r/ChemicalEngineering • u/Old_Physics8637 • Jul 24 '25
Career Advice What was your first job out of college?
Hello! I’m on my last year for chemical engineering, it took a while but I’m finally recieving my bachelors. I would love to know what jobs are usually available or ones I should be on the lookout for. Please share your experience good or bad. Thank you 😊
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u/jerryvo Retired after 44 years Jul 24 '25
Shiftwork at a near 80 year old Solvay Process soda-ash plant. Pulling samples and doing titrations to audit operators.
$9,600 per year. Enough to buy a small new pre-fab home. Slide-rule or longhand multiplication (no calculators).
I don't think that is still available to you...but at the time....my fellow engineers and myself were thrilled.
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u/jhakaas_wala_pondy Jul 24 '25
In a paint industry, where I literally used to "watch the paint dry" with/without a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)
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u/derioderio PhD 2010/Semiconductor Jul 24 '25
We use QCMs in semiconductor industry as well. It's the easiest way to measure etching amounts down to the Angstrom.
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u/jhakaas_wala_pondy Jul 25 '25
QCM is wonderful instrument.. decade later I used the same QCM to study/measure hydrogen storage
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u/squoinky Jul 24 '25
Took a job as an operator for a pharmaceutical company since I had no internship experience and needed a job. Now I’m a process engineer for the same company 2 years later
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u/squishyshrooms Jul 24 '25
I did the exact same thing but in O&G! No internships and became the plant engineer after two years as an operator there.
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u/Big_Cell_7680 Jul 24 '25 edited Jul 24 '25
Graduated May 2025. Anything, lol, 300 applications deep, and I only had 3 screenings, and 1 interview. But I applied to anything that had engineering and either said requires a bs chemical engineering, or any related engineering.
As for what type of jobs: process engineer, project engineer, application, engineer 1, associate engineer, anything that says new grad in it, anything with less than 3 years of experience (apply anyway even if you don’t have the experience, cuz I’ve got screenings for jobs that ask for more than what I have. Also everything about this is a negotiation, like ya u might not have 3 years but you can still do like 50% of the tasks either pretty well or good enough, and if they are convinced that you want to learn (and you should want to learn more, tho that’s easier said then done) then they’ll be happy to have you.
But there’s a bunch of jobs out there, if these screenings lead to interview and then an offer, I’d be at uprate engineer for a nuclear power plant, an associate engineer for a energy company, or application engineer (designing equipment and other stuff) for water treatment systems. I also was able to get an offer for a quality technician role for a sealant and adhesive manufacture but I declined because it wasn’t related to engineering (i got excited about it at first, but when I went there, it seemed like a iffy place to work), it didn’t pay enough (I would need a car, pay off my debt, and didn’t want to live in that neighborhood so everything would be more expensive to live further away), and some personal reasons.
My way of finding jobs is to go on LinkedIn, find companies, go directly to the companies career page, apply directly (I never apply through job boards). Alternatively, I just chatGPTs web search to find companies and open positions that I could fill, though usually ChatGPT isn’t that great at finding stuff, 60% of what it finds is good and that saves a lot of time. Optionally, emailing or messages talent acquisition people (HR people) from the companies that I look up, often are a great way to find jobs.
Also if you want a job right after graduation, then apply as early as possible, if if I were you I would start now. And do any many as possible cuz unless your a perfect student: 4.0 in some AICHE club, do some undergrads research with like 3 internships done and you have a bunch of certifications and know VBA, Python, Aspen plus, and autocad or whatever, then it might be difficult to get a job.
But I’ve heard others say they do like plant operator jobs and lab work jobs before doing an engineering job. The best times for getting a job are after new years before April (especially February), and September through November, cuz new budgets usually come out in January, and hiring staff isn’t on vacation.
Also new grad unemployment is increasing in the US (it’s almost 6% for recent grads) And it’s worst for men which there are still more of than women graduating with engineering and CS degrees (since more women do nursing, healthcare, education, and social services, they have the least unemployment ). All that to say that engineering is not in demand as everyone used to say, and if you say it is, I believe it’s mainly for that mid and upper level engineering that is in demand cuz every time I go to companies career pages, I see tons of mid level and upper level jobs: likes for every entry level engineering job, there’s like 12 mid and senior level ones. Also there seems to be a high demand for engineering in other country, so if ur willing working outside the us then that gives you more degrees of freedom.
But that’s just my saying about this, I know this isn’t structured and goes all over the place, but I wanted to just say whats ever on my mind and it’s what I would have liked to heard before graduating.
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u/cololz1 Jul 24 '25
thats exactly the issue with this industry, you need to be the top student, have 3 internships and research experience to get a job in the field. others will struggle with underemployment/unemployment.
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u/jerryvo Retired after 44 years Jul 25 '25
Most of the resumes I have helped people with here, started as garbage. You do not have to be a top student - companies do not want you to be a student. They want some experience and clarity of thought with the ability to express it in a professional manner.
If you do that, and ignore a cover letter, you'll get calls. A cover letter should be zero to 3 sentences max
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u/cololz1 Jul 25 '25
thing is I dont see EE or ME working as electricians, technicians or mechanics/welders, they end up doing engineering when they graduate. but I see chemeng working as lab technicians, operators. why? High standards for chem eng companies.
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u/just98rules Epoxy/Urethane Manufacturer - 5 years Jul 25 '25
Less so about the high standard and more so about availability within companies for entry level chemEs especially with minimal internship and research experience. We are a magnitude under other engineers in terms of workforce so there are far less positions at the entry level for us. This also ties in to many people don’t want to move and are location tied - further aiding in the inability to get work.
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u/Thaunagamer Jul 26 '25
i got four summer of internship experience, did a sport on scholarship all four years and graduate this summer 2025 in electrical engineering (8.5 semsters). still dont have a job. I had internships at huge corporations like Stellantis and Whirlpool, and still not getting hired. My application gets me to the interview and then jobs dont call back. I manged to get a co-op some how for the fall but my firneds are in the same boat.
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u/EmeriCat Jul 25 '25
After 8 months of job searching, I became a Technician at a corn ethanol plant. $18/hr. I stayed there for 3 years before moving on and it was actually really great experience since I've stayed in manufacturing since then.
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u/cololz1 Jul 24 '25
its much much harder to find an entry level role than an internship
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u/SokkaHaikuBot Jul 24 '25
Sokka-Haiku by cololz1:
Its much much harder
To find an entry level
Role than an internship
Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.
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u/brianna_7 Jul 24 '25
Graduated May 2024 and I’m still in my first job as a Process Engineer in Consulting in a big city! I interviewed for two roles with this company, wasn’t offered one, and accepted the one I’m in now. I got lucky with my job search as I didn’t even apply to many jobs before getting these interviews. I accepted my job offer before I even started my last semester of university, as did several of my classmates, so that was a huge relief. I’m still getting used to full-time corporate life, but I love that I was able to find a ChemE job in a city. I have several classmates who accepted jobs in rural areas in plants.
So as a new grad, your best bet is to look for jobs that specifically say “new grad,” “engineering trainee,” etc. in the title. And I hate to say it, but you probably shouldn’t be too picky about the roles you apply for. Start looking asap and find out what companies you’re interested in are known to hire graduates. 🙁
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u/tulip-under-the-sea Jul 24 '25
Temp role as a project engineer at a flavor manufacturing company. Started out as an intern then promoted to engineer. Left there after 9 months or so and now work as a process engineer in the same industry
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u/here_for_the_tea26 Jul 24 '25
I graduated last 2018 in the Philippines and passed the exam as a professional Chem Engr at the same year. My first job was in a Animal Feed Industry wherein I worked as a Quality Assurance Specialist. I was paid Php 15,000 or $263 a month which is mid during that time since it is in a province. It's the first job I applied to as well. I did regret not trying to apply to other companies just so i couldve chosen a better pay for a job. Also, it just shows that engineers in a 3rd world country are undervalued. I recently moved here in US but with a entry-level wage and as an analyst since it is what I was picked on under h1b. Good luck on your job hunting and I hope you'll have a nice first job 😊
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u/SweetDesign1777 Jul 25 '25
a laboratory assistant in a biomethane gas generator in a ethanol plant. analysing the raw spentwash going in to the reactor and depleted spentwash for use in fertilizers
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u/viciouscabaret Property Risk Engineering - 10+ years Jul 26 '25
Property risk engineering is a niche industry that can have dream roles for chemical engineers who are good at EHS/hazard recognition and technical writing, but may not want a traditional process engineering or design role. This industry is also good for anyone who wants to work remotely or live near a large city, which isn’t possible for a lot of common ChemE jobs. Large commercial insurance companies need engineers to evaluate the hazards and protection features of insured manufacturing sites.
I started as a 2014 new grad and did six months of training before conducting my own site visits. Some people don’t want a travel role, but I loved it in my 20s. Typically I’d have 1-2 hotel nights every 2-3 weeks, but this is heavily location dependent. I also got to drive a free company car, which was a massive help for my finances. I got to work in over half of the US and see processes across so many industries. Over ten years in and I’ve transitioned into a fully remote account management role.
FM Global, AXA XL, and Zurich are three big players in the industry that regularly train new grads. A few years in you’ll be fighting off headhunters left and right.
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u/Tx-Heat Jul 24 '25
Worked as a Field Engineer for an oil services company. It was fun and met a lot of great people. Work/life balance was kinda better than my current 9-5 situation. If I wasn’t out in the field then I was at home relaxing.
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u/Kentucky_Fence_Post Manufacturing/3 YoE Jul 24 '25
US 2022 grad. Took my only offer which was from Lockheed Martin. Worked there 1 yr 4 mos then moved on to a PVC resin plant, still in PVC. Looking around for more pay and experience. Still interviewing and taking calls.
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u/kkohler2 U of South Carolina Jul 24 '25
Operations engineer for a plastics plant. Worked there for 3 years (plus my time as a co-op there). I am now an operations engineer for a chemical plant. I’m 6 years out of school
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u/AstroDoppel Jul 25 '25
Operations specialist in pharmaceutical manufacturing. It was a cool role because they were hiring a lot of new grad engineers and we got hands on experience with a mix of documentation creation. Like SOPs and batch records.
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u/_sixty_three_ Jul 25 '25
Remote operations control operator. 12 hr shifts. 5 days on 4 days off. Mix between day and night shifts
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u/ArBROgast Refining E&P / 6 YOE Jul 27 '25
Graduated Dec 2018, started as a production/process engineer at a major plastics plant in the USGC
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u/darechuk Industrial Gases/11 Years Jul 24 '25
My first job out of college was working as a technician on a temp contract at pharmaceutical company. I set up, cleaned, and broke down kilo scale equipment for the R&D engineers running scale up studies for drug ingredients manufacturing. Eventually they let me run the experiments and write the reports. I took the job because I was desperate and graduated without any internship experience. 2 years later I got a job as a unit process engineer at a specialty chemical plant. What probably helped me was that I was able to talk about the work I supported because I always tried to learn what the R&D engineers were doing instead of staying in my lane of just doing manual labor. Also helped that I could say that I worked with my hands.