r/ChemicalEngineering • u/WannabeChE • 3d ago

Career Advice What they don’t tell you in school

You will meet people that have worked at the plant you work at that started off as operators 15+ years ago that are miles and miles ahead of you in experience. They will know the process and have a good understanding of what is happening. They will know their system and won’t need to (but can) trace lines. A degree does not make you smarter but it gives you a deep understanding of the physics and science behind something explaining why. It will put you at about the same level as an operator who has worked there for 10-15 years in terms of pay, but learning never ever stops! In my opinion the experience is so much more valuable to the company, but experience and understanding why is gold!

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u/Lucky-Succotash3251 3d ago

They don't tell you alot in school. Like why did no one ever tell me 15 year old me picking chemical engineering as a bachelor that your work will always be in the middle of fucking nowhere!!

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u/Safe-Bed714 3d ago

what advice would you give to someone about to start uni for chem e that would like to end up in a city for their career?

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u/chuck98789 2d ago

You could look at working in the water/wastewater industry at a treatment plant. If you like process controls you can get into the SCADA field.

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u/Nocodeskeet 2d ago

I was going to say this same thing. I live in a metro area and work in water. It's amazing.