"Critically, don’t be a passive observer. Make an effort..."
To find non-traditional chemistry careers, you must first embrace the uncertainty of stepping off the more established path. Rather than fret about getting lost in a treacherous unknown, view it as an opportunity to explore and make your own way.
It is essential to make time to get outside the lab and meet new people. Learning about alternative careers is much more difficult if you remain surrounded by familiar circles, environments, and experiences.
I know networking can be difficult, especially if you don’t feel like you “belong.” But I promise you do! Ignore that impostor syndrome telling you that you are “not interesting, experienced, or accomplished enough.”
Critically, don’t be a passive observer. Make an effort to talk to people and hear about their work. Do this enough, and you’ll learn about all sorts of careers you never knew existed. If you’re interested in their jobs, ask them how they got started. That can provide you with some skills to build and places to look.
Local scientific networking events are great places to start, especially if they are about topics foreign to you. Attending large interdisciplinary and industry-oriented conferences also provides excellent opportunities to follow your interests and wander into new areas of discussion.
"... Do not just embrace change, seek it out and thrive."
If you find yourself curious by a different career field, do not just embrace change, seek it out and thrive. My diverse two-decade career in Research & Development spans synthetic and formulation chemistry, human resources, field science, seed operations, and sustainability. I’ve had the privilege of leading teams in the US, China, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. This has been my approach to venturing into new areas, and it’s a path you can follow too.
Mentors and sponsors provide guidance, open doors, and see strengths and leverageable skills you may not yet see in yourself. These trusted advocates can see the bigger picture and your place in it, including the unconventional avenues.
Internships offer a low-risk way to explore new disciplines, providing real-world experience and skill-building opportunities.
Projects. Volunteer to participate in research projects that are adjacent to your area of expertise. Collaborate with professors, industry experts, or colleagues to gain hands-on experience.
Volunteering in organizations related to your field can enhance project management and leadership skills, expand your network, and bring new skills to your core responsibilities.
Boards. Serving on boards or taking leadership roles in department or business resource groups provides exposure to strategic decision-making and showcases leadership beyond traditional lab settings.
Remember, mentors and sponsors can be catalysts for your non-traditional chemistry journey. Their support and wisdom can shape your path toward fulfilling and impactful roles.
"If you want something outside of the norm, you have to do some proactive stumbling.”
There's no one answer to this, but the broadest one is probably just by trying things. During my PhD, I realized that academia wasn’t for me, so with that big career 'no' in mind, I had to go out and find some yesses for myself. There wasn't a list of all the jobs a (bio)chemist could have that I could cross my way through to make things easier, likely because that list would end up being just every job in the world. If you want something outside of the norm, you have to do some proactive stumbling. Talk to people, attend some talks and conferences that interest you even if they have nothing to do with your current work, and 'follow your passion' like all those big-shots on the career panels say. Initially, I found a lot more ‘no’s because I wanted something that truly fit me, not the expectations of me, but I settled on science policy because all the interviews, talks and volunteer work I did kept pointing back to it.
In the end it’s not very different from how you go about getting a result in the lab. Just trial and error guided by your knowledge of yourself.
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This article has been edited for length and clarity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the view of their employer or the American Chemical Society.
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