A chemical engineer is a specialist who designs and develops various products. Their major work is to alter the chemical composition of substances and turn them into useful products like clothes, drinks, and food. This article will highlight relevant information regarding the chemical engineer salary and other aspects of this field.
What Kind of Work Does a Chemical Engineer Do?
Chemical engineers can work in various sectors, be it manufacturing, designing, or operating machinery. On the other hand, the pioneer new techniques such as biomedical, nanotechnology, and fuel cells. They use the principles of mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and economics in their work process.
How Difficult is Chemical Engineering?
Hands down! Chemical engineering is arguably one of the most challenging courses offered in universities. It’s a field requiring a person to think broadly on the various frameworks and still maintain foundational skills. Also, the course incorporates a lot of maths, physics, and multiple exam sessions.
But the good thing, it’s varied and exciting to those students who appreciate science. All they have to do is persevere and remain committed to their studies.
In this field, you must understand the microscopic interactions and causes of mesoscopic phenomena. This entire field focuses on understanding microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscope phenomena. However, the discipline rarely traverses full length and timescale. But biochemical engineering extends the angstrom to human scale. The other field of study that comes close is material science engineering. According to some quotes, it is a subfield in chemical engineering.
After all, if sciences are your cup of tea, everything else will fall through. This course requires students to have a problem-solving mentality.
Does Chemical Engineering have a Bright Future?
Yes! The future is bright for Chemical engineers.
As long as manufacturing and food production are in operation, chemical engineers will always be in demand. Such industries need chemical engineers to maintain, improve rates, or reduce waste production. Again, the development of alternative energy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology looks likely to expand. Therefore, the demand for chemical engineers in this sector will rise.
Besides, the skills that engineers learn and hone open doors to more opportunities. This means a chemical engineer stands to benefit either by professional advancements, personal growth, or other opportunities. Apart from analyzing and solving issues, chemical engineering involves ongoing education, which often offers traveling opportunities.
What Should I Do to Be a Better Chemical Engineer?
To become better in this field, you need to understand that chemical engineering is a broad subject. Thus, the first thing you ought to do is specialize in one subfield within chemical engineering. Some subfields include advanced water treatment, polymerization, refineries, foods, and beverages.
Second, understand that process industries depend on the equipment. So, learn more about electrical and mechanical engineering because they are the basic skills regardless of your specialization. Last, gain experience by working on actual jobs, from lab work to pilot projects.
Which Country is Best for a Chemical Engineer?
A career in chemical engineering is lucrative; it’s stable and offers various progression options.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics research, this job’s growth rate stands at eight percent. Further research by the same bureau shows chemical engineers based in the US earn an average of $55 per hour. Yearly, this translates to about $ 114,599. Some states like Texas, Delaware, Louisiana, Alaska, and New Mexico pay more salaries.
No other country is paying higher than the US. Hence, it tops the list, as the best country to work as a chemical engineer. The chemical engineer salary is better than countries such as the UK, Canada, and Switzerland.
Is Chemical Engineering a Dying Field?
Some skeptics believe chemical engineering is dying. Well, that is not true. Its rate of growth has been on a steady increase lately. In fact, chemical engineering carries the hope of solving environmental challenges that are on the rise.
How Much Do Chemical Engineers Earn US, UK, and Canada?
The salary varies depending on which country you are working in and the source. Also, factors such as job demand, cost of living, and experience levels influence your chemical engineer salary. For this section, we will focus on three countries:
The US: According to ZipRecruiter, a chemical engineer based in the US earns an average of $77,539 yearly.
The UK: chemical engineers working in the United Kingdom earn less compared to their US counterparts. They take home an average of $39,524.
Canada: chemical engineers take home an average amount of $57,417, which is higher than what UK-based earn. This is according to Indeed.
Junior Chemical Engineer Salary
According to ZipRecruiter, their data show an annual salary ranging from as high as $120,500 to a low of $27,000. However, most junior chemical engineers’ salaries lie between $41,000 to $75,000.
The salary of a junior chemical engineer varies because of many advancement opportunities. For example, location, years of experience, and skill levels determines your earnings. But as of Jan 25, 2021, the average annual salary of a junior chemical Engineer based in the US was $61,615 per year, according to ZipRecruiter.
Professional Chemical Engineer Salary
The senior-most chemical engineer earns a salary ranging from $72,000 to $108,000 based on experience. For professional chemical engineers in Alaska, earn salaries of up to $125,820. Chemical engineers working on oil and gas extraction, mining, and quarry, earn the highest salaries. Every year, they earn an average pay of about $115,550.
Conclusion
As you have seen, chemical engineering is one of the best careers across the globe. Its application is vast and offers successful graduates plenty of job offers, even from abroad. This means, school leavers who pursue this branch, will have a broader career scope. And again, chemical engineers can join other sectors like biotechnology or healthcare. Apart from being vast, this branch is the highest paying and respectable career in the engineering fraternity. Not forgetting, the chemical engineer salary is among the highest salary packages.