What about the "engineering" aspect of chemical engineering?

Question

Okay..well i like chemistry and math (but i am not super genius math wiz) and i just want to know where the enginnering part of it all comes in...will i be "building" stuff or just manipulating things?

chemical engineering is a profession i am considering but i just want to make sure that its the PERFECT job for me..im really having difficult narowing down my choices for my future becuz i cant see myself doing just 1 thing cuz i pretty much like everything..ive considered professions such as a pharmacist, accountant, dental hygienist, and medical technologist..so i am definetely keeping my options open..i dont want to pick a profession where i wont enjoy

i certainly want to pursue a career where i am challenged on a daily basis and am not confined to one space..and good pay of course! ;)

thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

Hello Trakstar!

Chem E is a fine profession, and it certainly has all that you’re looking for, and more. With a chemical engineering background, you can do more different things than all those other professions you mentioned put together, in a wide variety of locales.

The basic curriculum in college will have you studying heat flow, diffusion, and fluid flow, possibly some strength of materials classes, and certainly some physics of control systems. Make no mistake, it’s a tough grind, and there’ll be times you’ll wish you could transfer to something easier- but the work you put in justifies the rewards you’ll get out of it. You WILL take a lot of math- because it will make the heat, mass, and fluid flow equations make a lot more sense. You’ll also work with computers a lot, since most of the calculations you’ll have to do are very complex.

When you get out of college, you’ll likely work for a factory or refinery designing equipment. So a chemist will figure out that if you mix such and such chemicals together at this pressure and that temperature, you’ll get a better octane replacement for gasoline, or a superior sunscreen for your nose. Then you’ll take that information, and decide what to make the factory tanks out of, and what kind of pumps to use to mix the chemicals, and how many heaters you need to work the process, and what kind of heaters, etc. THAT’S where the engineering comes in, and why chemical engineers are paid well. It’s because they’re worth it.

Answer 2

I'm an electrical engineer so I'm vaguely familiar with what's involved in chemical engineering. Chemical engineers are mostly involved in producing a compound, not necessarily creating it. If you're interested in producing "stuff" then chemical engineering could be interesting for you. There is a lot of math ( a lot of which you'll never use on the job). A typical chem engineering problem might be to determine the size of a reactor and how much of the end product could be produced in a day. If you work in industry you'll probably find yourself doing a lot of other work besides chemical engineering, dealing with suppliers etc. Chemical engineers have some of the highest starting salaries. Oh, and usually the classes have the most women in them of all the engineering disciplines (which may be a plus or a minus for you).

Check out this website for some profiles of people who do chemical engineering:
http://www.careercornerstone.org/chemeng/profiles/chemengprofiles.htm

Answer 3

If you are not sure just what you want to do as a starting out chemical engineer after graduation, one of your best options would be to get a job with a large chemical, mining, or oil company and let them train you. They usually let you train in different areas that you think might interest you, and then as you find out where your interests and talents really lie, they let you have a say in what type of work you want to specialize in.
Any company that hires you will end up having to train you, and the larger the company you choose, and the more diverse products they produce, the better your chances will be to get into something you will enjoy.
Smaller companies allow you more freedom to act on your own and make decisions for yourself, but they also expect results a lot sooner, and it's best to stick with a company that can afford to take the time to train you for a few years.

Answer 4

u will be employed in the chemical industry. usually there's a slight shortage of chemical engineers, its because chemical engineering is quite difficult. So usually, chemical engineers make a lot of money.

Answer 5

Not sure if you enjoy but one thing, chemical engineering is a very challenging profession, every single thing in our environment or daily lives has a chemical explanation on it. Chemistry is an endless course,there's always something to learn about. The bottom line is... we should listen to ourselves and ask, 'what I want really?'

Answer 6

the engineering refers to the maker? or.. making?
so.. chemical engineering is applying the knowledge of chemistry to create items for a better society such as.. synthesizing? and.. water treatment? but finding ways to remove waste from water and stuff like that
extracting and soforth