available to the people with a technical education, you
might investigate nontraditional careers and some of the strategies that
can be used to prepare for these kinds of professional pursuits. In some
instances, the preparation can occur concurrently with the traditional baccalaureate
curriculum; in other instances, you can prepare by taking advantage of specialized
graduate programs or appropriate continuing education activities such as
short courses or individual study courses.
The distribution of courses and requirements in a typical undergraduate
curriculum for a chemistry major is shown in Box II. You can prepare for
a nontraditional career by carefully selecting courses within the general
education program, elective courses permitted within the curriculum, or
by pursuing a minor. Therefore, regardless of the size of the institution
or its chemistry program, your judicious election of courses or academic
minor is frequently all that is needed to prepare for various types of nontraditional
careers. Box I suggests courses and minors that can contribute to the academic
preparation for some of the so-called unusual careers.
Box I
Suggested Courses and Programs To Prepare for Nontraditional Careers
Potential career Elective courses/programs
Environmental sciences Biology, hygiene
Government, public service Political science,psychology,
communications, law, economics
Industrial insurance Business administration, economics,
accounting, finance, marketing
Library science Library science, computers
Management, marketing, Business administration,
sales, finance economics, accounting, finance, marketing
Mass communication Mass communication, journalism, speech,
radio TV announcing, media productions
Museums Art, anthropology, history
Personnel Psychology, economics,
accounting, business administration
Scientific computing Computer sciences, mathematics
Science writing Journalism, writing, English,
ACS Short Courses, ACS Media
Courses
For example, there are elective courses within the general university
requirements (sometimes also called humanities or arts and sciences) that
can be chosen for a career in government and public service or museums;
there may be certain courses or programs in other departments on campus
that can be elected in conjunction with the chemistry major as preparation
for careers in management and science writing. You might also be able to
locate a specialized program. For example, the University of Wisconsin at
Eau Claire has an undergraduate major in chemical business.
Internships and Co-ops
Another very valuable component of an undergraduate program that can be
used to help in career planning is participation in an internship, cooperative
education program, or other practical professional pursuit. These expe riences
might be traditional, such as work in a laboratory or a chemical manufacturing
plant, or they might be in an area labeled nontraditional. For example,
some chemistry majors have had academically related practical experience
in state and federal crime laboratories, sales offices, patent offices,
and in general management. These experiences are valuable because they provide,
within the undergraduate curriculum, the opportunity of applying, testing,
and evaluating the academic learning and career paths during paraprofessional
participation in industrial or governmental laboratory work. Also, during
the pursuit of the classical type of internship or co-op experience, you
have the opportunity to learn by watching the various endeavors in which
the chemical professional participates. If you become interested in a nontraditional
career because of these paraprofessional experiences, you can customize
your remaining curriculum toward pursuing the nontraditional career through
judicious election of courses.
Advanced Study
Some of these specialized careers might require study beyond the bachelor's
degree. Box III lists of some of graduate, professional, or advanced study
programs that require a bachelor's degree for admission. If you consider
such a program, you will need to complete an appropriate undergraduate program
and other requirements specified for admission. For example, if considering
a career in patent law, you will need to consult the campus advisor on pre-law
programs to determine what the current requirements are for admission to
law school. In some cases, you might need some post-baccalaureate courses
to make up some requirement or deficiency.
Finally, once away from the formal school situation, you can continue to
look for opportunities for career changes into the specialized careers.
Often these opportunities will be based on the experiences you have on-the-job
or in formal or continuing education. Excellent short courses on a variety
of topics will be offered either by your employer or by some independent
vendor such as the American Chemical Society. Some examples of continuing
education or short courses that might be offered are in management, sales,
and scientific writing. Just a course or two from a local college or community
college could be all that is needed to assist you in a career change to
a nontraditional career.
Once you decide to pursue a nontraditional career, individual creativity
is the key. The principal ingredient for a meaningful education is planning
based on knowledge and personal direction. Your goals and curriculum should
be constructed on the basis of your experiences and on advice from vour
personal contacts. Don't regard the undergraduate curriculum as a series
of requirements and hurdles to accomplish just so that you can receive a
degree. Rather, look at the curriculum as a wealth of opportunities to enrich
yourself and your education, as well as providing a mechanism for the pursuit
of immediate and long-range personal goals, such as a rewarding career.
Dr. Ichniowski is Professor of Chemistry at Illinois State University,
Normal, IL.
Box II
Distribution of Courses in a Typical Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum
Area Approximate percentage
Chemistry 33
General education 35
Minor 20
Electives 12
Box III
Graduate and Postcollegiate Programs
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Health
Forensic Science or Chemistry
Hospital Administration
Industrial Hygiene
Library Sciences
Masters of Business Administration
Oceanographic Chemistry
Patent Law
Toxicology