tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post6116129612834348884..comments2024-03-27T21:23:40.339-04:00Comments on Chemjobber: Factlets from yesterday's ACS Webinar -- March 2010 ACS unemployment: 3.8%, new grads getting hammeredChemjobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-84456829069123057832011-03-11T15:51:42.432-05:002011-03-11T15:51:42.432-05:00I graduated in May 2009. It took me a year to fin...I graduated in May 2009. It took me a year to find a temporary lab job, doing the most boring work in the lab for $11/hour. NO BENEFITS whatsoever, not even paid sick days. <br /><br />Maybe I made a mistake not going straight to grad school, but I can tell you this: there are NO good jobs for young people left in this country. Out of the dozens of science majors I knew, both my friends from high school and those I met in college, I can name exactly THREE who landed actual decent jobs. More went to grad school or med school, but that seems to me to merely be delaying the inevitable. Employment across our entire economy has cratered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-58464250939531922552011-02-27T00:04:09.281-05:002011-02-27T00:04:09.281-05:00Who "commonly believes" that one's s...Who "commonly believes" that one's skill set erodes after 3-6 months? If it's the hiring authorities, then how is someone like myself who has been looking for ~2 years ever going to be hired?? <br /><br />Savings gone, living on 401k despite the tax hit....<br /><br />-pcloAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-25963284985791667832011-02-25T20:35:03.543-05:002011-02-25T20:35:03.543-05:00What kind of need is there for more comp science p...What kind of need is there for more comp science people? Isn't that also one of the growth areas? Could be remembering incorrectly. That could play into the whole mat sci/solid-state phys and chem/computer chip architecture stuff.Matthttp://sciencegeist.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-25886812922030033832011-02-25T18:15:49.378-05:002011-02-25T18:15:49.378-05:00Huh. Well, that's not cheering.Huh. Well, that's not cheering.Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-58472013296418610102011-02-25T18:10:52.136-05:002011-02-25T18:10:52.136-05:00A11:32a here. As a materials scientist myself, I ...A11:32a here. As a materials scientist myself, I have to say that that's pretty inaccurate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-38626221128177806972011-02-25T14:46:46.823-05:002011-02-25T14:46:46.823-05:00A11:32a: You know, that's a pretty good point....A11:32a: You know, that's a pretty good point. That said, Brian Roberts did mention that materials science was awfully close to solid-state physics, so I think he has some idea as to the nuances.Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-84246452214747443122011-02-25T14:32:35.118-05:002011-02-25T14:32:35.118-05:00Something the BLS may not realize is that "ma...Something the BLS may not realize is that "materials science" doesn't really exist as a discipline unto itself. In fact, the field includes metallurgy (physical and extractive), corrosion, nanotechnology, microelectronics, construction materials, tribology, polymers, coatings, plasma physics, biological implants, heterogeneous catalysis and surface science, photonics, and just about everything you can imagine. Graduate students in mat sci come from all science and engineering disciplines as do mat sci professors.<br /><br />So...I'm not sure if it's so comforting that a catch-all field is growing. It may simply mean that the materials science "brand" is expanding at the expense of other labels.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-40811429567584373112011-02-25T10:43:16.932-05:002011-02-25T10:43:16.932-05:00If skill erosion sets in at 3-6 months, and a chem...If skill erosion sets in at 3-6 months, and a chemist re-hires after 9-12 months of unemployment, how long til his/her science mojo is back at full strength?Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-57605967818425020562011-02-25T10:16:21.821-05:002011-02-25T10:16:21.821-05:00A7:08a: That's actually quite a good idea.
T...A7:08a: That's actually quite a good idea. <br /><br />That being said, it's a varied picture. The projected job growth in material science is quite high, as is the projected growth for medical science. It's the ~15th slide in (the 4th BLS slide?) that compares job growth in chemistry to most other life/physical science fields. Needless to say, we suffer.Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-46105065401320493582011-02-25T10:08:18.766-05:002011-02-25T10:08:18.766-05:00Seems like someone could start an interesting blog...Seems like someone could start an interesting blog that alternates between the horrible STEM employment news and the pundits, politicians, wonks, and CEOs warning about a STEM shortage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-28051432147237485642011-02-25T08:00:45.506-05:002011-02-25T08:00:45.506-05:00Yikes! This webinar reminds me of something....I ...Yikes! This webinar reminds me of something....I used to proctor for a professor in grad school who would open up his lectures to 300+ students - mostly pre-meds - by saying "look to your left, look to your right, by the end of my class, at least one of those people will have dropped out"See Arr Ohnoreply@blogger.com