Monday, March 29, 2010

Job fair numbers from 2010 ACS Spring Conference

This past week, the 2010 ACS spring conference took place in San Francisco. The numbers reported to the ACS Council about the associated job fair were as follows:

40 employers seeking applicants
116 positions available 
1018 job seekers

As nasty as those numbers sound, I'll bet that's not more than a standard deviation or two above the mean. Then again, I don't have much to compare with, other than last year's spring numbers (32 employers, 176 positions, 524 applicants.) I suspect the geographical location (SF vs. Salt Lake City) has much to do with the increased number of employers and job seekers.

Good luck out there!

4 comments:

  1. I'm currently a junior seeking a BS in Chemistry and I am absolutely scared to death about my job prospects. I've got a summer research gig for 2010 to pad up my resume, but how the heck am I going to compete against guys with 20+ years of experience? No way.

    Everyone at this college is pushing grad school like it is some magical saving grace, but all I see is the prolonging of the inevitable (and an increase in student loan debt) for these folks.

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  2. Anon3:20:

    I'm not dismissing your concern at all, but I don't think you're competing against those with lots and lots of experience. Rookies don't compete against NFL veterans (ok - not technically), they mostly compete against other rookies.

    More likely than not, your competition for entry-level positions is going to be other college seniors and other B.S./M.S. folks with 1-3 years of experience.

    All of that said, you're thinking about it a year out, so it sounds like you're being smart. Best of luck.

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  3. Oh, and yeah, with the potential exception of getting an M.S., graduate school is by no means a magical saving grace.

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  4. Just a little article I think people considering grad school should read. It compares the difference in lifetime salaries of BS vs Ph.D scientists.

    http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2008_04_11/caredit_a0800055

    A recent comment on In The Pipeline states that all BS/MS jobs are the ones being farmed out to Asia, but it then says that chemistry as a whole is a dead end, so take from that what you will.

    Also keep in mind that if you want to conduct research as a faculty member you have no choice but to get a Ph.D. If you're looking to have a decent paying job and the ability to live comfortably, your considerations will change.

    I also agree with Chemjobber, grad school is not a guarantee to an easier or better life, just a potential avenue.

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looks like Blogger doesn't work with anonymous comments from Chrome browsers at the moment - works in Microsoft Edge, or from Chrome with a Blogger account - sorry! CJ 3/21/20