Career as a Chemical Engineer Essay Example
Chemical Engineering, a job with new possibilities every week. Chemical engineers use knowledge from chemistry, biology, physics, and math to be able to conclude problems. Chemical engineers create processes and use equipment for large scale production. Becoming a chemical engineer starts with dedication within school and leads to becoming a chemical engineer with lots of duties and responsibilities.
When thinking about what you want to do when you are in high school, it is important to know what type of classes you should take to start working towards your goal. Chemical engineers need to have background knowledge of science and math. Some of the desired classes you should take in high school would include: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. These classes will prepare one for the college courses to obtain your degree in the future.
There are also physical and mental traits that people will need when going into the job of a chemical engineer. Physical traits are being able to stand for an extended amount of time, lift up to 50-100 pounds, and have good vision. The most important mental trait of a person going into this job is the ability to listen and focus. Other important traits are having good communication skills and the ability to write fluently.
When it comes to after high school, you will have to go to college to get a bachelors to start working at a place in need of a chemical engineer. Generally this takes four years to obtain. To explain the way of obtaining a bachelors, I will be using Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. To earn this degree, it consists of science courses only. Some of the classes are Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry. If you want to obtain your master's degree, this is when Math and English come more into play. The three major subjects that you will find when going into this degree are Math, Science, and English. There are some engineering courses for higher education (“Honors/Advanced classes”). Some job locations also offer job shadowing and internships when you are in college. This would be a great way of getting experience while still going to college.
When actually completing college and getting your degree, there are many opportunities in this field and are continuing to be more in demand. Since the pandemic, the amount of jobs that you can get with a degree in chemical engineering have increased due to Covid-19. When you actually get the job there will be many responsibilities that come with it. Many of these are operating machines, ensure safety of others and yourself by wearing protective gear, experimenting and formulating conclusions.
When you first get the job, you might be treated more harshly because you are a newer person that has been working only for maybe a year or less. It is important that you use the knowledge that you have learned and not be easily intimidated. Many times people that have been there for a while can be a helpful guide in your career. The longer you stay at a certain job your seniority will increase. Seniority is a big part of the job of chemical engineering as you will gain the ability to work higher skilled jobs. According to the local business (Carus LLC), employees say that seniority is very important in their day to day work life. The employees work on many projects and the ones who have worked there longer work on bigger projects. The bigger the project, the more responsibilities that each employee will have.
The amount of hours is typically between 36-40 hours per week. When on the job a person may be working a different machine after a couple hours. As focusing on a job for so many hours can lead to missing something. Switching jobs can be helpful, a new person can see something that you may have missed. A career in this field usually has good benefits that include insurance and 401K.
When becoming a chemical engineer it starts with a serious commitment to learning as much as you can in school. Chemical engineers will use all classes they take to excel in the business they are working at and they will also keep growing and learning as the jobs change. There are always changes in the world and this job is no different. Be prepared to keep learning and excelling in your field. The duties they will need will change from job to job making the job new every once in a while. The job of a chemical engineer is as simple as rocket science.
