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\title{American Chemical Society AMA: I'm Lisa Balbes, Freelance Technical
Writer/Editor and ACS Career Consultant here to discuss nontraditional
careers for chemists. Ask me anything!}



\author[1]{AmerChemSocietyAMA }%
\author[1]{r/Science AMAs}%
\affil[1]{Affiliation not available}%


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  \date{April 23, 2026}


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\begin{abstract}
Hi Reddit! I am Lisa Balbes, a long-time Technical Writer/Editor and a
volunteer Career Consultant with the American Chemical Society. I am
here to discuss chemistry careers, nontraditional careers for
scientists, and making career transitions. To give you a little
background, I earned my Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and my undergraduate degrees in
chemistry and psychology from Washington University in St Louis. I spent
several years as a computational chemist at Research Triangle Institute.
For the past 23+ years, I have been running my own business, providing
technical writing and editing services for organizations including
Washington University Medical School, Bausch and Lomb Surgical,
SigmaAldrich, Stereotaxis, and the US FDA. I addtion to my professional
experience, I have been an American Chemical Society volunteer career
consultant since 1993, providing career management advice and
information to literally thousands of scientists worldwide. I am the
author of ``Nontraditional Careers for Chemists: New Formulas in
Chemistry'', published by Oxford University Press in 2007. In 2012, I
received the E. Ann Nalley Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service for
the ACS Midwest Region, and in 2015 I received the Howard and Sally
Peters Award from the ACS Division of Chemistry and the Law. I also
volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America on both the Greater St Louis
area Boy Scout STEM Committee and the national STEM/Nova committee. In
2015, I was the staff advisor for a week-long STEM Trek for Venturers at
the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, and have taught chemistry
to thousands of youth in a tent on top of a mountain. I love sharing the
world of science with youth, and opening their eyes to the
possibilities. The ACS Career Consultant Program, an ACS member benefit,
gives members access to a consultant to help guide you through job
searching, career transitions, resume writing, and more. Take a look at
this video I was featured in to learn more about the program. I have
long felt that chemistry background prepares you for much more than just
a laboratory career. The broad science education, analytical thinking,
research methods, and other skills learned are of value to a wide
variety of employers, and essential for a plethora of types of
positions. By understanding both yourself and the employment market, you
can make informed decisions about potential careers, and identify paths
that match your needs. Possible career paths include chemical
information, patent work, technical writing, education, human resources,
sales, marketing, and much more. Knowing what you are good at, what you
enjoy, and how to turn that into a career, is essential for success in
today's world. I'll be back to answer questions at 1:00 PM ET (10 am PT,
5 pm UTC). Feel free to ask me anything about chemistry careers,
nontraditional careers, and making career transitions. EDIT 1:00 PM: I'm
here! Looks like I have lots to read, and I will start typing answers.
Looking forward to some fun discussion! EDIT 2:06 PM: Wow, that went
fast. Thanks for all the great questions! For more information about the
ACS Career Consultants program, please visit
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/career-services/ccp.html Best
of luck in your career endeavors!%
\end{abstract}%



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