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CHEMISTRY CAREER GUIDE 2020/2021 Chemistry2 Copyright Success at School Ltd 2020 AboutSuccess at School With over 300 years of innovation, GSK is a science- led global healthcare company that has a challenging and inspiring mission: to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. GSK is headquartered in the UK and has a global presence across more than 100 countries which allows the company to make a real contribution to the health and wellbeing of people all around the world. Apprenticeships at GSK will give you hands-on experience and the opportunity to play a key role in contributing to the future success of the company. Roles within chemistry will equip you with the skills and knowledge to tackle a variety of scientific challenges working in our laboratories – the heartbeat of our company. Aboutour sponsor Success at School is a national careers website for students aged 11-19, as well as their teachers, careers advisors, parents and other influencers. Young people can learn about their future career options through no- nonsense careers advice related to their own experiences. As well as covering topics such as career paths, industries, apprenticeships, university and employability skills, we connect schools and students to employers and universities through opportunities on our site and our interactive forums. Millions of young people and their influencers have visited our site for advice and information to help them plan for the future. Go to successatschool.org for more information.3 CHEMISTRY CAREER GUIDE Contents 05 What is chemistry? 06 How will chemistry prepare me for work? 10 Should I choose chemistry? 12 T-levels 15 Job roles 18 How to future-proof your career 14 Why work experience matters 20 GSK profile 32 Everything you need to know about gap years 22 Spotlight job 34 University 24 Interviews 28 Apprenticeships4 It’s an exciting time to be considering studying chemistry. It is a subject which can provide you with valuable transferable skills such as analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, project and data management and teamwork. All of these will be useful throughout your career, whether you use your chemistry background in a scientific or laboratory-based profession, or something more business focussed. It’s true that some roles require specific subject backgrounds. However, many companies, including GSK, will also have roles where applications from students with any subject background will be considered. At GSK, for example, we offer a range of apprenticeships, placements and graduate roles which use the skills and knowledge developed through studying chemistry – from tackling scientific challenges in one of our research and design (R&D) laboratories to designing, optimising or operating cutting edge technologies at one of our manufacturing sites, or supporting business operations through, for example, finance or data analytics. Whichever route you ultimately decide to take, I recommend you consider subjects that you are passionate about and enjoy studying as this will help you stay motivated through your studies and beyond. I hope that you find this guide useful and I wish you all the very best with your future education and career choices. Laura Barnard Graduate recruitment manager GSK Foreword5 Chemistry is the science of all the substances that make up our world and how they react with one another. Have you ever wondered why sunscreen protects your skin? Or why onions make you cry? Chemistry has the answer. But chemistry isn’t only related to biological processes. It’s responsible for many other things, from generating power to making your coat waterproof. Chemicals are everywhere and in everything. They can be natural or manmade. When you study chemistry, you learn about the properties of different substances, as well as the changes they undergo when they interact. You’ll learn how to describe what you observe and how to record your findings accurately. In 2020, medical chemists all over the world have been using their skills to learn more about the Covid-19 virus, helping with the search for tests, treatments and a possible vaccine. Energy specialists are searching for ways to make hydrogen fuel cells more efficient and exploring how to make hydrogen production carbon neutral. You’ll develop plenty of transferable skills through chemistry too. Your investigative skills could help if you want to become an air accident investigator. Being observant is essential if you work as a building surveyor. Your mathematical skills could prepare you for a range of engineering roles. What is chemistry?6 5 workplace skills you’ll learn in chemistry Observation In class: You will learn how to observe the results of experiments and demonstrations in a thorough and systematic way. You will accurately record your findings, noting any important details which will help you draw conclusions. At work: Observation skills are crucial to science- based roles in fields such as food manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and forensic science. Outside science, professions such as marketing rely on careful observation of campaign performance. How will chemistry prepare me for work? Attention to detail In class: Your findings from chemistry experiments are based on your observations. You need to accurately record what you see. Attention to detail is also vital for safety. You need to be aware of any potential hazards, especially when you’re working with chemicals. You also need to be accurate when you’re drawing atomic diagrams to represent bonding, structure and reactions. At work: This skill is important in all jobs to show professionalism and ensure your work is accurate. An accountant needs to make sure that figures add up. Surgeons often work on very small and specific parts of the body. They need to focus and be incredibly precise in their work. Data analysis In class: When you carry out experiments, you’ll be gathering data. You’ll also source data from other sources to inform your work. You need to analyse this data to provide insights that can support your conclusions. At work: There are lots of jobs, like data scientist or systems analyst, that involve data analysis. You’ll also find this skill is useful if you work as a digital marketing manager, where you analyse data about online traffic and activity to inform your campaigns. Presentation In class: Sharing the findings from your experiments is important. At school this might mean giving an oral presentation to a small group of your classmates, or even the whole class. You may also present diagrams of atoms, structures or reactions. At work: Presenting in a way that engages, informs and persuades is a useful skill. Politicians often speak in front of large groups of people. If you train as a university lecturer, you’ll have to give presentations to students in language they can understand. Problem solving In class: You’ll learn how chemists have used their skills to solve problems throughout history. Often the chemistry experiments you carry out will be designed to find the answer to a problem. You may also need to think about potential problems when you’re designing your experiments. At work: Many IT jobs require excellent problem-solving skills. A network engineer will need to find the most efficient way to solve any problems with a company’s computer network. There can also be problems between people. An HR manager will need to manage any issues between team members.7 CHEMISTRY CAREER GUIDE ...and 2 you may not have thought of Numeracy In class: You’ll use basic numeracy skills when carrying out experiments in chemistry and recording your findings. Maths will help you understand complex concepts in chemistry, as well as help you find solutions to problems. At work: Strong maths skills are useful in many professions. Architects use maths when drawing up plans for new buildings. Computer animators use maths to make sure that everything they create is in proportion and behaves as you would expect. Project management In class: You’ll need to plan practical experiments and investigations to fit into lesson deadlines. That will involve organising experiments and leaving enough time to analyse the results and write your report. You may also need to manage projects in a group with your classmates. At work: Being able to organise projects is useful in many jobs. Construction managers have to make sure that all the materials and tradespeople are available at the right time to complete a project. If you work as a biotechnologist you’ll need to manage lab work and allow time for analysis and report writing.8 Learn about ionic and covalent bonding in terms of electron arrangements. Be able to explain permanent and induced dipole-dipole interactions between molecules. This will include hydrogen bonding. Understand how to interpret the physical properties of materials in terms of their structure and bonding. Learn about electronegativity and how that applies to bond type, as well as about the shapes of simple molecules and ions. Understanding hydrogen bonding is essential in a range of jobs. DNA scientists need to understand this process because it’s how DNA strands are replicated. Materials engineers also need a solid understanding of the bonding and structure of elements and how they interact. For instance, nylon is a widely-used material and just one example of a substance that uses hydrogen bonding. KnowledgeHow will it help me at work? Develop knowledge of inorganic chemistry and the periodic table. This includes which elements and compounds fall into metallic and non-metallic groups, as well as their characteristic reactions. You’ll also learn about the properties of the elements and compounds in each group, as well as how to identify trends across different groups of elements. Trends can include an element’s melting point or its ionisation energy. Understanding of inorganic chemistry and the periodic table is particularly useful in positions like mining analytical chemist, for instance. Here, your job is to measure the content of a particular metal, such as gold, in rock and mineral ore samples. Inorganic chemists also use their knowledge to help develop electronic products, specifically the microchips that are used in computers and mobile phones. Gain an understanding of different pieces of laboratory equipment and how and when they’re used. Develop knowledge of various experimental techniques, including titration, distillation, filtration and qualitative tests for ions and organic functional groups. You’ll also understand when it’s appropriate to use each in the context of your work. These experimental techniques are used in various industries. Pharmacists use titration to analyse the purity and content of medicines, for instance. Forensic scientists will use chemical analysis and testing for ions and gases. Water treatment engineers need a good understanding of filtration to ensure that water filtration and purification processes are as efficient as possible. 5 ways your chemistry know-how will help you at work9 CHEMISTRY CAREER GUIDE Learn about catalysts, what they are and how they work in a chemical reaction. Use the Maxwell- Boltzmann distribution of molecular energies in gases to explain how a catalyst increases the rate of reaction in a gas. Get to grips with other elements of kinetics, including collision theory and the effect of temperature on reaction rate. Knowing about kinetic energy is essential for a nuclear engineer. The kinetic energy of fission fragments is vital for generating energy in a nuclear power plant. Combustion engineers also use this knowledge in their jobs. They might be working on developing a new type of car engine or designing a new and more efficient heating system for our homes. KnowledgeHow will it help me at work? Learn about the industrial, medicinal and scientific uses of alcohol, specifically ethanol. Find out how ethanol is produced through the fermentation process and how fractional distillation is used to separate it. Understand how and why it’s used as a biofuel. Explore what biofuels are and the environmental issues surrounding their use. Biochemists and microbiologists might work to develop new forms of biofuel and explore new techniques to create biofuel from ethanol. Mechanical engineers working in the bioenergy sector will also need to understand the production of ethanol to design and improve the efficiency of biomass plants. Environmental consultants need to understand different biofuels and when it’s appropriate to use them.Next >