How To Become A Field Chemist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a field chemist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bryan Spiegelberg Ph.D.

A field chemist studies the physical structure of a substance and makes an analysis of reactions it makes while in contact with other substances. Field chemists are different from laboratory chemists as your work as a field chemist is done outside the laboratory on the worksite. The data you documented from your observations and analysis are used as a source of information to develop new products or processes. Data obtained from your research can be used to manage hazardous substances, produce new drugs or improve old ones, manufacture in various industrious fields, and develop engineering processes or products.

The set of skills required from you are critical thinking skills, analytical skills, problem-solving skills, writing skills, mathematical skills, ability to work with a team, and ability to work with tools and technology relating to your field. You should also have a bachelor's degree in chemistry or a closely related course. Averagely, a field chemist earns $67,076 per year.

What general advice would you give to a field chemist?

Bryan Spiegelberg Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Molecular Sciences, Rider University

Balance patience with a sense of urgency. In a hypercompetitive market, new jobs, or other experiences will likely not be optimal -- the work might be tedious, or the pay might be low. But budding chemists can't get discouraged in these positions, there are still plenty of satisfying careers out there. I would remind these job seekers that they absolutely cannot become complacent, however. Finding those great careers will require hard work. I advise graduates to seek value from every opportunity, tenaciously. For example, can arriving early and leaving late to an entry-level lab position pay dividends in the form of new knowledge or skills? And, most importantly, how can that entry-level position be leveraged to expand the all-important network?

It's also essential for graduates to understand that even the most definite sense of urgency is going to be inefficient in the absence of a cohesive plan. Planning is stressful, though, when one is just starting. I advise grads to use multiple tools, including their network and their alma mater's career services department, to identify mentors who can help them establish appropriate goals and strategies.

ScoreField ChemistUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,162

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 18.10%

Black or African American 8.13%

Hispanic or Latino 9.51%

Unknown 4.63%

White 59.39%

Gender

female 17.43%

male 82.57%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a field chemist

Explore field chemist education requirements

Most common field chemist degrees

Bachelor's

81.7 %

Associate

10.4 %

Master's

5.5 %

Start to develop specific field chemist skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	38.60%
Non-Hazardous Waste	7.21%
Customer Sites	6.77%
Household Hazardous Waste	5.95%
OSHA	5.38%

Complete relevant field chemist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New field chemists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a field chemist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real field chemist resumes.

Research field chemist duties and responsibilities

Manage and audit projects to ensure compliance of state, federal and OSHA regulations.
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Utilize analytic testing on new compounds using the following techniques: GC-MS, HPLC and ICP.

Prepare your field chemist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your field chemist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a field chemist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable field chemist resume templates

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