November 28, 2024, 09:00:34 AM
Forum Rules: Read This Before Posting


« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Down

Topic: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry  (Read 26267 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline bball927je

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 26
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
  • Gender: Male
Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« on: January 08, 2008, 03:45:43 PM »
Which, in your opinion, would be better or more interesting to major in in college.
Logged
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."-Albert Einstein

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2008, 04:09:11 PM »
Do you like to derive equations or do you like to apply them to problems?
Logged

Offline agrobert

  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 629
  • Mole Snacks: +69/-17
  • Gender: Male
  • diels alder
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2008, 04:54:02 PM »
I think chemistry allows more freedom and opportunity for research, but if you want a job in industry right out of college chemical engineering is better.

Some previous pertinent discussions available by searching the forum in the upper right

http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=21470.msg81664

http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=18406.msg71581

http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=21533.msg81967#msg81967
Logged
In the realm of scientific observation, luck is only granted to those who are prepared. -Louis Pasteur

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2008, 05:11:25 PM »
You will make more money as a Chem-E.  You can get a job right out of school either way.  The jobs for chemists in my region of the US are abundant.  No lack of work for new grads here.

One of my friend is a BS/Chemistry and MS Environmental Engineering she has topped out in R&D at 185K/year.
Logged

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2008, 05:35:17 PM »
Here do your own seaerch on the largest jobboard.  www.indeed.com links all the job boards to one place to www.indeed.com

Go there type in you location:  city/state...then type in the job you are looking for...see what is available

This is a great link and you can look at what is availble all over the US...
Logged

Offline Kryolith

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 269
  • Mole Snacks: +19/-4
  • Gender: Male
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2008, 05:50:14 PM »
Maybe offtopic, but just interesting to me:

As a member of the GDCh (=German Chemical Society) I have access to a survey about the average salary (correct word?) of a PhD (chemistry) at the beginning of the career. Result: 58,180 EUR (=85,751 US-$)

I guess in the U.S. payments are even better. Does anybody know an approximate value?

Logged

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2008, 05:59:01 PM »
Let me please emphasize she has a governemnt job....and every exam she takes gains her an increase...
Logged

Offline bball927je

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 26
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
  • Gender: Male
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2008, 06:23:29 PM »
Thanks, I'm only a sophomore in high school but I've taken a real interest in chemistry. I'm not exactly sure about what type of chemistry I like the most but so far it would have to be Physical Chemistry.
Logged
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."-Albert Einstein

Offline LQ43

  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 250
  • Mole Snacks: +32/-9
  • Gender: Female
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2008, 06:28:38 PM »
I am a chemist and I think I would be unhappy as an chem engineer even making 185K. Money can motivate your choice however, if you are doing a job you don't enjoy, life is miserable.

However, if you are not sure of what you are suited for, taking the engineering path is a good first choice because as a engineer you would have the theoretical and practical/industrial opportunities that the programs give you. In industry a B.Chem Eng has a much higher ceiling (if any) when it comes to advancement (well, an MBA along the way does help). It would not be too difficult I think to just switch to a pure chemistry/academic career either if you find that suits you better - you could apply to grad school from that point. However to go from a B.Sc. chemist to an engineering career would require more undergrad courses in the engineering program to get your second degree. 
Logged

Offline bball927je

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 26
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
  • Gender: Male
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2008, 06:43:08 PM »
Thanks again, I have a feeling I would be more suited towards a Chemistry major with all the input you have given me. But if you have any descriptions about what a life as a chemist would be like that would be like that would be helpful also.
Logged
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."-Albert Einstein

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2008, 07:39:46 PM »
I am a chemist and I have an enginnering background as well. But there is one difference...LOL as my engineering buds say....you are a scientist...not an engineer...and it is a differnt way of approaching problem solving....I have to derive everything and understand where it comes from...I am not satified with that it is...and I can apply it...

Engineers and scientists complement each other they work well together...

Me and most of my friends are in the 80K salary range...and that inculdes incentives and profit sharing...and employee stock purchasing options...

Now that friend of mine who has that fat salary...she works for it...and her kid is an engineer and he is being offered fat salaries in Austin and Florida...and that is DOE and DOD...so those salaries are high....he will be making more than I do...
Logged

Offline bball927je

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 26
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
  • Gender: Male
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2008, 08:56:47 AM »
So what exactly do you derive equations for?
Logged
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."-Albert Einstein

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2008, 11:34:39 AM »
OK that is huge....

You want to know where they come from.  You want to know what the units are.  Units are very very very important.  When I was in Quantum Physics...I can remeber this one eqn...and it was not just me...worked on it for 2 weeks ..I mean could not let it go...haD 2 PROFESSORS HELPING..had an answer...but the units were wrong...could not get the last step...and it was some unit transformation occurred to get the correct answer by substituting in ONLY THE UNIT CONVERSION...

Should have seen the look on our other physic's professor's face when that was finally done...UNBELIEVABLE...

Deriving an equation gives you great insite into how so many things can be linked together...takes TENACITY at times...
Logged

Offline Alpha-Omega

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 693
  • Mole Snacks: +360/-231
  • Gender: Female
  • Physical Inorganic Chemist
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2008, 11:55:00 AM »
Go to this link on the forum:  http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=19432.0

This is a question regarding XRD and how you find n.

Well one does not find n.  It is not calculated.  n is an integer value representing the order of reflectance in the analyzing crystal.

So I derived Bragg's Equation and showed where n comes from...if you know where it comes from it makes more sense.



Logged

Offline bball927je

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 26
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
  • Gender: Male
Re: Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2008, 03:47:55 PM »
Wow... I can't imagine working on the same equation for 2 weeks straight. I can't wait till I get up to that level of chemistry.
Logged
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."-Albert Einstein
Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Up
« previous next »
Sponsored Links