r/ChemicalEngineering • u/crabgo6 • 12d ago
Student People who graduated as chemical engineers in the recent years, what are you upto?
Hello, I am currently a year 12 international student in Australia considering choosing chemical engineering as a major. For context, I’ve already heard a lot of people telling me not to specialise so early and choose mecheng or electricaleng instead. But the thing is, I’ve never really been that interested in either of these two ( I love quantum physics and Chemistry however ). Since I am also a fee-paying International student with not-so-rich parents, I have to work and pay off at least 30% of the course fees myself ( assuming I get a scholarship ) so, I do not want to make a decision that sets me back after I graduate.
I prefer to work in Australia as I eventually want to get PR but if I must move to find a job, I don’t really mind.
Here are my questions for you:
1, How is the job market for chemical engineers currently?
2, is it worth pursuing for job and financial security in the future compared to other eng degrees?
3, What is the base pay for a chemical engineer and what is the most profitable sector in Australia?
4, Do you enjoy your job and pursue it or did you take another pathway after graduating?
4, Is it worth doing a phd and eventually becoming a professor ( as a later goal )?
I would also love insight on certain universities that I have to keep an eye on! ( currently thinking of Monash and uni of Melbourne )
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u/Extravirginoliveoil- 12d ago
Got into the wind industry leaving behind oil and gas. Worked great for my mental health :)
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u/admadguy Process Consulting and Modelling 12d ago
Define recently. In my head, 70s are a mere 25 years ago.
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u/thumpas 12d ago
Graduated in 2020 with a BS in chemical engineering and a BS in economics. I’m a process engineer (MSAT, Process Sciences, whatever you want to call it) for a biomanufacturing CDMO. I enjoy it, the hours can be rough sometimes and the biotech market is a bad shape currently but overall I enjoy the industry and find it interesting.
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u/costnostrong 12d ago
Hello,
I graduated in May of 2024 and started as process engineer in June of that year. I can't speak on the job market, as a whole, but I can say I do like my job. It is for a reasonable sized chemical manufacturer in Texas. My family (including 2 young girls) moved from Michigan to Texas and we have enjoyed it so far.
I still believe in chemical engineering as a good major, but it has to be something right for the individual. I think there are many opportunities for someone with a degree in chemical engineering, but regardless of that, you have to put yourself out there. One of the major reasons I secured this job was from my involvement with AIChE and being elected VP. I was also involved in other extra-curriculars related to my degree.
I think early on, in any major, should have a first-hand look at many different types of work environments and show the prospective student what the reality is. Chemical engineering students need to understand that they may get a solid job offer in terms of pay/bonuses/growth, but maybe lacks a decent area to live in (rural).
What I enjoy most about my job is that I have a lot of freedom. If I get my work done and engaged, I am not questioned when I have to leave early or show up a little late (I still always let my manager know, ahead of time if I can). I also have the ability to get involved with many different aspects at the plant, I simply can just show up and no one questions it (besides private managerial items).
Also, if you want to be a professor get a PhD. If you just want to work, no need for a PhD. Maybe if the company pays for it.
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u/admadguy Process Consulting and Modelling 12d ago
Chemical Engineering is a more general field than Mechanical Engineering.
An old comment of mine on where all ChemEs can work
If out of highschool you don't know what you want to do, you do chemical engineering.
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u/Worldly-Talk-7978 12d ago
Chemical engineering is broad, but broader than mechanical engineering? Doubt it. Mechanical engineers can work in almost every industry you listed.
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u/admadguy Process Consulting and Modelling 12d ago
Not in biosciences they can't, not on the process side.
There are few mech places where ChemEs are useless, like auto or anything to do with mechanical manufacturing, but MechES are useless in more fields than ChemEs, like instrumentation, biotech, anything to do with Chemical processing, reactor design..
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u/fshead 12d ago
My university had 57 different specialization courses for MechE, each took 2-3 years and they ranged from micro engineering, over biomedical, through laser optical engineering, machine tools, traditional combustion and power generation, turbomachinery to trains.
Those do not include completely different degrees such as aeronautical, automotive engineering or kybernetics which were technically still mechanical engineering.
Honestly, I have no idea how you could claim chemical engineering to be broader.
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u/admadguy Process Consulting and Modelling 12d ago edited 12d ago
In my 20 years of experience, I have seen Chemical Engineers moonlight as mechanical engineers, lost count, equipment design (process design and structural), CAD work, piping engineering, compressor design (both process and equipment). I have to date seen one, only one mechanical engineer moonlight as a process engineer. I would defer to that than list all subspecialties that Chemical Engineers do, which will be equally impressive on a superficial level as 57 flavours of Mechanical Engineers.
For the record i have worked in Consulting and have worked for Pharma, Petrochem, Refining, fission, fusion, metal refining, inorganics, and supply chain clients.
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u/ClayQuarterCake 12d ago
Process engineering was the first thing I did out of school as a mechanical engineer. I joined a team comprised of a majority mechanical and only 3 true chemical engineering graduates. Also worked as an electrical, manufacturing, and an industrial automation engineer in my work history. I think it depends on what industry you get into and what the market is like when you graduate. ChemE’s have never been helpful when I am trying to fix a manual process that involves late manufacturing steps, notably assembly and packaging. They can be great to diagnose a broken valve or faulty sensor for a reactor vessel, but fixing the calibration procedure for the guy who runs the punch press is outside their wheelhouse.
My MechE degree program also offered an emphasis in biomedical if you wanted to go into that area.
I’ve never encountered a field of engineering where you can’t find at least one mechanical doing the job alongside people who actually went to school for it specifically.
I am inclined to believe that our viewpoints are skewed by selection bias. I have aligned my career to where I would never see the inside of a nuclear plant’s control room, so from my perspective, chemical engineers are somewhat rare. If you came up as a chemical engineer, then you would consistently find yourself in scenarios where you are working with other ChemE’s. Again, in this ChemE subreddit, you are likely to get lots of people chiming in to counter my argument here, but that’s the echo chamber of Reddit for you.
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u/Far-Acanthisitta-278 12d ago
Left it to go into tech, didnt like living in middle of nowhere alone and it was boring
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u/SyrupOk3529 12d ago
I thoroughly enjoyed studying ChemE it was brutal at times but most of the time it was challenging but manageable. The industry is difficult to get into depending on where you live. In the united states and mainly Texas you’d be golden. Australia has FIFO jobs too so you have to look into that aspect. I personally struggled to get into the industry because where I’m from not a lot of chem engineers are required. However I managed to land a really good opportunity outside my field that im happy with. Pay wise chem E are paid well.
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u/Perfect_Cry4066 12d ago
Some other people have said this, but chemistry is only a small part of ChemEng (I’m finishing my bachelors in Canada rn). If you’re choosing it solely because of your interest in chemistry, I might suggest looking into Engineering Science programs.
I’m not sure about Australia, but in Canada we have a few schools that offer programs like Engineering Biology (don’t do biomed eng lol), Engineering Physics, and Engineering Chemistry. I personally started out in Eng Chem and I can testify that you’ll deal with way more chemical diagnostics, orgo, electrochem, and quantum in that program.
To my knowledge, the only other programs that offer quantum as a grad requirement are ECE and Eng Phys since they all deal with quantum computing or whatever.
I’ve had my misgivings with my program over the years, but your engineering specialization is what you make of it. I also find having some electives from other departments under my belt useful in case I want to pivot to something like sensor design or electronics.
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u/EntertainmentOwn5866 12d ago
How hard it is to get an entry level job for a person who graduates from the chemical engineering bachelor degree? I have not graduated I am junior now just curious.
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u/sgf12345 10d ago
Been in industry a little over 5 years, working in manufacturing in South USA:
In my area, industry, and personal experience there is no issue in job market (two companies, three roles)
If you’re good at chemistry, go for it. Mechanical is a good general engineer option if you don’t have a specific/specialize industry you’re interested in getting into. You should have a year or two getting basics to figure it out if you want to swap.
Can’t answer for Australia but for my region of US I’d say 70 to 80k USD is general starting base pay
Yes, have always wanted to do manufacturing. I work as a safety engineer and that was my long term goal after college (started in quality)
I did not like school, it is not common to get advanced degrees in my industry, and I have no interest in teaching so no I would say it is not worth it LOL. If you ultimately want to teach then yes I’m sure it would be beneficial but listen to other people for this one.
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u/hardwood198 8d ago
Chemical engineering is a difficult degree - so be prepared for that.
In Australia, oil and gas is mainly about exploration and production - less about refining. Jobs with the main companies can be hard to come by - Santos / Woodside / Origin Energy / BP / Shell.
Pay is good 80-90k as a graduate. However, most of these companies require citizenship/PR to apply for their graduate programs.
Next industry is mining/metals. You can work as a process engineer /Metallurgist here. Pay is also relatively high
Process engineer jobs also exist in engineering consultancy- pay is a little lower.
Other industries include pharmaceutical (okay pay), food and beverage (low pay), water, recycling (lowest)
Getting a role international student on a 485 visa can be challenging - since there are so many international student, why choose them when you can choose a local?
Gender also plays a part - much easier if you are a female. Many companies are pushing for 50-50 gender ratios; hiring female fresh graduates is a straightforward way to do so.
You will also need to be willing to move away from Melbourne - few process engineer jobs there (only pharma / food). For work, best to move to regional parts of Australia.
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u/spacecowboy1735 12d ago
I will list all the downsides quickly: 1. Job market is a shit show right now, you are battling recently laid off people from most tech companies, A.I. is replacing jobs faster than most people thought, no joke companies mostly hire Indian guys on visas cause they can pay them less and revoke the visa a power leverage I'd screw ups.
Never work past your set work times. Work only punishes you for going the extra mile or dedicating time outside work hours. They will lay you off and promotions only really happen after 4-5 years realistically and you'll have a boomer manager gatekeepers the position you actually want for the next foreseeable 20 years
Pay is pretty bad considering we are getting payed the same rates since the 70s for engineers in similar roles, but you have to battle modern day inflation.
The plus sides: 1. Engineers still make some money, not as much as night shift nurses or strippers, but good money compared to fast food.
Knowledge is power, you're always learning, and the toys you get to play with are super fancy and expensive now, but you're job will be fixing it and creating PMs for it
I haven't done much math outside some derivatives and pemdas stuff but you get really odd and different problems to ponder daily. For example I was tasked recently for finding a new vendor to buy parts from and reviewing all the procedures for my workers and reducing the hours they work by 40-100 hours a year
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u/crabgo6 12d ago
Wow. That sounds pretty tough. May I ask what role you’re currently working as? and how an average week looks for you?
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u/spacecowboy1735 12d ago
I worked in the semiconductor business I'm a module group lead in charge or etching with chemicals. My hours are pretty good I work 3-4 day weeks alternating, 12 hour shifts
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u/Glittering_Ad5893 12d ago
Straight dayshift or alternating night and day?
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u/spacecowboy1735 12d ago
I was the night shift lead so I would work 7pm to 7am, it pays 16-22% more to compensate for the years of your life working nights shaves down
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u/OutlandishnessLast64 12d ago
Manufacturing nutritional supplements -> digital manufacturing consultant for biotech/cgt -> IT project manager in aviation
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u/TheFlanders9000 12d ago
It pays decent. It started to suck my soul out as a new engineer with 1.5 yrs of experience, though.
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u/Phizzogs 12d ago
If you check OZ job market rn, it's mostly petrol engrs in Perth, Metal Engrs in NSW & Vic, mostly Food Engrs in Melbourne and I don't think it'll be easy to get PR through ChemEng since it's not part of the Skilled Visa (manufacturing could mean operators not necessarily process Eng). They do have renewable Engrs in Vic and NSW too but I think that's mostly electrical/mechEng. There are process Eng jobs here and now but idk.
ChemEng doesn't have that much chemistry in it, unless you get those courses specifically.
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u/Cultural-Pudding-126 12d ago
Process engineer for 2 years, day trader for 5 years hahah long story
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u/MuddyflyWatersman 11d ago
- it doesn't matter how the job market is currently it matters how it will be when you get out. if people say it's slow currently you can expect it to be good when you get out.
- yes but it really depends on what do you want to do.....what do you have an aptitude for and what is near you where you can get a job. Australia has mining... I don't know what else.
- chemical engineers do all kinds of things... you will have opportunities to move into almost everywhere in a chemical mining or oil/gas company with the chemical engineering background. most people don't stay as technical engineers..... there's a lot of other associated jobs that have to be filled.... and a lot of opportunities to move up through those pathways. especially if you're not the best technical person.
- PHD .... will put you in control of your career today........ no you don't want to be a professor....ech.....weirdo...(just kidding) .. .... our vice presidents are mostly phds.... get a PhD and an MBA and you can go anywhere.. hello CEO? why would you want to be a professor when you can make several million dollars a year?
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u/CramponMyStyle 12d ago
Job market - shite, but just keep applying with a solid resume you’ll get there. Internships while in school will dramatically increase your chances
Yeah any core engineering deg will ensure you have a decent level of job and financial security - varies more by industry you start to specialize is rather than my discipline
Check Glassdoor or the AIChE salary survey
Love ChemE
Join research at your uni as soon as you can, and it will give you a better idea if the PhD track might be right for you — and make it easier to follow that track
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u/riftwave77 12d ago
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING IS NOT CHEMISTRY. Its important for you to understand this. Transport and mass transfer calculations (or more likely thermodynamics) is a far cry from quantum physics. If you love the pure sciences then even though you will study them in some of your classes, that will not be the focus of your work or main areas of study.