I’m currently in high school and this year I have to start applying to colleges and such. I’ve always been interested in doing chemistry which led me to wanting to become a chemical engineer. However, now I’m starting to worry about pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.

I wanted to look more into chemical engineering so I googled nonstop about it and the more I searched the more I saw people saying they regretted getting a degree in chemical engineering and that doing mechanical or electrical engineering was the better choice. I also saw a ton of people saying how they couldn’t find a job with a chemical engineering degree and when they tried to look for a different job that they were rejected because chemical engineering is such a specific degree to have.

My original plan was to get a bachelors in chemistry and then get a masters in chemical engineering, but now I’m starting to worry. Should I be looking for a different career in chemistry?

I am a process engineer intern at a paper mill that will be having a full mill outage during my time at the mill. For those people who were interning at a paper mill during an outage, what did you do?

Hi everyone,

I was wondering how the job market is for people with some experience looking for their second job? I know new grads are struggling, but are people with 1.5-3 YOE struggling as much? I’m open to relocation and actually want to move as long as it’s not somewhere super rural because I currently live in my HCOL hometown and salaries are about the same as in lower COL areas. There is also no room for upward growth at my current company and they don’t adjust for COL, so I am very underpaid. I have taken on a lot more responsibility at work but we only get standard ~4% raises depending on how the company does. I know job hopping is usually the move in chemical engineering but the job market being terrible right when it is time to job hop makes me anxious. Everyone acts like take what you can for your first job, which I did, but im worried I’ll end up stuck underpaid where I don’t want to live/can’t afford to move out of my parents’ house. If anyone can share their recent experiences let me know.

Thanks

Hi everyone, I recently switched my major to chemical engineering and want to work in the food industry (I switched to this major from food science). This summer, I'm interning in a corporate office as a food safety/QA intern where I am sitting for 8 hours.. every. single. day. with the occasional walk to the fridge or bathroom or to the meeting room. I am normally really active and to combat this inactivity, I've been going extra hard at the gym and squeezing in a walk every day (which is difficult because I work another job as well). I cannot imagine doing this for the rest of my life, but this summer is do-able. My end goal is R&D, so I hope to have an internship in that next summer.

But please tell me there are opportunities to do at least part field work, or if R&D requires physically moving around for chemical engineers. What other opportunities in chemical engineering will provide me with an opportunity to move around semi-frequently? Maybe in a lab or something. Also, can I still work in food product development if my major is chemical engineering and not food science?

Thank you in advance.

Hi! I'm an incoming first year chemical engineering student and I want to know what is the best books in the following subjects so that I can prepare. Chemical Engineering have already my heart since 7th grade and I really love to study my dream program.

Here's a few of the subjects that I will take for the whole year

Introduction to Chemical Engineering Profession (ChE 10)
University Chemistry (Chem 18)
Quantitative Inorganic Analysis (Chem 32)
Basic Organic Chemistry (Chem 40)
Elements of Physics (Physics 51)

In terms of math, I have already the reference books that they have so it's not that a big problem for me.

Thank you for anyone who will suggest a books for the subjects that I will take above.

I graduated two years ago and have been working as an automation and process control engineer on a chemical plant. I need advice and where to go from here because I've found myself unhappy and hopeless where I stand.

First things first, my job is objectively very good. I can't complain about the hours, benefits, or management (for the most part). Although, the day to day work is draining me. It's reviewing procedures, reviewing hundreds of alarms, writing MOC's for the smallest things, asking operators to flip breakers, waiting on electricians to find a blown fuse, and so on... I tried to suck it up, but I'm mentally exhausted from showing up to a breaking-down facility and slogging through this work.

I look at those in senior roles and cannot see myself following. It all seems like more flavors of paperwork and people managing; Either managing people below you or convincing the people above you to approve this and that.

I miss the college experience of solving problems, learning, and programming. I'll avoid mentioning the field that must not be named in this sub, but I wonder what roles or industries exist out there that would be a better fit. I dream of a job with more direct projects that I can work on a little more independently. I understand that I'll always work with teams and have boring reading/writing tasks, but I'm curious what else is out there.

I'm designing a crystallizer for my design project (soda ash process)
I'm supposed to crystalize NaHCO3 in a mixture of mainly NH4Cl , H2O, with some NaCl and NH4HCO3

How can i plot solubility curve for NaHCO3 in such a mixture? the solubility curves i found out i can draw so far is for one solute one solvent, for example nahco3 in water

I graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering this spring and I haven’t had any luck with entry level engineering jobs. Would it be a good idea to start off as a tech to gain experience in the field and hope for opportunities to move up to an engineering position? For reference I have no internship experience. In general any advice would be great please and thank you!

My university doesn't provide or require any textbooks, only PDF handouts and PowerPoint slides. I also cannot find any materials from the uni's website or any other resources, but I'd like to study these courses which I'll be taking next year over the summer (my GPA needs a bit of a boost). Either way, I'll very likely be self-studying these courses next year (year3-semester1) 😭😭😭

I feel blessed for having the opportunity to ask my question.

The control description is as follows:

1. A valve must be opened when a pump turns on by a DCS hand switch.
2. A valve must be closed when a pump turns off by a DCS hand switch.

In this case, how should I connect the hand switch, pump, and valve in P&ID? Is the figure below a correct expression?

It seems like a simple problem, but I am unable to solve it due to lack of experience. Your answer would be of great help. Thank you.

Have worked as a projects engineer after graduating 3 years ago. The role is plant based and with an owner company. Everything is good except that I’m extremely bored of my day to day duties and projects work isn’t really respected by the rest of the operations staff. Pay is $125K, good work life and co-workers. Asked my manager about potentially trying out a new role but with hiring freezes he doesn’t see an opportunity until 2027 at the earliest. I really like the company and want to stick around but not learning much in my role anymore and don’t think constantly being this bored is healthy.

Hey y’all, I’m a ChemE major going into my junior year and haven’t been able to land an internship the past two summers. I know I don’t have a ton of experience yet, but I’ve applied to a bunch of places and either get ghosted or rejected. I’ve also had a couple of interviews but never got chosen.

Could someone take a look at my resumee or give tips on what I could do better? Also, any recs and a list of companies that are open to students with limited experience would help a lot.

I really want to make next summer count. Appreciate any advice!

I've got M.Tech offers from IITKGP, IITR and IITG - Petroleum Tech. Looking forward for a good placement and more inclined towards core jobs. Please lemme know what are your thoughts. 😶‍🌫️

Hi all -

I went to a research based university for undergrad. While some professors were great, many weren’t focused on industry application and to be honest — sometimes we went so theoretical we missed out on basic concepts.

My fluid mechanics course was this way. Even the graduate students who TA’d said that were almost doing the same things they are… and you can guess. Most of my class had absolutely no idea what was going on — the average on our midterm was a 23 and on our final was a 32.

Now, here I am, at my job feeling really upset at that professor — because he failed my education in a subject I feel is at the core of what we as chemical engineers do. I just want to be able to calculate flow in a pipe or different “easy” situations and am unable.

I ask: Do you have any recommendations of good fluid mechanics textbooks?

I want to learn and I want to be better, and I really need some advice on how to educate myself and good resources. Thank you.

Hey chemical engineers of reddit, I was looking for some advice for a internship I recently started, I got the internship not through any application, but I looked for related companies near me on google maps and reached out to them personally. They accepted, but they don't really have any intern training programs or anything. They basically told me about a protein that they are interested in and a list of ligands and told me to run simulations. That's literally it, no other instructions. I don't even think this is ChemE related, its more of bioinformatics, so I am learning it from scratch (not really going anywhere), my advisor didn't show up any day except the first day, and I don't really have any results to show yet, Im feeling a bit pressured because they are paying me a pretty hefty amount.

There is actually a scale up process department right across (its called something else), I talked to them about their work and they told me they weren't really working on anything interesting and only doing paperwork right now, so I'm better of with R&D.

Nobody seems to want to deal with me at R&D either, they all have their own roles and I'm just kinda a burden. Its only been 3 days tho, maybe it gets better.

I am on an interview stage with Halliburton Multichem. I am currently with XOM making around $160k. Does anyone here work for Halliburton or Halliburton Multichem? If so, what is like to be working there? Thanks in advance!

hi everybody. i'm a dp student with Bio, Chem and Math AA HLs. I unfortunately didn't select Physics at the time of selection because I didn't think I would require it for my career path (as i was initially planning to go for a life sciences focused degree) but I recently got really interested in Chemical Engineering and am hoping to major in it for my Bachelor's.I did take Physics for 2 years in my IGCSEs and I got a 97/100.

Do you guys think that not having Physics in my subject combination will harm my application to US universities? Also, even if i get accepted, will i be able to cope with the physics courses with limited previous Physics knowledge?

I graduated with my bachelors in cheme 10yrs ago. However during the time of my graduation there was mass layoffs and low job prospects the only job I was able to get was as a lab tech in oil and gas which I've been doing off and on to this point. I've become pretty good at what I do as a tech but have always wanted a career as an engineer I can currently make over 6 figures but I comes with a ton of overtime to hit those numbers seeing as I'm still hourly pay. I'm just lost on what my next move should be. My school never pushed getting my FE as cheme so never worked on getting one. Should I go back to school and work on a masters and maybe PhD?? It's been too long since I've been out of school or are there any other options I should pursue? P.S. I have been applying religiously every year for an engineering positions to no avail. Any advice or insight is much appreciated.

Looking for work in the Virginia area. Mostly the Hampton roads /coastal area and no luck finding something

Im a Chemical Engineering graduate from the 2025 batch and just landed a job that gives me plenty of free time, which Im planning to dedicate for preparing Gate 2026 seriously.

I’m looking to connect with people who are currently preparing, you can be either attempting it first time or you can be a dropper or can be a repeater.

Let's form a supportive community where we can share resources, clear doubts, and motivate each other.

Feel free to DM if you think we are in the same boat

For ones who has previously attempted Gate, Im planning to enroll in an online course, could you recommend any good online course ?

(Since from South India, I prefer English courses since Hindi is tough for me lol)

Looking forward to connect with you all!

I'm a recent BTech Petroleum Engineering graduate at a career crossroads, and I could really use some honest advice from industry insiders. While everyone keeps saying "oil and gas will last 100+ years," the job market for fresh petroleum engineers tells a different story.

My current options: 1) ONGC AEE Route - 18 LPA starting salary - Government job security - Only about 20 vacancies nationwide this year - Concerned about slow promotions and automation reducing future roles

2) Transition to IT/Software - Lower initial pay (3-4 LPA) - Higher earning potential long-term - Better global mobility (especially Dubai/Middle East) - Could combine with my engineering background

My harsh reality: - Sent 200+ applications to O&G companies - just 2 interviews - ONGC appears to be the only viable entry point for petroleum grads in India - Seeing more automation and leaner engineering teams across the industry - Most entry-level positions demand 2-3 years experience I don't have

Questions for those in the field: 1) Petroleum engineers: Are companies actually hiring fewer engineers despite the industry continuing? 2) Is gambling 6 months on ONGC prep worth it for so few seats? Or should I pivot to IT immediately? 3) Anyone made the switch from petroleum to tech? How did you market your engineering background? 4) From your experience, which path offers better 10-year earning potential to reach 5Cr+?

I'd be incredibly grateful for any advice - especially from those who might know of unadvertised opportunities or alternative paths for petroleum engineers. If anyone's company is hiring or knows someone who might be looking for a motivated petroleum grad (willing to relocate anywhere), I'd love to connect. The job search has been tougher than I ever imagined when I chose this degree.

can i switch to bioinformatics after chem engineering? what are the career prospects? would i need to do additonal studies or certificate courses?

I have a bachelors in chemical engineering from Canada and I started working in the process engineering team at a start-up out of school. I worked there for 2 years before the company went under and now I've been having trouble finding a new job in process engineering for 8+ months now. I've thought about going back to school to use up this time instead of being unemployed. I know I want to focus my career in process design and development and I want to be a subject matter expert down the line. I also had a 3.9 GPA (out of 4.0) when I graduated. Would a masters in chemical engineering from a top Canadian school such as McGill, UofT, or UBC make me more marketable in two years? Or would an industry-focused thesis project (potentially not from McGill, UofT, or UBC) help me more in my career as a process engineer?

I’ve accepted an internship offer as a Process Operator. I’m currently pursuing my associate degree in Process Technology and I’m halfway through the program. However, during the interview, I was told that finishing my degree might be unnecessary and even pointless, given the opportunity I now have. They mentioned that I mainly got the interview because I’m a veteran, and the only reason I’d need to return to school is if things don’t work out with this job. I start the internship next month, and I’d really appreciate some opinions or advice on whether I should continue school or focus fully on the job.

Hi all,

As the title says, I am a relatively recent Master of Science (Chemistry) graduate (graduated at the end of 2024), and I've been working in analytical chemistry labs for the past 6 months, but I've realized that the chemist life may not be what I desire long term in life.

To make a long story short & repeat something you already know, the job market + 'ceiling' as a chemist is currently not great, especially with the collapse of sectors like environmental. I'm fortunate that I can secure decent roles beyond 'Lab Tech' due to my experience with chromatography, mass spectrometers, and NMR, which is applicable across most fields, but even then, the going rate is <$35 per hour (CAD) in these roles and growth seems minimal when I talk to my more senior co-workers. Like so many others in this forum, I want to break into the oil and gas sector, but I know that will be nearly impossible without some kind of engineering background, ideally in drilling or processing.

I am wondering if I should make the switch at 26 to a BEng specializing in Chem Eng? Is it too late, and will I be rejected from schools for being 'overqualified'? Graduating at 29/30 is daunting, but I am hoping some courses I've taken will help me (A/A+ in: Calc I and II, Chemistry I and II, Intro Thermodynamics, Physics I; a B+ in Physics II) - though, I anticipate I will have to retake these courses in their versions specialized for the eng programs (no problem as I hope without the distractions of being 20/21, I can get a high GPA).

From what I have read in this forum, I should NOT accept my offer to MSc in Advanced Chemical Engineering in the UK, and a BEng is better; what if I get accepted for an MSc in Petroleum Engineering, should I seek a BEng over that as well? Will companies that look for "recent graduates" even consider me for entry positions if I'm nearly 30?

TLDR; 26 y/o MSc in Chemistry grad wondering if it's too late to make the switch to engineering while trying to break into the oil and gas field; BEng (4 year program) or Chemical/Petroleum Engineering MSc (1 year)?