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Hello, I am in my third year of college and have come to a path where I have to choose one way or another.  I am currently a chemistry major, but I have also been thinking about chemical engineering.  I feel as though I would be interested in it but I am not aware of what chemical engineering completely entails.  I would appreciate a brief description of you work.

A chemistry student who is thinking about chemical engineering.  Firstly, my college experience tells me that you should be prepared to spend twice as much study time for a chemical engineering class as opposed to a chemistry class.  The bottom line being that if you want a chemical engineering degree, be ready to work very hard.  The chief differences between a chemist and a chemical engineer is that a chemists often times finds new routes to new products, whereas a chemical engineer has to figure out how to make tons of a chemical.  Designing the large process equipment will occupy much of your academic time in chemical engineering, but few jobs really entail this.  Usually, you'll be monitoring an existing plant.   You may have to monitor laboratory results and suggest process changes to correct out of specification results.  For example, if a plant is manufacturing phenol, and the purity is a little low, you have to find out why and correct the problem.  This is what a PROCESS ENGINEER does.  Most likely, your first job would be as a process engineer.  However, you may also be a QUALITY ENGINEER, and maybe a DESIGN ENGINEER later.

Now, I'll tell you the best reason to change to chemical engineering.  If you still want to be a chemist, you'll probably have a better chance to do so with a chemical engineering degree than you would with your chemistry degree.   People in industry know how difficult chemical engineering is and you will have that advantage.  You would be in an especially good position considering your extensive course work in chemistry.  I've had several opportunities to work as a chemist, but to be honest, I'd be crazy to do so when you compare the salaries between the two profession (unless you have a PhD in chemistry).  Engineering will also require that you take much more math than chemistry.  I completely 4 units of Calculus during my undergraduate degree.

A good idea for you may be to visit the chemical engineering department on campus (if there is one).  Ask questions and map out your remaining schedule.  Also, talk to students (don't let them talk you out of it, and I promise some of them will try) and find out what they're doing.  Look at some of the lower level homework problems to get a feel for the science.  Good Luck!