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Be honest- Is chemical engineering a good degree

I'm interested in chemeng at quite a good uni.

I'm slightly put off as a lot of people tell me not many go on to get jobs as actual chemical engineers or you have to travel to get jobs.

What do most chemeng graduates go on to do e.g. banking/work in the pharmacy industry etc?

am i better off doing something more reliable?
can't seem to find much info of it all

thanks!

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Reply 1
Got a friend works in Sellafield, nuclear engineering. Gets paid nicely. Yes its a good degree.
Original post by sarah_j_jane
I'm interested in chemeng at quite a good uni.

I'm slightly put off as a lot of people tell me not many go on to get jobs as actual chemical engineers or you have to travel to get jobs.

What do most chemeng graduates go on to do e.g. banking/work in the pharmacy industry etc?

am i better off doing something more reliable?
can't seem to find much info of it all

thanks!


most people who study engineering at university realise that it requires a lot of work and as a result most get put off doing engineering as a career (most think it will be practical but it's very theoretical and lacks practicality) because they don't really know what engineering jobs in real life entail (unless they do an internship etc).

I would only recommend studying engineering if you have somewhat of an interest in it, if you don't then don't bother and study something else :tongue:
Original post by sarah_j_jane
I'm interested in chemeng at quite a good uni.

I'm slightly put off as a lot of people tell me not many go on to get jobs as actual chemical engineers or you have to travel to get jobs.

What do most chemeng graduates go on to do e.g. banking/work in the pharmacy industry etc?

am i better off doing something more reliable?
can't seem to find much info of it all

thanks!


a woman in engineering?
Original post by multiratiunculae
a woman in engineering?


i'm sure i'll be a better engineer than you'd ever be xo
As a second year student, it's a hell of a lot of work, but I find it very enjoyable and there do seem to be plenty of job opportunities.
Original post by Jonny360
As a second year student, it's a hell of a lot of work, but I find it very enjoyable and there do seem to be plenty of job opportunities.


Cool. Job oppurtunites such as...? :smile: just wondering because a lot of people tell me the opposite.
Original post by sarah_j_jane
Cool. Job oppurtunites such as...? :smile: just wondering because a lot of people tell me the opposite.


Don't believe them, chemical engineering is one of the highest paid starting salaries for a reason! I plan to go into gas or oil because they have the highest pay. May involve leaving the country, but I don't mind that :biggrin:
Original post by Jonny360
Don't believe them, chemical engineering is one of the highest paid starting salaries for a reason! I plan to go into gas or oil because they have the highest pay. May involve leaving the country, but I don't mind that :biggrin:


few! i needed that reassurance thanks. people make out that i will literally end up jobless :unimpressed:
With a chemical engineering you certainly won't end up unemployed. Process engineers work in so many industries that there's such a diverse offering of possible careers from pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, fine chemicals, materials, food manufacturing, companies like Unilever and Proctor & Gamble... Not to mention being able to go into finance or the like. Myself? I enjoyed studying to so much that I went back for more :tongue:

Some of the hyperbole about not being able to get a job at the moment is due to the general obsession amongst chemical engineering graduates with respect to acquiring a job in oil and gas. There are so many folk that limit themselves to this singular field and then complain that they can't get a job when there's an industry downturn. But by the time you graduate the chances are that specific industry will be back on its feet.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Jonny360
Don't believe them, chemical engineering is one of the highest paid starting salaries for a reason! I plan to go into gas or oil because they have the highest pay. May involve leaving the country, but I don't mind that :biggrin:


'gas or oil' - what? I don't really think you have any idea which jobs are available tbh.


OP, I did an internship at BP. The Chem Eng grads, along with graduates of other disciplines are put on a general training scheme that introduces them into the industry, teaches them the skills required/how to use the tools, etc.

The starting salary for a BP Engineer is ~£35k, straight out of uni.

A lot of the Chem Eng people are placed into process engineering roles where you're dealing with the modelling the flow of product throughout the pipeline, including assessing the risks that surround how these liquid flows behave. For instance, I had to craft a presentation that looked at how the flares on a platform decrease the net gas contamination within the cabins themselves. Because what happens sometimes is that gas escapes through the pipelines (i.e. leaks) and within the cabin you need to modulate this gas to airmix ratio, and so you need to burn off this extra gas.

Anyway, it's some interesting stuff. You definitely won't be using a lot of the maths/physics that you learned at uni but having that background is a necessity in order to understand the thermodynamics taking place. In fact, you'll be in meetings for the majority of the time discussing across the team of engineers as well as some of the commercial folk.

Generally, the jobs directly related include: process engineering, nuclear engineering, production engineering/management, manufacturing engineer (especially for plastics/pharmaceuticals) etc

That said, you could use your degree to jump into most grad schemes that don't specifically state a degree requirement. Including but not limited to: investment banking, trading, equity research, marketing, sales etc.

EDIT: I'd add that you can work in a wide variety of industries as a process engineer. It's not limited to Oil&Gas. You could work for a BigPharma company like Pfizer or GSK; or with a consumer goods company like P&G, Unilever; or even as a consulting engineer at places like Arup or Cambridge Consultants

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(edited 8 years ago)
High pay but you'll be lucky to find a job
Original post by Edmar Hadad
High pay but you'll be lucky to find a job


Lovely contribution with so much substance.

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Original post by Princepieman
Lovely contribution with so much substance.

Posted from TSR Mobile


I'm a simple man.

if you want more info:
http://www.cascaid.co.uk/newkudos/
its an ok degree but there's better if i'm honest...

I agree with poster above hard to find jobs not so easy as everyone makes it out to be.
Original post by trapking
its an ok degree but there's better if i'm honest...

I agree with poster above hard to find jobs not so easy as everyone makes it out to be.


Thank you for agreeing

btw another website for more stats:
http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/statistics.do
Reply 16
Original post by Edmar Hadad
Thank you for agreeing

btw another website for more stats:
http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/statistics.do


Why are you citing IT jobs that have keyword "Statistics" (ie IT jobs that include Statistics in the job description) in a thread about ChemEng?

And, anyway, not everyone wants to do IT.

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Uhmmm yes. It's an engineering degree. It's in demand, its very skill based, requires superior intellect and innovation from an individual. If you have the aptitude for it, do it. Don't be one of these idiots around here who go study a scooby doo degree in anything random expecting employees to like their feet because they're so desired. Good luck if you study it though, its worth it.
Definitely pick a uni that offers a placement year. And yes, chemical engineering is a good degree and a big area, although it has slowed down massively in recent times. But it is expected to pick back up again sooner or later.
Original post by jneill
Why are you citing IT jobs that have keyword "Statistics" (ie IT jobs that include Statistics in the job description) in a thread about ChemEng?

And, anyway, not everyone wants to do IT.

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They dont just have statistics for It jobs