Not everyone can become a chemical engineer. Considered as one of the hardest engineering courses, it’s no surprise that they receive one of the highest annual wages around the world. Not only do they apply chemistry and engineering concepts in their profession, they also have to deal with biology, physics, economics and mathematics to mass produce different products we use everyday.
Chemical engineers are crucial in a lot of manufacturing industries. They are the ones in-charge in designing processes and identifying which equipment and devices should be used for large-scale manufacturing of products. Some of them are involved in research and development of products that can be used for more efficient and effective manufacturing.
Aside from tasks dealing with manufacturing processes, they’re also in-charge in making sure safety and environmental regulations are met and production costs are handled well. That’s a lot of jobs very crucial to companies.
But what does it take to be a chemical engineer?
One must obtain a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering – that’s 4 or 5 years of intense studies of chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering courses. Internships are usually required from students to finish the program. This will help them get an idea what kind of job they’ll be experiencing as soon as they enter the industry. Getting a professional license is necessary for those interested to advance their careers in the field.
Since chemical engineers work with other engineers and production workers, they must develop their interpersonal and organizational skills. They also need analytical and problem-solving skills. Creativity is also required from chemical engineers since they have to find innovative ways to produce goods in the most efficient ways there are. Later on in their careers, chemical engineers are in-charge in supervising their teams of engineers and technicians in different companies. These companies come form different industries such as energy, food and beverage, electronics, clothing, technology and nanomaterials.
Chemical engineers don’t only work in offices and laboratories. They get to travel a lot. Depending on the company they work with, they spend a lot of time inside industrial plants or refineries to help oversee production. These plants can be based locally or outside the country.
There are health risks in the job, though.
Since chemical engineers are exposed to different chemicals and huge machines and devices, they are exposed to health and safety hazards. So, be careful!
With great responsibility, does it mean they earn more than other engineers?
That depends on the company a chemical engineer is employed at. According to the US Department of Labor, the median annual wage of chemical engineers is over $96,000. The minimum annual wage a chemical engineer gets is reported to be around $60,000. The highest annual wage reached around $156,000. Not bad at all.
