Vantaggi
Initially, there seem to be a lot opportunities to develop myself in the upstream chemical industry. This was because the role demand any individual to do a little of everything. I was told by the managers that the company is hiring aggressively (i.e. a new hire every year) after the merge of legacy Nalco and Champion business. The business is forecast to double within 10 years.
Svantaggi
As a new chemist in the singapore laboratory, the growth potential is very limited. Firstly, promotion in the company is mostly based on relationship and connection with the superiors instead of measurable performance. Career progression is almost stagnant as it typically takes more than 3 years for promotion. The company and management values experienced chemists rather than their ability to work. These experienced chemist are often unwilling to perform housekeeping duties. Hence, newly hired chemist, laboratory assistant, and interns often find themselves spending most of the time in housekeeping duties. Although the company values safety, the laboratory has poor safety standards and culture. An example is not wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as goggles in the laboratory.