Chemical Engineering Degree?
- Thread starter kappax12
- Start date
I'm currently working on a ChemE degree at the University of Missouri-Rolla and I am going to be a sophomore next semester. If you have any questions, you can PM me with them and I'll answer. I'm hoping to have an internship at TAMKO Building Products this summer, so I'll be working in a plant and seeing more of what a ChemE does.
imported_themightytimmah
New member
I was in for ChemE, and I ended up switching to finance. The calculus classes were killing me - it does pay pretty well for the people that make it, but my program had a 70-80% attrition rate. Its one of those situations where you really have to love what you're doing, if you're in it for the money there are much easier routes to just as much, or more money.
edit: PM me if you have any questions about it.
edit: PM me if you have any questions about it.
the other pc
New member
I’m not a ChemE so feel free to ignore anything I have to say.
Of the major engineering disciplines ChemEs appear to enjoy a higher average (statistically, your mileage may vary) starting wage (according to some old survey from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics that the ChemEs like to spout on about anyway).
Whether that’s “good� pay or not depends on your definition good. Engineers tend to make a decent middle class income but as a rule “worker bees� always make less than management no matter what field you’re in.
As for the work, in any field some jobs are tougher than others. Making shampoo, while not at all trivial, is easier than say, enriching Plutonium.
Working environment also varies from one industry, company or plant to the next. Brewing beer in Milwaukee is different from producing pills in Boston or pumping petro-sludge in East Bum****.
IMHO the first rule of deciding to pursue a career in technology is that you have love the technology. You’re sure as hell not doing it for the social prestige.
PC.
Of the major engineering disciplines ChemEs appear to enjoy a higher average (statistically, your mileage may vary) starting wage (according to some old survey from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics that the ChemEs like to spout on about anyway).
Whether that’s “good� pay or not depends on your definition good. Engineers tend to make a decent middle class income but as a rule “worker bees� always make less than management no matter what field you’re in.
As for the work, in any field some jobs are tougher than others. Making shampoo, while not at all trivial, is easier than say, enriching Plutonium.
Working environment also varies from one industry, company or plant to the next. Brewing beer in Milwaukee is different from producing pills in Boston or pumping petro-sludge in East Bum****.
IMHO the first rule of deciding to pursue a career in technology is that you have love the technology. You’re sure as hell not doing it for the social prestige.
PC.
GlossyTundra
Tractor Detailer
I am in construction engineering and the calculus is killing me in that. I only could imagine what ChemE would be.
I changed my major from biology to ChemE, i just like working in the lab mixing chemical and doing the calculations, biology was ok with doing the dissections, what i am trying to do is finish my pre med req. and get a ChemE degree. I am starting my 3rd yr this fall, transfer to universtiy. What i want to do with my ChemE degree is go into the oil field or medicine making. Or work for NASA I heard they make good pay around 80k. Do NASA hire ChemE? Oh, since i changed my major all i have for chem is chem 1&2, did not even start organic chem yet, i heard it is hard.
DETAILKING
New member
My degree is in Chemical Engineering and I have worked at several different types of companys.
A CHEM ENG degree is one of the most difficult college programs. It's also gives you a great base upon graduation and the ability to move onto other things easily. Biz schools and consulting / finance companys like Chem Eng's because they are good with numbers, good with logistics, and have the ability to think critically and solve problems. They also tend to be hard workers, and are very creative (think outside the box,etc). I think it's a great degree to get, even if you end up going into something else down the road like Law, Biz, or Medicine.
If you stick it out, you will most likely end up making one of the highest starting salaries out there. The problem is that where you go from there will vary drastically over the next 10 yrs.
Most Chemical Engineers will end up working for an operating company that makes a certain type of product or commodity. If you go this route you tend to specialize in certain areas and kind of miss the broad scope of things. The good thing is that you are probably working in a "plant" atmosphere so you will get real hands on experience working in a chemical plant. You will most likely start out as a process engineer and the beauty of working for an operating company is that there are many departments to transfer to as you develop your career. R&D, Sales, Marketing, QC, Operations,etc,etc.
The rest of the Chem E's will go to work for an Engineering Company. These companys will design and run projects for the operating companys when things get complex. Most of these companys have expertise in certain technologies and hold patents and licensing for certain processess. I've worked at a few places on projects ranging from 250 million dollar grass roots complexes, to small 100K skid mounted systems. It is a very broad industry with a ton of possible career paths. Working for an Engineering Consulting company might be your best bet since most operating companys are downsiing their Engineering depts and outsourcing projects when they arise.
After 5-10 yrs if you don't start climbing the ranks into management you will start to suffer salary compression (your only going to go so high). Your friends that started out much lower than you in jobs like accounting and such might start to pass you by. The trick is to love what you do and be good at, and then the sky is the limit..............
Hope this helps, and good luck
A CHEM ENG degree is one of the most difficult college programs. It's also gives you a great base upon graduation and the ability to move onto other things easily. Biz schools and consulting / finance companys like Chem Eng's because they are good with numbers, good with logistics, and have the ability to think critically and solve problems. They also tend to be hard workers, and are very creative (think outside the box,etc). I think it's a great degree to get, even if you end up going into something else down the road like Law, Biz, or Medicine.
If you stick it out, you will most likely end up making one of the highest starting salaries out there. The problem is that where you go from there will vary drastically over the next 10 yrs.
Most Chemical Engineers will end up working for an operating company that makes a certain type of product or commodity. If you go this route you tend to specialize in certain areas and kind of miss the broad scope of things. The good thing is that you are probably working in a "plant" atmosphere so you will get real hands on experience working in a chemical plant. You will most likely start out as a process engineer and the beauty of working for an operating company is that there are many departments to transfer to as you develop your career. R&D, Sales, Marketing, QC, Operations,etc,etc.
The rest of the Chem E's will go to work for an Engineering Company. These companys will design and run projects for the operating companys when things get complex. Most of these companys have expertise in certain technologies and hold patents and licensing for certain processess. I've worked at a few places on projects ranging from 250 million dollar grass roots complexes, to small 100K skid mounted systems. It is a very broad industry with a ton of possible career paths. Working for an Engineering Consulting company might be your best bet since most operating companys are downsiing their Engineering depts and outsourcing projects when they arise.
After 5-10 yrs if you don't start climbing the ranks into management you will start to suffer salary compression (your only going to go so high). Your friends that started out much lower than you in jobs like accounting and such might start to pass you by. The trick is to love what you do and be good at, and then the sky is the limit..............
Hope this helps, and good luck
I think DETAILKING nailed it. My degree is Materials Science & Engineering- a hybrid degree of sorts. I specialized in metallurgy. How far you go & what you do with your degree all boils down to decisions. The ones made early-on can be important.
I started out with a consulting engineering company. The pay sucked, and I had to go into every nasty, filthy, stinking plant in the southeast. BUT... it gave me a VERY broad-based background (and a lot of good stories) which came in handy later on. Some people change jobs at the drop of a hat, as long as there's more money involved. Higher salaries usually come with a price (pressure, stress, billable hours, overtime {unpaid}, etc.), & if you job-hop a lot, that can be a BIG turnoff to potential employers.
Specialization is a double-edged sword. One the one hand, competition in the job pool is limited & salaries can be slightly higher due to specialized needs. On the other hand, jobs are fewer and far between, which means changing jobs typically will involve a major relocation.
Salary compression is something you'll have to resign yourself to. My salary has quadrupled in the last 15 years, but part of that is because I started out so low. Their IS a ceiling- which you can raise a little by calculated changes in position/company. Typically, you'll have to go into management or consulting to raise the ceiling substantially. Traditionally, engineers make poor managers, so if you want to climb the ladder, work on your business skills- maybe get an MBA after you graduate. I never cared for the business side of things, and hated being a manager, so that limits me somewhat. I still have the consulting route available, but will probably need a little more gray hair to pull that one off. It all depends on what you want. I left jobs I really liked because someone else offerred me more money... and lived to regret it. Don't get hung up on the salary. There's a LOT to be said for a job you enjoy.
Best of luck-
I started out with a consulting engineering company. The pay sucked, and I had to go into every nasty, filthy, stinking plant in the southeast. BUT... it gave me a VERY broad-based background (and a lot of good stories) which came in handy later on. Some people change jobs at the drop of a hat, as long as there's more money involved. Higher salaries usually come with a price (pressure, stress, billable hours, overtime {unpaid}, etc.), & if you job-hop a lot, that can be a BIG turnoff to potential employers.
Specialization is a double-edged sword. One the one hand, competition in the job pool is limited & salaries can be slightly higher due to specialized needs. On the other hand, jobs are fewer and far between, which means changing jobs typically will involve a major relocation.
Salary compression is something you'll have to resign yourself to. My salary has quadrupled in the last 15 years, but part of that is because I started out so low. Their IS a ceiling- which you can raise a little by calculated changes in position/company. Typically, you'll have to go into management or consulting to raise the ceiling substantially. Traditionally, engineers make poor managers, so if you want to climb the ladder, work on your business skills- maybe get an MBA after you graduate. I never cared for the business side of things, and hated being a manager, so that limits me somewhat. I still have the consulting route available, but will probably need a little more gray hair to pull that one off. It all depends on what you want. I left jobs I really liked because someone else offerred me more money... and lived to regret it. Don't get hung up on the salary. There's a LOT to be said for a job you enjoy.
Best of luck-
BoxsterCharlie
New member
Brandon1 said:
themightytimmah said:
LOL, I so resemble these remarks. It broke my heart, and my dad's too, that I just didn't "get" calculus and could never be an engineer because of that. I ended it in I.T. by way of an English degree, so you never know what will happen...
Corey Bit Spank
Active member
I'm a CE sophmore/junior (I transfered, so I'm in different courses). It's tough, no doubt. When you're doing what you love it doesn't really matter. Any degree you go for will seem like a lot of work, and a lot more depending on if you aren't enjoying what you're studying.
The great thing about majoring in engineering is the breadth of options. There are course overlaps that will allow students to switch to a different engineering major if the current one isn't working out. A summer course or two may have to be taken in order to keep up. Even a Chemistry degree is not that different from a CE or engineering degree in the first two years (at least at my school). You have options when picking a major. Many engineering students stick with their major, but most college students switch. A lot.
The great thing about majoring in engineering is the breadth of options. There are course overlaps that will allow students to switch to a different engineering major if the current one isn't working out. A summer course or two may have to be taken in order to keep up. Even a Chemistry degree is not that different from a CE or engineering degree in the first two years (at least at my school). You have options when picking a major. Many engineering students stick with their major, but most college students switch. A lot.