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[patientfrog]

Hi, I haven't yet finished my chemical engineering degree, but i'm wondering if there are any resources available that explain different chemical engineering careers or career paths?  It would be nice to have an idea of what i'd be doing someday, so i figured here may be a good place to start looking.

 

Another question: are there any career opportunities for a person with a chemical engineering degree to say, make your own business?  I suppose i'm just looking for a lot of freedom in my job and the ability to set my own pace.

 

Thanks

[jayari]

Career resources are alumni networks for your school, reading job postings for ChemEs to see what you'll be asked to do, going to job/internship fairs your school hosts and asking company reps to describe what they do.

 

This forum is also a resource, I will give you a brief summary of what I've done so far (7 years out of school):

 

After graduating I worked in chemical plant operations (operator and then shift supervisor) for a couple years before transitioning to production engineering for a short while. Currently I work as a process design engineer within the pharmaceutical industry. The main things I use from my degree on a daily basis is knowledge of flow in pipes and heat transfer. I've learned a lot related to the pharma industry that wouldn't really be in a Bachelor's program - you will find that there is a lot more to learn once you start working and that your degree gives you the proper foundation for that learning.

 

 

With respect to owning your own business that utilizes your engineering knowledge, I've seen it either as a late stage move for a very experienced person to become an independent consultant for a specific industry or building a business based of work done during a PhD program.