SCH3U Career Profile

7/30/2019 SCH3U Career Profile

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SCH3U Steve Hall Career Profile Chemical Engineering pg1/6

Career Profile Chemical Engineer

SCH3U

by Steve Hallfor Vance McPherson

03/27/13


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IntroductionSo chemistry is your passion? Your bread and butter? You love chemistry so much, you want tospend the rest of your life studying it. There are career paths you can choose to do so! One ofwhich, is chemical engineering! In the information sheet that follows, you will learn what beinga chemical engineer is all about and how to get there, specifically looking at chemical engineers

in the mining work-force.

TaskThere are a lot of careers that require some knowledge and training in chemistry.Develop a verybrief summary, described below, of a career that requires chemistry training. Then, post thatsummary to the dropbox under the folder Career Portfolio.

Career Focus: Mining

There are a lot of materials that we obtain through mining pulling them out of the ground,one way or another. Of course, each one of these materials has chemical and physical propertiesthat present unique challenges when it comes to obtaining, extracting and refining thesematerials.

Pick a type of mining and research what it is to be a

chemical engineerwith that mine. Cover thefollowing topics:

Type of Mining

Role of chemical engineer

Years of schooling required

Type of schooling required (Diploma, B.Sc.,M.Sc., Ph.D., etc.)

Avg. salary / wage range

Example of company or agency that might employ youWhen making this summary, assume that your audience is a grade 12 student who isconsidering pursuing the career in question, and would like to know more about it. You want tocommunicate the information accurately, clearly and briefly. Be creative about how you do this you may use an info sheet1, a brochure, a powerpoint presentation, a poster, etc.

(McPherson)

1 This is the medium I have selected for my career profile. -SH, 03/27/13


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Job Description

Chemical engineers take scientific principles andapply them to practical situations. Does this soundlike it could interest you?Read on!

Core Tasks

Design machines and perform chemical

reactions to refine oil.

Oversee construction and operation of

machinery.

Supervise chemical processes taking place.

Lead teams in developing new products.

Ensure safety is a priority during testings.

Workplace

As a chemical engineer, you're likely to find yourself working for a manufacturing company. Youmay also find yourself working in an office or a lab. Due to the fact that mining is a big focus ofchemical engineering, you may have to deal with loud noise levels in your workplace. You willbe coming into contact with hazardous chemicals, so you need to be safe and responsible.


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Earnings

The average earnings for a chemical engineer is between $85,000 and $100,000

* Employers may provide performance-based bonuses! *2

Sample Career Path

These are just a few examples of companies that need YOU as a chemical engineer, if you've got whatit takes! Where can it take you? Anywhere in the world! Take Goldcorp for example with 10 minesand 8 developing projects throughout North and South America, opportunities are endless, as well asthe location!

But how can you get there? First, talk to your guidance counsellor to make sureyou have the correct prerequisites to attend university. Then, find yourself aprogram in chemical engineering, like the one offered at McMaster Universityin Hamilton, Ontario. This is a 4 year program.

After you graduate, this is what your path will look like as a new employee of one of these companies:

1. You'll start off as a JUNIOR ENGINEER, making $50-65,000/year! All you need is yourbachelor's degree in chemical engineering.

2. After about two years, and successful completion of the professional engineering licensingexam, you'll be making $60-85,000/year, working on more advanced projects and overseeingprocesses, as well as supervising technicians, machine operators and others.

3. Soon enough, you'll see yourself as an ENGINEERING MANAGER, making up to 100,000dollars/year. You may have picked up a post-graduate degree, and you will be overseeing allproduction! Nice work!

2 This image is taken directly from http://www.careercruising.com/.
http://www.careercruising.com/http://www.careercruising.com/


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Related Careers Aerospace Engineer ()

Agricultural Engineer ()

Biological Technician ()

Biomedical Engineer ()

Chemical Engineering Technician ()

Chemist()

Civil Engineer ()

Electrical Engineer ()

Environmental Engineer ()

Industrial Engineer ()

Inventor ()

Materials / Metallurgical Engineer ()

Mechanical Engineer ()

Mining Engineering Technician()

Nuclear Engineer()

Petroleum Engineer()

Quality Controller()

Scientist ()

Toxicologist()

*Careers with red smileyfaces () indicate careers that require university.*Careers with yellow smiley faces () indicate careers that require college.*Careers with green smiley faces () indicate careers that college and university is notnecessary.*Careers with purple smiley faces () indicate careers that involve chemistry.*Careers with blue smiley faces () indicate careers that may involve chemistry.

Attributes & Abilities (Is it for you?)1. Do you enjoy solving problems? Yes No

2. Do you enjoy being creative? Yes No

3. Are you analytical? Yes No

4. Are you detail oriented? Yes No

5. Do you communicate well? Yes No

6. Is chemistry your calling? Yes No

7. Are you good at physics3 as well? Yes No

8. Do you enjoy research? Yes NoIf you have answered yes to a lot of these questions, Chemical Engineering may be a good careerchoice for you! Talk to your guidance counsellor to ensure you are taking the correct prerequisites ifyou are interested in pursuing this path. Good luck!

3 The bases of engineering consists of physics. (Wikipedia)


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Bibliography

Career as a chemical engineer(Rev. ed.). (2012). Chicago: Institute for Career Research.

Chemical engineer. (n.d.). In Career cruising. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from

https://www.careercruising.com/Careers/JobDetails.aspx?LoginID=b1e6a0e6-caa6-401f-b2a5-77531760f8c5-5&OccNumber=88&field=AtaGlance

Chemical engineer. (1992). Syosset, N.Y.: National Learning.

Helmenstine, A. M., Ph.D. (n.d.). What is chemical engineering?[Fact sheet]. Retrieved March27, 2013, from About.com website:http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistrystudentfaqs/f/chemeng.htm

McPherson, V., B.Sc, B.Ed, OCT. (n.d.).Ionic bonding[Lecture notes]. Retrieved March 27,2013, from Virtual High School website:

https://www.virtualhighschool.com/d2l/lms/content/viewer/view.d2l?tId=408670&ou=60682

Zhu, S. (Ed.). (2008). Chemical engineering. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from McMasterUniversity website: http://chemeng.mcmaster.ca/

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