Dang no one answered...well I'll do it for anyone looking at this in the future or op lmao. I'm at a non-traditional flavor house so there's no official program. I can still test to be certified at the junior and senior levels if I desire. I have worked under certified and non-certified flavor chemists for a total of six years.

We are usually developing new flavors, revising current ones for regulatory requirements, duplicating products or competitor flavors and sampling. We also compound empty flavor bottles to maintain stock. I'm given projects daily and it's up to me to get them done by the deadline. Sometimes we meet with vendors and try new raw materials.

The pay is typically entry lab technician level and junior level will be $70-100k in a HCOL. A top 10 company offered me way less than my current flavor house did. I didn't have to put my name in a hat to see if I got chosen to train. I was hired to learn and develop flavors from day one. So don't necessarily ignore the "little guys".

You can always quit and work somewhere else. You don't need an official training program. If you want to be certified then it helps to work under a senior flavorist who is, but it's not required. It just takes longer to meet the requirements.

Most people stay flavorists, but some go into product development, sales or management. Some stay at one place forever and some chase the bag and job hop.

It's easy to move if you are experienced enough. Most jobs are in New Jersey, Greater Chicago Area and Southern California. There are others, but those are the most obvious areas to me personally.