Spring 2019 Survey Report

Industry Panel of Cal State LA Alumni

Hosted by the Chemistry & Biochemistry Club

Thursday, March 28th at 7:00 PM in BIOS 352

Event was moved to larger venue – BIOS 144 Auditorium due to large attendance.

Further information about this event can be found at:

http://www.calstatela.edu/orgs/chemistryandbiochemistry/csula-alumni-industry-panel-spring-2019

Survey composed by Cecilia Zurita-Lopez, Faculty Co-advisor, Chemistry & Biochemistry Club Survey results compiled by Helen Chan and Alyssa Fernandez, Chemistry & Biochemistry Club Officers.

Page 2 of 6

ALUMNI INDUSTRY PANEL STUDENT SURVEY SPRING 2019

Description of Event:

Four Cal State LA Alumni who have careers in industry shared their work experience. All students were welcome to come learn about how to better prepare themselves for careers in industry. The panelists represented different areas and sectors including manufacturing, cosmetics, and analytical chemistry and were willing to answer questions about industry jobs.

Students asked questions about applying for a job, preparing for the interview, and/or want tips on what they can do now as students to build their resumes are welcome.

Approximately 75 students in attendance; 4 faculty members from the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department.

The event was FREE and refreshments were served, however students were asked to register by fill out survey, which included the following questions: When will you graduate? What is your ultimate career goal? Have you been to the Career Center on campus?

The following are questions from the survey. Not all students answered the approximately 16 questions or all the parts to the questions.

66 students filled out the survey (responses). Approximately 50 were undergraduates and 15 were MS students.

Breakdown of Students by Major:

Field Count Percentage Chemistry 14 21.54% Biochemistry 35 53.85% Biology 8 12.31% Microbiology 6 9.23% Physics 2 3.08% Other 0 0.00%

When will you graduate?

34.38%

14.06%

14.06%

37.50%

Page 3 of 6

ALUMNI INDUSTRY PANEL STUDENT SURVEY SPRING 2019

What is your ultimate career goal?

Do you have a “back-up” career plan?

Field Count Percentage Yes 17 26.56% Maybe 33 51.56% No 14 21.88%

Have you been to the Career Center on campus?

Field Count Percentage Yes 18 27.69% No 47 72.31%

15.38%

29.23%

29.23%

26.15%

Other, please specify: 1. Work 2. Criminalist 3. Plant Bioengineering Research Chemist 4. MS in Organic Chemistry or Pharmaceutics

and work in the industry of Cosmetics. 5. Industry 6. Forensics 7. Research Chemist 8. Clinical Lab Scientist 9. Industry 10. Industry 11. Forensic Pathologist 12. Cosmetics 13. Industry or research 14. Researcher 15. Law School 16. Medicinal Chemist 17. Pharmaceutical Scientist 18. Clinical Laboratory Scientist 19. Industry

Description of back-up career plan: 1. Medical doctor 2. Invest in biomedical companies and

work in drug development 3. Botanical Sciences 4. Educator 5. Biotech/Chemtech/Medschool 6. Construction 7. Nursing 8. Industry jobs

9. PhD 10. Professor 11. Forensic science technician 12. Nutritional biochemistry, biology 13. Industry 14. Industry 15. Teacher 16. Possibly teaching

If yes, how many times? • 5 entries said once • 10 entries said twice • 1 entry said “about 3 times” • 1 entry said four • 1 entry said “maybe a total of 5”

Page 4 of 6

ALUMNI INDUSTRY PANEL STUDENT SURVEY SPRING 2019

How often do you think about your career goal?

Never Rarely Monthly Weekly Daily Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

1 1.54% 0 0.00% 11 16.92% 22 33.85% 31 47.69% 65 How often do you search for jobs related to your major?

Never Rarely Monthly Weekly Daily Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

3 4.69% 20 31.25% 18 28.13% 14 21.88% 9 14.06% 64 How often do you talk to your friends about your career goal?

Never Rarely Monthly Weekly Daily Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

0 0.00% 10 15.63% 18 18.13% 27 42.19% 9 14.06% 64 I am confident about my knowledge of the steps required to achieve my career goal Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

3 4.62% 5 7.69% 26 40.00% 23 35.38% 8 12.31% 65 I need help achieving my career goal. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

1 1.54% 0 0.00% 12 18.46% 27 41.54% 25 38.46% 65 I know where to find out about STEM careers. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

1 1.54% 8 12.31% 31 47.69% 23 35.38% 2 3.08% 65 I am confident about my knowledge of careers associated with my major. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

0 0.00% 9 13.85% 30 46.15% 23 35.38 3 4.62% 65

Page 5 of 6

ALUMNI INDUSTRY PANEL STUDENT SURVEY SPRING 2019

I am confident about my knowledge of careers in industry such as biotech. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

4 6.25% 17 26.56% 26 40.63 15 23.44% 2 3.13% 64 I am confident that I can create a resume. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

2 3.13% 7 10.94% 19 29.69% 28 43.75% 8 12.50% 64 I am confident that I can find a job after I graduate. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Count % Count % Count % Count % Count % Total

3 4.62% 6 9.23% 31 47.69% 19 29.23% 6 9.23% 65 What do you hope to learn from the Alumni Industry Panel?

1. Other options than what I have my mindset on for a backup plan. 2. Industry job opportunities 3. internships 4. Opportunities 5. experiences and open to hear any advice 6. Bio advancements 7. Options for careers in biochemistry. 8. leads 9. How to better my job search + tips for my resume 10. network to have potential job openings after graduate school. 11. How to become a more competitive applicant. 12. To learn about different careers outside of healthcare 13. How difficult it is, how people are treated in industry, how disposable they feel, the ethics of the companies

they work for, how cutthroat it is in industry. 14. I am really interested and determined to have a career in Cosmetics/Skincare. I hop that I learn what steps I

need to take now as an undergrad to be successful in that industry. I would also like to learn about programs that focus on Cosmetic Science, and possibly internships that could be available.

15. What the next steps to my career is. 16. Different career options for my Biochemistry major 17. Interview tips, resources to gain experience required for positions 18. What is it like to work in industry 19. Their path 20. Different career paths I can take with my degree. 21. Working in industry 22. How others went about their career goals 23. Chemistry career path 24. Insight to different experiences people have for different types of careers in STEM other than academia. 25. What it's like to go from school to industry and how to prepare. 26. Friend 27. Certain skills required for industry

Page 6 of 6

ALUMNI INDUSTRY PANEL STUDENT SURVEY SPRING 2019

28. what steps i can take after graduating 29. The hiring process and what employers look for in a resume 30. How to find the best approach in searching for a job within the industry. 31. Where to apply 32. I want to see what steps the industry career takes so I can better prepare myself if I take that route 33. Career opportunities and how to achieve my career goals, financially and how to pick a school to do my

graduate studies focusing on forensics. 34. I hope to gain more knowledge about the science industry and opportunity 35. Where to apply to gain experience 36. I hope to learn about the possible pathways for a chemistry major in terms of career and how to outshine a

chemical engineer that may be applying for the same job as me. Also how to strengthen my resume. 37. Job opportunities at the different levels of education (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD) 38. The steps the panelists took to find a job that matched their experience. 39. About my options 40. How to better prepare myself for a job 41. More about industry 42. Steps for career 43. How to build a resume 44. What type of positions are available in pharma companies? 45. More about how to network 46. I hope to learn about new careers that can arise from a Chemistry Bachelor of Science. 47. About the experiences of others 48. How to get a job 49. Not sure

END OF SURVEY QUESTIONS. Since this event took place last spring 2019, several great things have happened for both our students and our alumni!

• Kevin Zhou was invited back to speak to our students in a broader industry panel event organized by ASI.

• One of our students was hired at Weck Labs Inc. • One of our students was hired at Phenomenex. • Over 75 students attended this event and are now aware of careers in chemistry.

“The industry panel was a key factor that helped me transition from academia to industry. The panelists were CSULA alumni who gave us a better understanding of jobs in industry. Each alumnus described different experiences, some are still working in a laboratory while others moved to a managing position. I learned about Phenomenex from Kevin Hui. Surprisingly, I’m currently working in the same building with him.” Ahmad Alwazna, MS Biochemistry, 2018