1.1. Job Variety: Chemical engineers have the opportunity to work in a variety of fields which include architecture and manufacturing fuels and chemicals. Chemical engineers are also able to combine their passions of math, chemistry, biology and physics in their career.
1.2. Great Salary: Chemical engineers are very highly paid. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual income of May 2012 was found to be $102,270. The BLS also found that 10% of chemical engineers made $154,840 per year.
1.3. Creative Work: There is a lot of creativity involved in the work of a chemical engineer as most projects they deal with are quite challenging. Some of these projects might include cleaning up a highly polluted place or developing a more efficient way to crack hydrocarbons. Any sort of project a chemical engineer does involves critical thinking and creativity.
2. Cons
2.1. Dangerous workplace conditions: Although a chemical engineer might have many safety precautions, accidents are very common. For instance, chemical engineers can be exposed to hot process media or toxic chemicals. Many accidents occur when chemical engineers are mining facilities and manufacturing plants and chemicals.
2.2. Slow Job Growth: The BLS is only projecting a 6% increase in job growth for chemical engineers from 2010 - 2020. From this, it is evident that chemical engineers at this rate are known to be below average. In spite of that, this problem can be solved as several people are creating new and advanced technologies such as alternative energy. This can impact the demand for chemical engineers in a positive manner.
3. Education Requirements
3.1. If you want to enter in the field of chemical engineering, it is required of you to have a bachelor degree. It is also essential that you understand the concepts of math, physics, and biology. Chemical engineers can also earn a master's degree if they are willing to work on a more advanced level.
4. Responsibilities & Duties
4.1. Chemical engineers are known to work in manufacturing products such as chemicals, fuels, medicine, and other health care necessities. Their responsibilities consist of finding new and efficient ways to create various chemicals and applying safety precautions for those who are working in a risky and dangerous type of environment.
