Chemical Engineer

For an entry level position, a chemical engineer undergraduate degree is usually required. Sometimes, an applicant with a natural sciences or mathematics degree may get an entry level job, but that is not nearly as common. The curriculum for engineers at colleges and universities tends to be a highly regimented one with requirements not only for what courses must be taken, but what sequence they must be taken in and in specific combinations. The curriculum emphasis is on math, the specific engineer field and other hard sciences. Students often take an extra year to complete their degrees due to the rigor of the programs, and like other engineering programs, there are always a few areas that pose consistent and high levels of difficulty for students, such as physical chemistry (aka P-Chem).

Although a person could become a part of an engineering firm or work in a corporate department and be considered a chemical engineer in general, the formal engineering designation is Professional Engineer (PE), which means that one is licensed by a particular state to offer their services directly to the public. In other words, the role of an engineer is broad, but the title of "engineer" is specific. To become a PE, there are a number of requirements, including graduating with an undergraduate degree from a specially program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), four years of experience, and an exam.

There are two stages of becoming a PE, each categorized by passing exams. Upon completion of the first exam, (Fundamentals of Engineering), the PE candidate is called an "engineer in training" or "engineer intern". The second exam (Principles and Practice of Engineering) is usually only able to be taken after some years of work experience. Site licensing varies and some states require continuing education while others do not. Independent from state and other governmental regulators, there are other professional organizations that offer certification in special areas of engineering.

Although the tile of "engineer" can seem to be quite technical and specific, there are many areas of engineering; some of these areas are very different and some of them overlap quite a bit.

Chemical engineers work with chemicals, both organic and inorganic, by helping discover them, research uses for them and pioneer manufacturing methods. They can be found in almost every manufacturing industry, including clothing, biotechnology, business services, energy, electronics, food, health care, and paper.

Chemical engineers differ from chemists in general because they deal with the application of their discipline to industry, often with the aim of making products better or making the processes of production more efficient, safer or more environmentally sound.

Engineers must, of course, be able to complete all the necessary educational and professional requirements to become engineers at all. This indicates an intelligence type that is analytical, detail oriented and inquisitive. Creativity is also a necessary trait. Interpersonal skills are also highly necessary, as chemical engineers almost always work with teams and other departments. Language - spoken and written - are also necessary due to not only the teaming aspect of a chemical engineer's job but also because of the necessity to communicate findings, present recommendations, etc. in written form.

Chemical engineers must also be highly informed about their particular industry, how it works, how every part of the manufacturing process works and also how all of these affect the environment and the safety of workers and/or consumers.

As of May 2007, the average wage for a chemical engineer was about $84,000. The annual salary range went from $52,000 - $123,000. With regard to industry variations, corporations in general and research firms tended to pay higher while surprisingly pharmaceutical and biotech tended to be on the lower end. Top-paying areas for this profession tended to be on the west coast.

A few professionals came up with important inventions in this field. Erik Rotheim was a Norwegian chemical engineer, best know for having invented the aerosol spray dispensing system. Norbert Rillieux was best known for having invented the multiple effect pan evaporator, which made sugar production more efficient and made the lives of the slaves working in this industry safer.

Others were famous for groups they belonged to our founded. William Ingraham Koch is best known as the founder and president of The Oxbow Group, while Andrew S. Grove is known best for his pioneering work with semiconductor devices and technology, and is currently a Senior Advisor of Intel. John F. Welch, Jr. is best known as the eighth Chairman of General Electric Company.

Some chemical engineers are famous for other reasons! Frank Capra was a chemical engineer but was best known as a film director, (It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Mae Jamison is best known for being the first black, female astronaut.

There are many important organizations in the field of chemical engineers. ABET - Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Oversees accreditation of college and university engineering programs. National Society of Professional Engineers - Primary national professional organization for PEs across all disciplines. National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying - national organization composed of licensing boards from all US states and territories.For a lists of state boards, visit the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying's website.

By far, Texas seems to boast the highest number of jobs in this field, in the areas of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. This could be in relation to the energy industry there as well as the growing Texas economy. Other metropolitan areas that had large numbers of jobs were Dallas, Tulsa, Baton Rouge, Denver, Atlanta, Wilmington, St. Louis and Allentown. With regard to states, California also ranked highly for numbers of positions available.