[methylchloroisothiazolino]

Hello for all. I am not sure if I`ve chosen the right category to post my question. Anyway, I hope you can help me.

I`m making 18 on this summer. I live in Romania (speak romanian and hungarian, basically i am hungarian). I will finish high school in the next year (2012 sept- 2013 june). My dream is to move to a the UK or Canada. But first I want to have a degree and I found chemical engineering ok for me. So after get my BSc in chemical engineering i want to move.

However I am confused. I noticed that most of job offers (if not all of them) require min 2-4 years of work experience. Is there a way to get experience in my field if I no company hires me because of lack of work experience? I mean, somewhere I have to start.

Another strange thing to me is that chartered/professional engineering title. I understood it like so: it`s not enough to get here in Romania my degree and move to the UK, but I also have to take there exams or what? Thus it`s not that clear to me. It was a disappointing thing to read that  after the graduation the way to get a job in chemical engineering is so long and difficult.

For instance, I was reading today a very good job offer, high salary etc. But they said that a PEng or CEng is required + a lot of years experience.

What would you do if you were me? How does a British student start his/her career? Would you recommend not to choose this career? If you could start again from the 19 what would you choose now? Please don`t just answer with yes or no. I appreciate any idea and kind of information. 

[408]

I would advise that you go to canada or where ever before your degree is complete, and take the last semester of classwork there.  I do not know about the UK, but Canada is a dick about being foreign trained.  The current government is trying to make this easier but recognition of foreign credentials is a pain.  If you complete your degree in Canada your degree will be from that canadian university, allowing you to easily get into the P-organizations like PEng.  It is easier for a university to vet foreign qualifications than a professional cult society.

In some places in Canada, the chemistry version of PEng is PChem.  Standing for Professional chemist.  So after your graduation from an *accredited* university you can get into one of the organizations.  It is a huge scam.  A group of chemists form a 'professional association'.  They then lobby the government to make a law that only chemists that get approved from the group can practice in that province.  And of course there are member dues which get used for some beneficial stuff, like group liability insurance, but also ends up as the founders' salaries.  A side effect is that they do not accredit foreign universities,  so finishing your degree in their local fiefdom is the easiest way to get in.

[Dan]

I think the UK is not too bad about foreign qualifications, but it would help to do some study in the UK. I would recommend applying for a master's programme (usually 1 year) after you have your degree.

[JGK]

For Canada 408 is right it would be far easier for you to finish you BSC in Canada or be accepted to a posgrad program in Canada.

I know a number of Romanian students who have had to virtually redo their schooling because qualifications were not recognized.