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Chemical engineers work with chemicals to try to use them to solve problems in society. These problems can be just about any size and affect any part of life.
Chemical engineers work in a variety fields and industries. Chemical engineering careers pay very well but the field isn’t growing. Therefore, a decision to go into a chemical engineering career should be made carefully.
A chemical engineer actually has to have knowledge that spans across many subjects. Not only do chemical engineers have to know about chemistry but they also have to know about physics, math, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. All of these subjects have to be brought together in chemical engineering careers.
A chemical engineer often works in a very specialized field. Some examples of specialized fields include developing fertilizer, developing pesticides, developing cleaners, and making plastics.
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Careers in Chemical Engineering
Other chemical engineers will work with a particular chemical process like polymerization or oxidation. So a decision does have to be made as to which part of chemical engineering to go into.
Anytime chemicals are being used, safety has to be a top priority. This is true with chemical engineers. Safety in the workplace has to be constantly considered and so does the safety of customers. Additionally, the environment and how a chemical might affect the environment have to always be considered. Chemicals can be very helpful but they can also cause a lot of harm. This fact has to always be remembered.
Chemical engineers do make a decent income. A person just starting out in chemical engineering will probably make about $60,000 a year. |
Within a few years that same person can expect to be making more than $70,000. Of course salaries will very from state to state, from industry to industry, and from company to company. But overall a person can certainly expect to make a better than average salary.
The job outlook for chemical engineers isn’t quite so bright. There is a need for chemical engineers and there will continue to be a need for a long time to come, but that need isn’t growing and isn’t expected to grow in the future. So there are many new jobs being created and there probably won’t be for the foreseeable future. However, new jobs will be created as other chemical engineers leave the profession to go into other professions or to retire.
Probably the best place for a chemical engineering career right now is in the pharmaceutical industry. Drug companies are doing very well and working very hard to produce new drugs. Chemical engineers are needed to research, test, and formulate these drugs.
There are still many chemical engineering careers in existence today, and there will continue to be these jobs far into the future. However, the demand for jobs isn’t expected to grow in the future. Anyone wanting to become a chemical engineer must have a college degree and must have a great amount of knowledge in chemistry, physics, math, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering. All of this knowledge will be needed to perform the jobs that need to be performed in the field of chemical engineering.
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