Academics doing research at a Ph.D. granting institution tend to earn the highest salaries. They are more apt to supplement their salaries by consulting than chemists in any other type of employment. The chemists who teach as their primary function in industry tend to hold Ph.D.s and are few in number. Any exposure to working faculty members is a good way to begin understanding their jobs to determine if teaching is the right profession for you. In college, you may be able to get a job as a lab assistant or a teaching assistant or get involved in tutoring programs.
Some colleges offer tutoring for local high school students.
Working with students may help you discover talents you didn't know you had. On the other hand, you may discover that you don't enjoy explaining and describing things to a certain age and education level. Copyright 1999 American Chemical Society. All Rights Reserved.