Job description

Chemical Engineers design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.

• Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
• Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
• Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
• Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.

Salary

Chemical Engineers with little to no experience tend to make between $64890 and $81900 while the more experienced ones can earn over $133320 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Chemical Engineer is to move to a higher paying state like TX. Right now, the highest paying states for Chemical Engineers are TX, AK, NJ, DE and DC.

However, a higher pay at TX doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at TX might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Chemical Engineer is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Chemical Engineers what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Bachelor’s Degree followed by a Master’s Degree.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Chemical Engineer.

What is the job like

73% of Chemical Engineers said they were satisfied with their job and 61% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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