Chemists

The best means of exploring a career in chemistry while still in high school is to pay attention and work hard in chemistry class. This will give you the opportunity to learn the scientific method, perform chemical experiments, and become familiar with chemical terminology. Advanced placement (AP) courses will also help. Contact the department of chemistry at a local college or university to discuss the field and arrange tours of their laboratories or classrooms. Due to the extensive training involved, it is very unlikely that a high school student will be able to get a summer job or internship working in a laboratory. However, you may want to contact local manufacturers or research institutions to explore the possibility. As an alternative, you could attend chemistry-related summer camps that are offered by college and universities and in other settings. In these camps, you will participate in chemistry experiments, learn how to use science equipment, and meet with chemists to learn more about their careers.

Participate in chemistry-related competitions such as the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (http://www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/olympiad.html).

The American Chemical Society provides a wealth of education and career resources at its Web site, http://www.acs.org. Students can also read ChemMatters (http://www.acs.org/education/chemmatters.html), a magazine for high school chemistry students that is published four times during the school year.