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Ask a Chemical Engineer Anything

I graduated with a MEng in Chemical Engineering from The University of Nottingham in 1997, and a PhD in Fluid Dynamics from Heriot-Watt in 2001.

I currently work in North America selling and supporting in engineering simulation software.

I still use some of the skills I learned as an undergraduate, as well as some of the math. I've stayed in the technical stream, but I have a hand in selling and marketing as well.

Ask me anything at all about my career, studying, whatever.

T

Reply 1

Inferno360

1

This may seem like a stupid/typical question but around how much is your salary a year if you don't mind me asking, I just want to see if its comparable to the UK average of £53,000

Also how many hours and days do you work, is it flexible and are you still interested in chemical engineering after all this time, also what are the job oppurtunities like as in is there a wide range available with not too much competition?

Many Thanks

Reply 2

Inferno360

1

Original post by tyrian

I graduated with a MEng in Chemical Engineering from The University of Nottingham in 1997, and a PhD in Fluid Dynamics from Heriot-Watt in 2001.

I currently work in North America selling and supporting in engineering simulation software.

I still use some of the skills I learned as an undergraduate, as well as some of the math. I've stayed in the technical stream, but I have a hand in selling and marketing as well.

Ask me anything at all about my career, studying, whatever.

T

This may seem like a stupid/typical question but around how much is your salary a year if you don't mind me asking, I just want to see if its comparable to the UK average of £53,000

Also how many hours and days do you work, is it flexible and are you still interested in chemical engineering after all this time, also what are the job oppurtunities like as in is there a wide range available with not too much competition?

Many Thanks

Reply 3

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by Inferno360

This may seem like a stupid/typical question but around how much is your salary a year if you don't mind me asking, I just want to see if its comparable to the UK average of £53,000

Also how many hours and days do you work, is it flexible and are you still interested in chemical engineering after all this time, also what are the job oppurtunities like as in is there a wide range available with not too much competition?

Many Thanks

After I graduated it took me a few months to find a "proper" job. I lucked out and landed a role with a technical software distributor for 17k. A year later, I went up to 20k, a year after that 23k, a year after that 27.5k, a year after that 30k, a year later 32k. My salary then stayed steady and only rose with inflation for a couple of years. I then landed a job in North America working for a software developer, and my salary jumped to 45k (thats pounds, but I'm paid in dollars), and over the last couple of years its risen to 50k .

I'm not chartered, and I don't belong to any profesional bodies. In many ways, I haven't had a traditional chemical engineering career.

My current job is 80% office/20% travel. I work the standard 40 per week. I have to travel internationally, so I need to be flexible about getting up early to catch red-eye flights. I also answer emails outside of work hours.

Traditional chemical engineering employment in the UK is in gradual decline (examine the history of Wilton, for example), but it's growing in africa, asia, and elsewhere.

Competition is heavy and growing (read about engineering enrollment in China), but UK engineering degrees (**especially** from red-bricks) are respected everywhere and will give you a headstart.

If you want to work as a traditional chemical enginer, then be prepared to travel. However, there are many non-traditional jobs that you can go into. Some of my fellow chemical engineers are now working in finance and sales, for example.

Am I still interested in Chemical Engineering? As a profession, my interest is declining. But I'm still fascinated by the science and math. It's only now that I have some experience under my belt that I truly appreciate some of the fundamental concepts (e.g. heat transfer, bernoulli equation, partial differential equations, driving forces and conserved quantities etc).

Reply 4

Inferno360

1

Original post by tyrian

After I graduated it took me a few months to find a "proper" job. I lucked out and landed a role with a technical software distributor for 17k. A year later, I went up to 20k, a year after that 23k, a year after that 27.5k, a year after that 30k, a year later 32k. My salary then stayed steady and only rose with inflation for a couple of years. I then landed a job in North America working for a software developer, and my salary jumped to 45k (thats pounds, but I'm paid in dollars), and over the last couple of years its risen to 50k .

I'm not chartered, and I don't belong to any profesional bodies. In many ways, I haven't had a traditional chemical engineering career.

My current job is 80% office/20% travel. I work the standard 40 per week. I have to travel internationally, so I need to be flexible about getting up early to catch red-eye flights. I also answer emails outside of work hours.

Traditional chemical engineering employment in the UK is in gradual decline (examine the history of Wilton, for example), but it's growing in africa, asia, and elsewhere.

Competition is heavy and growing (read about engineering enrollment in China), but UK engineering degrees (**especially** from red-bricks) are respected everywhere and will give you a headstart.

If you want to work as a traditional chemical enginer, then be prepared to travel. However, there are many non-traditional jobs that you can go into. Some of my fellow chemical engineers are now working in finance and sales, for example.

Am I still interested in Chemical Engineering? As a profession, my interest is declining. But I'm still fascinated by the science and math. It's only now that I have some experience under my belt that I truly appreciate some of the fundamental concepts (e.g. heat transfer, bernoulli equation, partial differential equations, driving forces and conserved quantities etc).

Ahh thank you for that, has helped clear up a few qurestions I had. I currently have firmed chemical engineering at the university of birmingham.

So a chem eng degree from the university of birmingham (being a red-brick and around 5th for chem eng in the uk) would be highly respected in any field of chem eng?

Also how easy is it to go into finance an sales? Also was your graduate salary of 17k relative to the graduate salary average for that year?
Since now its around an average of 30k graduate salary.

Would it not be ideal if i suddenly decided i didnt want to travel after a certain period of time?

Are you happy in North America having been there this long or would you like to come back to the UK if the same job oppurtunities were here?

Again many thanks for taking the time to answer these questions

Reply 5

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by Inferno360

Ahh thank you for that, has helped clear up a few qurestions I had. I currently have firmed chemical engineering at the university of birmingham.

So a chem eng degree from the university of birmingham (being a red-brick and around 5th for chem eng in the uk) would be highly respected in any field of chem eng?

Also how easy is it to go into finance an sales? Also was your graduate salary of 17k relative to the graduate salary average for that year?
Since now its around an average of 30k graduate salary.

Would it not be ideal if i suddenly decided i didnt want to travel after a certain period of time?

Are you happy in North America having been there this long or would you like to come back to the UK if the same job oppurtunities were here?

Again many thanks for taking the time to answer these questions

A degree in Chemical Engineering from Birmingham University would definitely be respected by the people I work with. British red-brick universities are respected in North America. It's a hard degree, but ultimately it's worth it. Make sure you get work experience during the summer holidays (maybe even international experience.)

If I could go back to my undergraduate degree, I'd take foreign language modules in between all the engineering stuff, preferably Spanish (giving you access to south america) or chinese (understood all over asia). That would make you really stand out.

For sales you need an outgoing personality, the kind of person comfortably in presenting and interacting with others. That kind of personality, together with the analytical skills of an engineer, is a great combination for sales (especially of high-end industrial equipment). I know several engineers who transitioned successfully into sales, and are minting it. If you have the right personality, as an engineer you will find sales jobs easy to get.

Even if you only do sales for a couple of years, it's a great way of rounding out your CV and showing employers a different side.

I travel a lot know because I don't have a family or kids. When I do have a family, I'd transition into a more office based role. That's a perfectly accepted career trajectory.

I like North America, but it can be brutal. There's no social safety net, so many people slip through the cracks. But I live for the wide open spaces here that you don't get in Europe. You only fully appreciate how big it is once you start driving from one state to another. Ultimately I'd like to move back to the UK because I miss my family.

My initial salary of 17k was low (my fellow graduates were getting 20-23k as a starting salary). Don't worry too much about starting salaries - the experience you get is FAR more important.

Reply 6

Cheesecakefactory

14

What is your favourite flavour of Ben & Jerry's?

Reply 7

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by Cheesecakefactory

What is your favourite flavour of Ben & Jerry's?

I much prefer Haagen Daaz. It just feels more decadent.

Just how much of the maths that you learnt at university do you use or have you ever used in the work place? And was this maths mainly taught in the early stages of the degree or the later stages/your PhD?

How well would you say that undergraduate degrees align with the needs of industry?

What was Heriot Watt like compared to Nottingham? A lot of graduates from there work up here in the oil industry, and say it's quite good. Just wondering what it's like compared to a massive Russell Group university like Notts.

Why did you do your PhD? Is it a benefit in the jobs market to have a PhD?

Reply 9

K.H

Hi there

I'm currently in year 12 doing my AS's, im doing physics, chemistry, maths and biology. I've been looking to go into biochem/chemical engineering or pharmacy due to the chemistry and some extent biological sides of things. Pharmacy being my option purely because im not the most mathematical person ( in mechanics sense, pure is fine )

My only real worry is the mathematical side of engineering, in specific the mechanics. How complex is the mechanics of fluid flow and particle dynamics ? Pure maths im not too bad at, predicted A overall for AS. Physics im predicted a B but i might just scrape an A if i do really well in the particle/quantum side ( mechanics being the weak side ).
So in simple terms, do you think someone who isnt a big fan of maths and mechanical physics but likes chemistry and chemical calculations ( thermodynamics, organic chemistry, enthalpy topics etc ) should even think about engineering - i know its hard to advise whats wrong and right without experiencing first hand, but just your opinion would be great.

thanks for your time.

Reply 10

verygoodbrother

Original post by K.H

Hi there

I'm currently in year 12 doing my AS's, im doing physics, chemistry, maths and biology. I've been looking to go into biochem/chemical engineering or pharmacy due to the chemistry and some extent biological sides of things. Pharmacy being my option purely because im not the most mathematical person ( in mechanics sense, pure is fine )

My only real worry is the mathematical side of engineering, in specific the mechanics. How complex is the mechanics of fluid flow and particle dynamics ? Pure maths im not too bad at, predicted A overall for AS. Physics im predicted a B but i might just scrape an A if i do really well in the particle/quantum side ( mechanics being the weak side ).
So in simple terms, do you think someone who isnt a big fan of maths and mechanical physics but likes chemistry and chemical calculations ( thermodynamics, organic chemistry, enthalpy topics etc ) should even think about engineering - i know its hard to advise whats wrong and right without experiencing first hand, but just your opinion would be great.

thanks for your time.

I'm not too keen on maths either, but when you start to doubt yourself that's when you start to fail. My plan is to learn the absolute basics of maths all the way from GSCE. When i say basics i referring to learning the reasons, history, and how the mathematical principles come about. That way you're not learning and cramming steps/methods like we're taught in school.

Reply 11

innerhollow

18

Original post by tyrian

I graduated with a MEng in Chemical Engineering from The University of Nottingham in 1997, and a PhD in Fluid Dynamics from Heriot-Watt in 2001.

I currently work in North America selling and supporting in engineering simulation software.

I still use some of the skills I learned as an undergraduate, as well as some of the math. I've stayed in the technical stream, but I have a hand in selling and marketing as well.

Ask me anything at all about my career, studying, whatever.

T

1) How well known is Imperial College London by employers in North America?

2) What did you need to do to be eligibile to work in North America (i.e. Green Card)?

3) How manageable is it to work as a contracted Engineer? I know it would be very risky, but it would also offer a lot more variety and would prevent the eventual apathy and sense of disenchantment that arises from working for a big company, so it sounds much more appealing.

4) What differences exist between working as a Chemical Engineer in Britain and in North America, in terms of salary and career progression? For example, in Britain the technical stream does not last very long, and on my work experience, nearly all of the engineers working on the technical desks were under 40. Is this different in North America?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 12

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by Smack

Just how much of the maths that you learnt at university do you use or have you ever used in the work place? And was this maths mainly taught in the early stages of the degree or the later stages/your PhD?

How well would you say that undergraduate degrees align with the needs of industry?

What was Heriot Watt like compared to Nottingham? A lot of graduates from there work up here in the oil industry, and say it's quite good. Just wondering what it's like compared to a massive Russell Group university like Notts.

Why did you do your PhD? Is it a benefit in the jobs market to have a PhD?

Because of the nature of my specific job, I still use the math I learned at University (and it's only now that I have some experience that I appreciate why I was taught the maths in the first place.) Most of the maths I now usel I was taught in the first three years of my undergraduate degree (in addition to the the skills I learned at A-level math, especialy the mechanics and statistics).

As an example, I'm sometimes asked to model systems from first principles using the basic laws of physics and math. So I use the appropriate physical laws (matter cannot be created or destroyed, force=mass*acceleration, accumulation =input-output etc) to build mathematical equations (i.e. differential or partial differential equations), and then solve the equations using software. This is a good example: http://excelcalculations.blogspot.com/2011/05/modeling-cross-flow-heat-exchanger.html

I wasn't taught anything in my PhD (unlike North American PhDs in which you have to take courses), it was pure research (I had to teach myself something though). The PhD was tough (intellectually and financially), and for several years afterwards I thought I'd wasted four years of my life (especially since I overqualified my self out of many jobs). Now I'm a bit more sanguine about it. But if I knew then what I know now, then I wouldn't have bothered.

I started a PhD as a stop-gap measure because I found it difficult to get a job. Soon I had so much time invested in it that I just continued. With a PhD in engineering you're overqualified for many jobs, but you're qualifying yourself in for high-end technical and research jobs (a tiny bit like what I do now).

Herriot-Watt had a lot of oil research money flowing into it, so engineering labs were well-equipped. As a name it has less brand recognition than red-bricks (but after your first job, it doesn't matter that much). It's in the middle of the country-side and you had to take a bus to get into the centre of Edinburgh. It was less "happening" than Nottingham

Reply 13

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by innerhollow

1) How well known is Imperial College London by employers in North America?

2) What did you need to do to be eligibile to work in North America (i.e. Green Card)?

3) How manageable is it to work as a contracted Engineer? I know it would be very risky, but it would also offer a lot more variety and would prevent the eventual apathy and sense of disenchantment that arises from working for a big company, so it sounds much more appealing.

4) What differences exist between working as a Chemical Engineer in Britain and in North America, in terms of salary and career progression? For example, in Britain the technical stream does not last very long, and on my work experience, nearly all of the engineers working on the technical desks were under 40. Is this different in North America?

1. IC is a top-ten world university. It's as well known here as US unversities like Caltech are in the UK. There are many foriegn Imperial graduates who go back their home countries and sing its praises.

2. I was sponsored by my current company for a work permit (which took six months from start to finish to get). Without having a company sponsoring you, then it is much more difficult.

3. No one I've known who has become a contractor (four people) has regreted it. They became contractors after perhaps five to ten years of a permanent job. I'm thinking of becoming a contractor myself (later, not now)

4. I don't think I have enough experience here to give you what I consider a good answer. Certainly the salaries here are higher. In the part of North America I'm in (I'm on the east cost), jobs are plentiful. Beyond that, give that I've only worked for one company here, I can't give you broader insight into things like career progression (in the three years I've been here I've progressed to a Team Leader position).

Reply 14

NYILoveYou

I'm getting an A in Chemistry, A in Maths, A in Biology and B in Physics do I have any hope of getting into a red-brick to do Chem. Engineering?

Was studying really intensive? As in did you have a social life?

When you move countries, does your company help with finding places to live, etc..

Reply 15

Dreizhen

13

How did you get into software development, and, uh, stupid question but what kind of software to you develop? Thanks in advance.

Reply 16

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by Dreizhen

How did you get into software development, and, uh, stupid question but what kind of software to you develop? Thanks in advance.

I work for a developer of engineering simulation software, but I'm not a software developer myself. My job title is Application Engineer, and I use my company's software to solve real-world problems (although I do have to sometimes program in a high-level language).

The software use to model systems of interacting physical components - clutches, rotating inertias, mass-spring-dampers, hydraulic motors, pipelines, fluid flow, electrical systems and so on.

This kind of software is use to model how large systems of components interact, as opposed to CFD software (Computational Fluid Dynamics) which is designed to model the precise physical behavior of small systems with well-defined boundaries.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 17

tyrian

OP

3

Original post by NYILoveYou

I'm getting an A in Chemistry, A in Maths, A in Biology and B in Physics do I have any hope of getting into a red-brick to do Chem. Engineering?

Was studying really intensive? As in did you have a social life?

When you move countries, does your company help with finding places to live, etc..

I reckon your grades are fine. I only got an ABB in Maths, physics and chemistry back in the mid-nineties.

Some of the modules I student were very difficult (thermodynamics, for example), but it's only now that I have to use these principles to solve real problems that I truly understand them, and appreciate them for their underlying simplicity.

I goofed off in my undergraduate degree, so I had a social life. But that resulted in getting a 2.i, instead of a first.

My company helped me settle into North America. They helped me find an apartment, rented a car for me for a month, and paid for my flight over. But they didn't hold my hand when it came to work - I was expected to be productive from the first week.

Moving abroad to work (to a place where I didn't know anyone) was exciting. Very exciting. It gives you a sense of independence, self-reliance and confidence that is difficult to get otherwise.

Reply 18

Nickini

2

Would going to a red-brick university give me a definite edge over going to somewhere else, such as a Russell Group uni? I was looking at Birmingham or Nottingham as two of my choices, however Birmingham's entry requirements are higher. Is the benefit of having a 'red-brick' degree worth pushing for the higher grades? Or would a degree from a Russell Group Uni serve me just as well.

Cheers, this threads been really helpful.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 19

tony107

From your experience over the years have you noticed any preference in any UK universities. I am particularly interested in how they view UCL and Manchester for ChemEng and whether they see any sufficient difference between them?

Thanks in advance, it's a very helpfull thread

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