FlightWay / Careers / Chemical Technicians

Engineering & Science

Chemical Technicians

Sector: Engineering & Science
Preparation: Zone 3 — medium preparation needed
O*NET code: 19-4031.00

What you'll actually do

The activities O*NET rates highest for this occupation, most important first. Numbers are out of 100.

Documenting/Recording Information

central to the job — rated 87/100 for importance.
Processing Information

a major part of the work — rated 83/100 for importance.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

a major part of the work — rated 83/100 for importance.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems

a major part of the work — rated 82/100 for importance.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

a major part of the work — rated 81/100 for importance.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

a major part of the work — rated 80/100 for importance.

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.

What it takes

Two numbers per line: the level the work expects, and how important it is to doing the job well. Both are O*NET ratings, already on a 0–100 scale.

Skills

Science

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 78/100 for importance.
Critical Thinking

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Reading Comprehension

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Writing

Needed at a solid working level (57/100), and rated 72/100 for importance.
Active Listening

Needed at a solid working level (55/100), and rated 72/100 for importance.

Knowledge

Chemistry

Needed at a high level (69/100), and rated 70/100 for importance.
English Language

Needed at a solid working level (46/100), and rated 63/100 for importance.
Mathematics

Needed at a solid working level (52/100), and rated 60/100 for importance.
Computers and Electronics

Needed at a solid working level (48/100), and rated 53/100 for importance.

Abilities

Written Comprehension

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Near Vision

Needed at a solid working level (57/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Written Expression

Needed at a solid working level (57/100), and rated 72/100 for importance.
Oral Comprehension

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 69/100 for importance.

How people get in

O*NET places this occupation in Zone 3 — medium preparation needed. That is a statement about what employers typically require, not a rule about you.

Education

Vocational training, an associate degree, or equivalent on-the-job experience.

Experience

One to two years of related experience is typical.

Training

Employers expect you to arrive with the core skill already.

What it pays

These are typical science compensation bands by employer tier — sector-level figures, not a measured salary for Chemical Technicians specifically. Treat them as the shape of the market, then check a real posting for the number.

Pfizer · Nat"l Labs · MIT

$110k – $200k

Biotech & Pharma Mid

$90k – $160k

Startups & Academia

$65k – $110k

How the work tends to run

Each line below is read off a single O*NET activity rating for this occupation — named, so you can disagree with it.

Most of the day happens at a screen.From “Working with Computers”
The work is physical — you are on your feet and handling things, not sitting still.From “Performing General Physical Activities”
You own decisions rather than execute someone else’s.From “Making Decisions and Solving Problems”
Rules and standards are checkable and someone checks them.From “Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards”
You run equipment, and running it well is a skill in itself.From “Controlling Machines and Processes”

How FlightWay scores your fit against this

No black box. Here is the whole method, factor by factor.

1. You answer a short quiz: Your answers build a profile across the same 161 O*NET dimensions this page is describing — skills, knowledge, abilities and work activities. Same axes, so the comparison is like-for-like.
2. We correlate the two profiles: Fit is a mean-centered cosine — a correlation between the SHAPE of your profile and the shape of Chemical Technicians. Centering matters: raw similarity between any two occupations sits at 0.70–0.85 because all work shares a common profile, so without it every career would look like a match.
3. The number you see is personality fit only: "Would I want this work" and "am I ready for this work" are different questions, and averaging them answers neither. So readiness — what your résumé, coursework and projects prove — is scored separately and shown next to fit, never blended into it.
4. Every factor is visible: You can open any match and see which dimensions pushed it up and which pulled it down. If you disagree with the number, you can see exactly where it came from.

More in Engineering & Science

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See your fit for Chemical Technicians

Ten questions, about 90 seconds. You get your match against Chemical Technicians and 782+ other real careers — with the reasoning shown.

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Occupational data on this page comes from the O*NET 30.3 Database, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET is a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. FlightWay is not endorsed by, and USDOL/ETA is not responsible for, anything built on that data — see our terms. What is ours is the comparison, the score and the plan.