r/ChemicalEngineering • u/DreamIndependent9316 • Jun 01 '22
Rant Chem Eng vs Tech Roles
Why are tech roles earning so much in my country?
Tech roles can get about 5-6k/month excluding performance bonuses.
While a ChemE graduate at most get 4k/month.
I have been working for 2 years and my pay is 4.5k. I analyse data, do DCS logics and go to the plant to troubleshoot.
Doing so much more and it requires lots of engineering/science knowledge. But why are we still earning less?
Sometimes I feel so jealous about friends who are earning so much.
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u/jpc4zd PhD/National Lab/10+ years Jun 01 '22
Everything comes in cycles.Yes the tech industry has had the highest paying jobs for roughly the last 10ish years (since the Great Recession). However, that wasn't always the case. In the 2000s (before the Great Recession), ChemEs typically had the highest paying jobs (I knew people going into ChemE "for the money" while no one was doing it for CompSci). At least in the US, most tech roles are also in VHCOL areas (example: a family of 4 making $120,000/year in San Francisco is considered living in poverty, meanwhile living in Houston a $120,000/year salary is a nice comfortable salary).
Why is this happening? Various reasons, including tech being "cool" now, and it seems like there are a lot of people putting money into tech startups (it is easier to start a tech company compared to a chemical company).
Is ChemE a bad choice? If all you care about money right now, then yes. ChemEs in most countries (at least in the US and Europe) should allow you to live a (upper) middle class lifestyle (ie if you know how to budget, you shouldn't have to worry about money), and have decent job prospects.
Will tech be the highest paid job 10 years from now? I have no idea, but if I had to place a bet on it, I would bet that tech would not be the highest paid jobs, something else will be (I have no idea what that industry will be). This is due to everything being cyclical.