• Prospects after Graduation

Whether you are a student majoring in chemistry, a recent graduate, or even a member of the general public, you might often wonder: what can you actually do with a degree in chemistry? How can the chemistry knowledge you acquire in school be applied in the industry? Which industries are closely related to chemistry? In this sharing session, I hope to provide everyone with a deeper understanding of these industries and offer chemistry students some mental preparation regarding the workplace and job responsibilities.

Career Paths After Graduating with a Chemistry-Related Degree

In Taiwan, jobs that require a professional background in chemistry can generally be categorized as follows:

  • Teaching positions (high school teachers, university professors)
  • Petrochemical industry
  • Chemical and chemical engineering industries (e.g., 3M, DuPont, Dow Chemical, LCY Chemical)
  • Biotechnology industry (biotech companies, the Development Center for Biotechnology)
  • Pesticide companies
  • Inspection companies (e.g., SGS, ITS, Intertek, Toy Safety Institute, Environmental Inspection companies)
  • Ministry of Health and Welfare, various county and city health departments
  • Fire departments, various county and city fire departments
  • Environmental inspection institutes, various county and city environmental protection bureaus
  • Forensic science, drug testing centers, forensic research institutes
  • Semiconductor industry (e.g., TSMC)
  • Food companies
  • Instrumentation companies (e.g., Agilent, Waters, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

The speaker is currently employed as an engineer at an instrumentation company, responsible for equipment related to testing and analysis (such as liquid chromatography instruments). In various aspects of life, from food and clothing to everyday necessities, many industries require chemical analysis techniques for quality control and inspection. For instance, the ingredients in beverages, bacterial counts, or materials used in everyday items like tape and pens are all tested to ensure they do not pose harmful effects on human health. Broadly speaking, chemistry is very closely integrated with daily life, and the types of jobs one can pursue in this field are extremely diverse!