Painting the future

Recently I attended a talk given by OCCA (Oil and Colour Chemists Association) at the University of Salford. OCCA is a charity that aims to educate aspiring chemists about the coatings industry. A range of individuals came to give us an insight into how they ended up in the coatings industry, and why it is an avenue we should consider.

Personally, I was inspired by this talk as most individuals had a career within the coatings industry that I had never heard of or considered to be a role for a chemist. I was also shocked to learn that they didn’t all study chemistry at university and some of them had landed in the chemistry business from alternate routes. I really enjoyed the fresh perspective I gained from the individuals that didn’t have a chemistry background, as we don’t often have the opportunity to perceive the industry from a different angle.

This talk enabled me to gain perspective on how many industries rely on chemists and how valuable that makes my skills. It has also opened a whole new avenue of careers for me to look into, as well as giving me the chance to reflect on what type of person I am and consequently what job I see myself in.

Overall, what I took from this talk was that it is okay to not know what job you want as soon as you graduate and that it is important to keep your options open and explore all avenues.