Your guide to become an Chemist in Malaysia

Average Salary
2,000 - 3,000

Job Demand

Who is an Chemist

A Chemist is responsible for tasks such as developing standards and procedures for chemical analysis, monitoring the usage of chemicals, analysing the production.

Chemistry happens around us all the time. It is not just about chemical solutions reacting to each other or the protons in a particle like how we learned back in school. In fact, Chemistry is involved in every situation down to the little details from cooking a meal to brewing tea. Believe it or not, Chemistry even takes place in our bodies! A simple example would be the oxygen that we need for respiration is actually a chemical compound which is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen elements. If you’re interested to learn about Science inside out and truly understand how two things react to each other, then this is the right job for you! Not to worry, there are multiple fields in the Chemist industry such as Organic Chemist and Inorganic Chemist so you will have different options to choose depending on your interest.

Search for all careers

The pros and cons of being an Chemist

Pros

Feeling a sense of accomplishment from your new discoveries and inventions

Cons

Highly competitive industry especially for entry-level positions
Requires higher qualification such as a Master’s or Doctoral Degree for higher salary and career advancement

What are all the responsibilities of an Chemist ?

Interpreting, recording and reporting data and results
Analysing sample materials and developing better technology for material analysis
Working in a team
Communicating with clients, staffs and suppliers
Being up to date with current issues

Ask For Experts

Incase of any queries

What skills do you need to become an Chemist?

Having a good time management

Oftentimes, you will have multiple ongoing projects and it is crucial that you are able to juggle between them instead of crumbling under the pressure. With several projects on your hands, it will not be surprising that some of the deadlines are pretty near to each other. It is best to plan your schedule ahead and optimise the time you have before you get countless phone calls from your bosses just to shout into your ears.

Ability to simplify and convey complex information to normal people who will not understand

Avogadro’s Law, chirality, ions, hemiacetal carbon, wait what? Slow down, the normal people or non-Chemists wouldn’t be able to understand a thing you just said! All these jargons and Chemist terms are just gibberish to the others. Therefore, if you can explain something complex in a very simple way, it would be very helpful.

Ability to work with technology

If you aspire to be a Chemist, you must be tech-savvy! You will be working with a plethora of high technology machines and some procedures are rather complicated hence it is definitely not just for anyone.

What field(s) of study should you choose to become an Chemist?

Chemical Biology
Biochemistry
Genetic Engineering
Toxicology

What are the requirements to be an Chemist?

First of all, you would need to attain at least a degree in any field of Chemistry such as Chemical Biology and Biochemistry before you are eligible to be a Chemist. As you gain more experience and training while working, large companies may provide you an opportunity to further your studies.