My name is Robert Czeiszperger and I’m a graduate of Siena Heights University. When I was growing up, math and science were always my favorites. In high school, after taking my first year of chemistry, I knew that I wanted to study chemistry in college. I chose Siena Heights for a few reasons. I went to an extremely small high school, so Siena’s size appealed to me. Also, I received a nice financial aid package and Siena was only a couple of hours from home and was in Michigan. I not only majored in chemistry, but also decided to major in Math. In my sophomore year, I was approached by one of the chemistry faculty about an internship opportunity. It was with a local chemical company in Adrian called Anderson Development Company. I ended up working there until I graduated. After receiving my degrees, I knew that I wanted to go further in chemistry and decided to pursue a Master’s degree in polymer and coatings technology from Eastern Michigan University. I chose this route because I had become very interested in polymers through my internship. Also, the EMU program was designed for students who might be working in the chemical industry and Anderson had made me a full-time job offer upon graduation with the benefit of paying for my master’s degree if I pursued it. So, I got the master’s degree and have been working at Anderson Development ever since.
What does a typical work day look like?
My typical work day is hard to describe, since I’m not sure I have a “typical” day. I’m the senior principal chemist in the polyurethane elastomers R&D group at Anderson Development. Because Anderson is a small company, it has allowed me to be involved in a lot of different tasks whereas at a large company I might not have had that opportunity. If I were to describe what might be a typical day, I would say that some of the day would be spent synthesizing various polymers, which involves mixing components and heating them a specified time and temperature. I might cast a couple of elastomers into molds to create sheet specimens for testing later on. I also might test the physical strength of different polymers I’ve already cast, or run some other analytical or thermal analysis test on some materials. No doubt I would also interact with several of our customers via email or phone. I also will probably interact with our quality, engineering, or production staff to give them technical support on the products my group has helped to develop. As stated above, at a smaller company, you might be able to “wear many different hats” and work on projects from start to finish. At a larger company, as a chemist, you may only be in one area and only be involved with pieces of a project.
What are other career paths in your field?
In the field of chemistry, there are numerous opportunities and it all depends on the type of chemistry you might want to study, including polymers, pharmaceutical, general organic, organometallic, and many others. If you stick with a bachelor’s degree, you’ll still have many opportunities as a chemist or technician working under higher degreed chemist. If you decide to pursue a higher degree, more doors can open and you’ll usually have more independence in the job you take and likely be able to manage other chemists/technicians. Many times chemists that are also interested business or sales decide to move from a lab role to a sales role as they further their careers.
When you were a college freshman or sophomore, did you see yourself doing what you are doing today? If not, then what led you to what you are doing now?
As I stated above, I started internship in my sophomore year and I’m still at that company. In my freshman year, though, I had no clue what I was going to do or where I would end up. Before being exposed to polymers, I really liked organic chemistry, and polymer chemistry is a branch of organic, which is why it appealed to me.
For students with little or no work-related experience, how can they grow their resumes?
I would recommend talking first with the faculty and career office at school. They will know of any opportunities with local businesses. Even if the opportunities aren’t exactly relating to your major, it may be worth trying out the opportunity. Your career needs to be something that you love and have a passion for, so trying out different jobs/internships can be beneficial so that you’ll know what you do and don’t like. Another route might be to look in the local area for companies that are in an industry you are interested in and see if they have any part time opportunities for college students.
What are some essential skills that employers are looking for?
I believe the skills that employers are looking for aren’t just knowledge in the area of chemistry that they work in. I think that employers mostly want employees that have excellent work ethic, are motivated, have great attitudes, communicate well with others, and are team players. They also want people who can think creatively and work independently without the need to be micro-managed.
What advice do you have for young college students who are uncertain about their career paths?
For those that aren’t sure about their path in life, that’s okay. I’d recommend that they seek as many various types of internships, volunteer opportunities, and any other career-related jobs as they can during their time in school to develop a feel for what it is they might be interested in doing. Then, after graduation, they can pursue the path they feel best suits them. If, after some time goes by, they don’t feel that they are on the right path, they can go down a different path. In the chemical industry, I believe the job market is pretty robust and there are many opportunities if you want to switch paths.