Chemical Technicians

Also Called:

Chemical Technician,

Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst),

Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech),

Quality Control Technician (QC Tech)

What they do: Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control, maintenance of environmental standards, and other work involving experimental, theoretical, or practical application of chemistry and related sciences.

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Manufacturing

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.
  • Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.
  • Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Dependability

Analytical Thinking

Initiative

Adaptability/Flexibility

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Investigative

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Realistic

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Conventional

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Math and Science

  • Chemistry

  • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Engineering and Technology

  • Computers and electronics

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Verbal

  • Read and understand what is written

  • Communicate by writing

Ideas and Logic

  • Make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

  • Notice when problems happen

Hand and Finger Use

  • Hold or move items with your hands

  • Keep your arm or hand steady

Math

  • Choose the right type of math to solve a problem

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems

  • Reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it

  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Support

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Relationships

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop