Will I Be Rich If I Study Chemistry?
A UTME candidate asked this question via Google.
Well, we are not God and can’t say who will be rich and not rich, but we ran the question through some of our readers here are some of the most reasonable responses:
Dear Young Potential Chemist,
Your question is kind of funny to begin with, but it’s also an intelligent one, if one looks at it deeply.
Well, If I can advise you, with my little experience, I would say only grace, serious hard work and your Creator can lead you on, after years of studying chemistry in Nigeria.
Chemistry, like many allied science courses, is no longer marketable as it used to be in time past, with the everyday disappearance of factories and industries that can consume huge numbers of industrial workforce.
Today, an average Chemistry/Industrial Chemistry/Biochemistry graduate either works as Quality control officer in one mushroom food mill/processing company or he makes do with Sales Representative job. The biggest chunk swerve to other industries like Banking, Communication, Academics and even private business to birth a new career path.
The truth is bitter, but it must be told. In a chemistry class, you do much of reading, cramming all sorts of pathways, structures, IUPAC names, and the rests, for a little future guarantee afterwards, as a chemistry student. I would rather advice you expend the same energy as you would have injected, into Pharmacy, it’s better there. As a Pharmacist in Nigeria, you have a better chance of soft landing happily than say Chemistry.
But if money is not that important, which I doubt from your level of reasoning, which is cool to me, because ( you know why you are asking), then I would say, study hard in Chemistry, ensure you have no less than a 4.00 CGPA, apply for postgraduate scholarships afterwards, then I can assure you the sky is not a limit but a starting point to begin with.
My brother, that’s the only safe path available for now, think well, be prepared and pray along, it’s not going to be that easy but it usually ends happily.
You will be fine.
AbdulLateef Eluyemi
Well, I can’t guarantee you will be rich and I believe that applies for any course. However, if you do study Chemistry you will have a lot of opportunities especially because it is a flexible course and has many applications. Hence you can relatively easily work in many different places including most industries and the academia.
Mujeeb Onawole
Dear young Chemist,
That was a million dollar question. I graduated as a Chemist about 12 years ago, some of my friends are either Lecturers, Teachers,or Quality Control Analysts. Some have turned out to be Chemical Engineer by opting for MSc Biotechnology, some are now Environmental Protection Consultants, some work in oil and gas settings abroad e.t.c. Those are people whose practice are related to their discipline. Some are bankers, business administrators, marketers and other commercial related disciplines. I am now an accountant….the most disheartening part of it is that those that those practice what they studied or something related to their discipline are about 3 percent of the graduating class, while about 20 percent are now in other fields and the rest of us are unemployed.
I am not here to scare you but to let you know that it is not the course of study that matters but your ability to think outside the box. Although what will be will be but you should put premium in yourself becoming useful in life…can you imagine a chemist turned chartered accountant? That is what I want you to have in mind? Ability to create relevance for yourself even when you don’t even have opportunities.
Review this advice and then choose your reaction pathway, your kinetics with the catalysts, on your way there are many solvents try as many as possible to get your adequate solutions.
Habeeb Shittu
VERDICT
The course of study does not determine whether you will be rich or not. As a matter of fact, you can even be rich without going to school at all. If Chemistry is what your heart desires, please go for it. If you don’t become rich, it will hardly be because you studied Chemistry.
In the word of my academic mentor, Dr. Michael Taiwo, “one thing that I know that sells is EXCELLENCE. Be excellent in whatever you do.”
I wish you all the best.
Jarus
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Nice advice. I too learnt a lot from all this