Chemists are one of Chemistry’s most promising occupations.  There are many different fields of chemistry for a chemist to become.  Each field has its own different aspects and courses needed although they all deal with chemistry.  Chemists work as teachers, writers, consultants and many other fields.  However, most chemists deal with research and development.
The job of a chemist is to study matter and the reactions it undergoes.  Chemists make compounds and try to understand the reactions that produce those compounds.  Chemists are hired by many chemical and pharmaceutical industries for the sole purpose of coming up with cost-efficient products such as plastics, coatings, ceramics, drugs, fillers, alloys, and many more.
Many chemists focus on certain fields of work such as inorganic, organic, analytical, physical, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, and forensics. People looking forward to a career in chemistry should enjoy performing experiments and a sense of math and science.  It is also very important for chemists to have good problem solving skills, be extremely accurate, and above all have patience.  Students should also start off early.  By taking courses such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, and life sciences, in high school there is an advantage over others by having an understanding for the field and good laboratory skills.  It is also recommend that students study a foreign language such as French, German, or Russian, which will be useful to future chemists.  Studying computer sciences is also a plus since employers are looking for people with computerized laboratory skills. Colleges and universities offer bachelor’s degree in chemistry, although higher education, which is offered by few, is preferred.
Some possible colleges specializing in the field of chemistry are Virginia Tech, Iowa State University which has a special IACCN program dealing with Chemistry, JMU the school of Pharmacy and Chemistry, and many more for a list of colleges dealing with chemistry go to   HYPERLINK http://www-stud.uni-essen.de/~sc0050/chempnt/CP-FEB96.HTM   http://www-stud.uni-essen.de/~sc0050/chempnt/CP-FEB96.HTM .
There is a need for chemists, especially with the corporate businesses.  The field of chemist is expected to grow along with the need for them.  Opportunities in environmental and organic chemists, drug research and environmental issues will create the greatest demand for chemists.  For higher positions such as administrative and managerial advanced degrees are required.  To become a Chemical professor, or chemists doing basic research, and those chemists employed in high administrative positions in both industry and teaching a Ph.D. is needed.
Salaries for chemists range from $29,300 with a bachelor’s degree to $38,000 with a master’s and $52,900 with a Ph.D.  The average salary for each chemist is $45,400, $53,500, and $66,00 respectively.
Chemists deal with all sorts of problems, form nuclear waste to figuring out which cosmetic will cause rashes with contact to human skin.  Chemists are responsible for finding ways to fix the o-zone layer.
Chemists are needed widely across the planet and the field of chemistry and what it has to offer expands everyday.  Chemists work on environmental problems which chemical is the most dangerous air pollutant to forensic chemists who try to figure out who murdered someone by DNA and small fibers found around the crime scene.  Chemistry is a wide field of opportunities but also has a lot of work to it and a lot of research.  Chemists solve everyday problems and create better products to help the human race and mother earth.