Why I left Chemical Engineering

[@macchiato8219]

chemical engineering senior here, and definitely going thru it rn as i have a process final tomorrow. i realized how much i hate the manufacturing industry in my 3rd year and i wish i switched majors. im in the very same position as you yeonju, and i hope you find more clarity and peace with your new journey ahead. sending much much love!

[@lobotomizedjesse]

Hi. Would you say you'd wanna go through with it? Cause a lot of people are telling me it's gonna be expensive for me and I might not get internships easily in Indiana. Or you know does it drain you that much how's your process wherever you are. I'm an undergraduate and idk whether I should go through with it

[@sarahrain4371]

I'm a chemical engineer and literally going through the same path as you and was literally trying to reach you to ask you about this. Thank you so much

[@anikm111]

You can ask her here. She is gonna answer it till its a legitimate question.

[@davidstuart9695]

Stumbled across your video. 32 year experience Chemical Engineer here. Done everything from refining to oil and gas projects, and now I have applied my skills to net zero and worked on a couple of carbon capture plants. I have had an interesting, rewarding and well paid career with excellent work-life balance, but realise it is not for all CE graduates, and even 30 years ago many of my university cohort went into other areas that required highly numerate graduates. Best of luck as you change career.

[@okaydo6291]

I am studying ChemE right now. With your experience, do you think if ever i decided after getting my degree to go in another domain, will it be possible? Basically can a chemE degree gets you other engineering jobs or let's say finance job?

[@davidstuart9695]

Absolutely. When I graduated I first joined an engineering design company in London with a few other CE and other graduates. After one year one of the CE graduates left to join a financial company in the City of London. I had another do an MBA after several years and then change career to banking, and one other who left CE to go into general consulting. It can be done early on in your career, but will get more difficult with time.

[@okaydo6291]

@@davidstuart9695 Thank you man, the flexibility in this major is really insane. I really love what I do but also feel very secure that I could go into other domains with this degree. Again thanks for the respond!

[@davidstuart9695]

Also remember that after completing your degree, your technical skills count, but your career success (if you define success by reaching senior management positions) is driven primarily by your behavioural skills.

[@willyliang8101]

@@okaydo6291 I am a recent graduate, I just realised that I did not like to be working in chemical plants (smell, noise, sense of isolation, some people). I tried to get into finance, although it is possible, but they do prefer people from finance/economic backgrounds. That is why I could not get in. And I do not like coding one bit, I am still jobless (working minimum wage at a mini market).

[@StarvrosMitchell]

Thank you for your honesty. I am embarking on my academic journey as a Chemical and Process Engineering. I needed to hear the pros and cons. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@laynem3242]

About 1/4 of all chemE jobs in the US are in Houston, the 4th largest city in the US, and only an hour away from College Station. (it is also the most diverse city in the US) But, if you don't like working in a plant it is hard for people with English as their second language to go from plant work to sales. In Chem E sales you deal with a lot of good ole boys from BFE Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma and you need to be able to relate with them. This is why many foreigners who study engineering in the US get advanced degrees and become teachers.

[@henrikv.7745]

Hi Yeonju, really interesting video! Recent data shows that engineers are often under-employed - with there being more graduates than jobs to fill. Analysts have noted that this might indicate that WE NEED MORE ENGINEERING STARTUPS. And not just in software but also biotech, electronics, micro-manufacturing. The promise of a high income, and the daunting reality of 60 hour weeks can cause disillusion in how students perceive work as an engineer. Not to mention that your direct management is the 2nd biggest impact in your perception and attitude towards work. From my experience, gaining the opportunity to work and have internships (some in chemE, some in software) has massively changed how I feel about these industries. I can see the problems we face as young professionals, and I can see that startups and small businesses are part of the solution. P.S. Control Systems Engineers often design and tinker with logic for bench-scale reactors using Arduinos, PLCs and micro-controllers. You might find this interesting (versatile skills you can work on outside of work).

[@serikang4130]

어떤 길을 가던 그 안에 어려움들이 있을거고 내가 무언가에 들인 시간이 있으니까 쉽게 다른 길을 가보는게 나에게는 정말 어려운 일인데, 언니는 뭘 할 때 더 나은 사람이 될 수 있는지 끊임없이 도전하는 모습이 참 근사한 것 같아..! 지나온 시간을 아까워 하는 것이 아니라 10년 뒤의 모습을 그리는 언니를 보니까 한번 더 도전이 되네!! 내가 항상 말했지만, 언니는 많이 도전하고 해보면서, 언니가 뭘 할 때 잘하고 좋은지 알아가는 것 같아 좋아..! 나도 언니덕분에 조금은 도전을 두려워하지 않게됐달까..? 언니의 앞으로를 응원해!! 솔직히 오늘 버피 미친 귀여움이당...! 헿 하고 쳐다봐서 너무 심쿵이야...

[@yeonjupark]

why u gotta make me cry like dis🥹❤

[@N1rOx]

Cool! I'm glad I've found your channel. I've decided that I don't want to be a Carpenter anymore and I've been self studying programming for about 4 months now. I think it's perfectly normal to arrive at where you thought you wanted to be and find out that it's not for you. Some people get lucky with what they pick first, but most people don't. At least we're doing something about it, or have the opportunity/means to. In a way, we're still, very lucky. Hopefully you enjoy SE a little more than ChemE :-)

[@yeonjupark]

I agree!! Amazing you are self studying programming and good luck!!

[@Gladieth]

Thank you for sharing this video. I also studied hard, graduated in CHEE, and worked as a process engineer for three years before realizing I needed a career change.

[@DaniTargon]

Bro dont make me feel I made the wrong choice 😂 cuz I f love chemistry why did you change career anyways?

[@silverdragon7952]

Hi, could I ask an irrelevant question? Do multi-vitamins and cosmetics sold in those dollar stores carry the same grade of quality as the same ones sold in major supermarkets? I am talking about the ones with exactly the same packaging. I don't have any classmates or friends doing chemical engineering so I just have to hop onto Internet to find out.

[@AlexRodriguez-bf7dt]

Your dog is beautiful, thanks for sharing your experience

[@felix-xd4mx]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. This was me with accounting, it’s very unfortunate, I wish you luck in both of our journey!

[@shaylawulf4456]

first year engineer at a&m rn and thinking ab chemical or materials- (research tho not rlly process..) your perspective helps a lot!

[@alirezakashani7732]

I want to enter to chemical engineering but after this video my idea about this major is soo changed

[@DavejrJr-pf2dd]

I'm a chemE too, been working for 3 years and don't like it that much because of the reasons you mentioned. Can I ask how to transition to software? like did you have to go to school? or you went to a program? did you get a certificate? how did you get your fist coding job? how long did it take you? also what languages did you learn? pls need help.

[@muazzakaria6390]

Oh my god, are you me, i graduated the same year as you, 2 years into production engineers, learn coding by self taught and currently working as a fullstack engineer. wish we can have a coffee and talks about our life haha

[@aidafarfan5306]

Hi! I want to elaborate beauty products and perfumes ...Could i study Chemical engineering? Or are there another better options?

[@sodiepop7576]

Hi, I'm a chemical engineering senior. You could study chemical engineering to work in the cosmetics or personal care industry as a process or manufacturing engineer. It's possible to also study a chemistry degree to work as a technician/scientist or a mechanical engineering degree to pursue similar engineering works. You could find more information if you Google it up.

[@allisonbrockman6010]

If you want to design products you could get a PhD to go work in a research department for a company doing so

[@laynem3242]

If you want to design, you need to go into chemistry and probably need a phd. Engineers are more about taking the chemist's product and scaling it up to production and making money from it.

[@samnichles447]

If you want to live in a big city then most BS level engineering degrees are probably not for you. Manufacturing plants in the US left the cities for rural areas decades ago. I obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering so that I could work in new product development. I recently retired after 38 years in the technical textiles industry where I lived in suburbs for 24 years, a large city for 10 years, and rural areas for four years.

[@igorbegpines6179]

Stop putting "like" in between every word 😭

[@yeonjupark]

like

[@yeonjupark]

like don't watch like k thx 🤭

[@diefable]

you should go home and take some fent. you’re too fucking bored with your life my guy

[@ahmedalshalchi]

The problem is not Chemical Engineering but who are you to study chemical engineering ?!...

[@trumanburbank6899]

Here's what I imagine about chemical engineering... you work at a company that makes 96% sulfuric acid. You are told that the company has decided that 20% of that needs to be diluted to a 50% solution. You tell management that they could produce this at the reaction chamber, and that they could just switch from producing 50% to 96%, and back again with a minimal investment on equipment. But this is management, and they insist, for whatever reason, that "no", they want a separate reaction chamber. You realize how stupid this is, but it is what it is. So your task is to decide how to transfer that 20%, by means of piping, to another location. You decide how far away from the source you would like to put your dilution station (or whatever you'd call it). You are told that they need you to produce 5,000 liters/month. So, you look up how many kJ's will be released in this reaction. You find a nozzle that will mix the sulfuric acid and water, being fed by two pipes, releasing it as a spray which will strike a large cooling plate. And the vat has cooling jackets all around, and there is a stirrer. You also need to be able to control flow rate depending on the temperature of the vat solution. So, you design the equipment, and send it to a company that manufactures your custom equipment. The finished apparatus will be a combination of standard off the shelf items and custom made equipment. How far off am I? There was a chemical engineer where I worked at a medical company (no chemical stuff). He was a senior manager. I used to think how smart he must be, that he was some kind of super-chemist. Years later I found out that is not the case at all. It seems that a lot of chemical engineers end up doing something else.

[@홍길동-b7h6h]

Dow chemcial engineer here, are you still seeking for the answrr that how far are you?

[@홍길동-b7h6h]

Basically chmical engineer cannot excute design concept by their own. They need lots of support/help from cross functional team and external sources like EPC.

[@trumanburbank6899]

@@홍길동-b7h6h My question was hypothetical - as a matter of interest. I am not a chemist, nor an engineer.

[@trumanburbank6899]

@@홍길동-b7h6h Besides local building permits, are other government agencies involved? By way of example, if one had a new firearm design, the blueprints would have to be submitted to the ATF before the firearm could be constructed.

[@홍길동-b7h6h]

@@trumanburbank6899 yeah for the dillution project you mentioned. The working process is quite similar to the chemical companies. However there are more departments within the company. The project has to pass the "gates" and gate committee is consisted with people who have environmental / chemist / regulatory / etc.. / backgrounds. Usually local governments do belive chemical companies follow their rule so they do not always intervene the construction. However they auditing the companies regulary. (Depends on country and states)

[@sarahrain4371]

Question how do you know that you like this job now?

[@ahmedalshalchi]

She said it already that she wants to be a boss of her self and wants to work in big communities around like big cities with no worry about going far away to work but still in same large community structure , this means ( HOME ) so the best job to do from home without bringing work facilities to home is ( SOFTWARE ENGINEERING )... With software engineering , all work tools are found within one device pack is PC so this job is for all people ....

[@sarahrain4371]

@@ahmedalshalchi I've been following her channel for a while now and in her previous job she can also work from home. Chemical engineering enables you to work from home in some specific sectors. My question wasn't about work conditions but the work itself. Does she like what she's doing or not.

[@yeonjupark]

Different challenges within the new field but definitely doing so much better mentally when it comes to career related challenges❤ thank you for asking!!

[@mahm1306]

Hi i would be so thankful if anyone here could help me... so after watching many videos(also this one🥲🥲), asking students in different majors... I'm still quite LOST right now...😭 I was planing on entering chemical engineering field, but I'm not so sure if i want to do it anymore.... so here is my question: between industrial engineering, material engineering and chemical engineering which one do you recommend me to choose ? And also which one will have a higher growth of salary/ higher demand in the future?

[@keerthanan641]

I'm here to answer your question Firstly the chemical engineering is the study of the manufacturing processes, As a chemical engineer I would say doing chemical engineering in 2024 is not really worth it, the job opportunity or more or less the same

[@mahm1306]

​@@keerthanan641thanks alot❤

[@eirdonne_]

@@keerthanan641 why not? just curious