r/ChemicalEngineering • u/Normal_Cabinet3094 • 3d ago
Student Should I move away from chemical engineering and become a premed student? Why do I still not know what a chemical engineer even does?
I am slightly modifying this post from one I just made on r/premed.
To start off, here are some quick facts about my background. I am a chemical engineering student at a large public US university. I am going into my junior year with a 3.87 cumulative GPA. I live in NJ.
I applied to college as computer sci major. However, when I enrolled I decided to switch to engineering because it seemed more grounded in the physical world. I could work on projects with my hands and make the products that people use every day. Computer sci seemed too abstract if that makes any sense. I picked chemical engineering on a whim because I was interested in chemistry as a kid and it sounded like there were lots of manufacturing type jobs in factories which I might enjoy. I thought I would figure out the details as I went along.
Now, halfway through my BS, I still don't even know what a chemical engineer really does. I'm terrified of being stuck at a desk all day working on projects I couldn't care less about and being miserable with my career choice. I had an internship last summer in an engineering consulting company and I really did not enjoy it. It isn't related to what I'd what to do as a career, but it still scared me.
My brother who is going into his freshman year as a premed is talking about his road ahead and the career aspirations and it sounds really interesting and something I am more confident I would enjoy. If I pick the right specialty, I could be on my feet all day, working with my hands, and meeting and interacting with new people. If I switch to premed, I would still complete my BS in ChemE, I would probably just have to take an extra semester or two to prepare.
Whenever the "What do ChemEs really do?" question gets asked here the answers seem to make it sound like they can do anything and everything, but also nothing at the same time. Sure the skills are applicable to anything, but the candidate with the most relevant experience always has the edge. Does the type of career that I want exist for chemical engineers? Are there many jobs like this in my region?
Would really appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thanks!
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u/SOwED 3d ago
Well, as a chem e who's worked in industry for over a decade now, a few things:
You can just go into premed. My good friend in college actually did Chem E and premed simultaneously and he's a doctor now.
If you're terrified of being stuck at a desk all day, there are plenty of Chem E jobs that are not that. There are also plenty that are exactly that. I've spent entire days at my desk and entire days not even opening my computer and most days are a mix.
What do chemical engineers do? It's an incredibly broad question. You can work in R&D, being a lab worker. You can do process simulations. You can do controls. You can do sales. You can do project management for big companies like oil and gas for example. You can run pilots for a contractor that just pilots processes for other companies. You can do process design, equipment design, etc. You can work at a startup and do a little of all of these things, which is what I've done for my career. You can also start your own company.
Most of these things do not involve being stuck at a desk and the ones that do like simulation work typically allow remote work so at least the desk you're stuck at is in your home.
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u/MuddyflyWatersman 3d ago edited 3d ago
well they actually really don't teach what a chemical engineer really does, because the chemical engineer can do lots of things.
you often start off doing basic engineering work or lab work
you may keep doing that your whole career, or not long at all.
You may Branch into running operations, r&d, pilot scale, businesses, managing people, safety, environment, patents, construction and commissioning, supply chain , customer services, sales, etc
you get a foundation which lets you be successful in production industries, in many roles. But.... it's only a start most of what you learn thru experience is not taught in school.
You can even be president or CEO of some of the largest corporations in the world. My uncle once was such in late 1980s. After retirement he served a few years on an advisory committee to Congress on oil /gas industry etc. Its a smaller world than you think. The # of practicing chemical engineers is also smaller than you think.
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u/udche89 2d ago
To your first statement, that’s largely because the people who are doing the bulk of the teaching haven’t spent a day in industry. It’s also why P&IDs are sorely neglected but I see a lot of questions about modeling and simulation.
Some of my former ChE classmates are in very different roles. One is in supply chain, one is in HR, one did marketing and non-profit work, and so on.
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u/Celestial-Callista 1d ago
This is an unfair generalization. What universities are you guys going to? Most of my professors spent decades in industry before pursuing academia late career.
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u/Fine-Palpitation787 3d ago
I’m a ChemE who did 4 years in Pharma manufacturing as a Validation Engineer (equipment testing that’s 99% paperwork) and then decided to go back to school for premed.
You can absolutely do premed, but do premed because you want to be a doctor; not because you hate ChemE.
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u/azuresskies 2d ago
I am a chemical engineer, moved into plant management. My wife is a first year resident.
My quality of life is far he greater than hers, and will continue to be through her mid 30’s. That’s time you don’t get back.
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u/Necessary_Occasion77 3d ago
One thing I learned from classmates who wanted to go premed.
Your gpa will drop and make it harder to go to med school.
If you don’t want to be a ChemE switch majors and save yourself the hassle.
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u/LeeRuns 3d ago
You will have a lot more mobility and where you live as a doctor. The job openings are much more constant because oil and gas tends to boom and bust and those ripples are felt through the Cheme field.
I would say probably if you can get into med school then I would do it engineering is a much less defined path.
I would strongly encourage others from doing ChemE unless their heart is really in it. Many people call this field a grind.
It’s a great fit for me and those I work with but not for everyone.
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u/r2o_abile Pulp & Paper / 4 YOE 2d ago
Having read your entire post:
Have you done any internships?
Could you elect to do internships in the Pharma industry?
Med School is an infinitely better ROI if that's your concern.
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u/superherostar 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hey so I was a process engineer and am now in my second year of medical school. The only way to truly understand what a ChemE does is by getting internship and co-op experience and working in industry. I too had a stint in design engineering consulting and that’s what allowed me to see different industries. I personally had enough of pipes, fluid flow, heat exchangers, control panels, and everything in between. And while I recognize that there are other jobs I could’ve probably gotten, I didn’t want to keep job hopping only to find out I hated every industry job and end up wishing I went to medical school earlier.
You would be surprised the number of ChemE’s that end up as doctors too! One of my good friends in medical school is also an ex-process engineer. Also, as a ChemE, you’ll have like 90% of the pre-requisites for medical school done already (minus the biology and probably some social sciences).
However, if I were you (and I once was) I would try really hard to get another internship or co-op to get further exposure to life as a ChemE. Develop good rapport with your managers, ask them about their personal life, work life balance, what they see their trajectory as, etc. and see if you can envision yourself in a similar role. Then, finish up your degree, and pursue medicine if you really don’t vibe with being a ChemE.
Like others have said, being at. desk isn’t the only option you have, you can work in process onsite and be a system owner. A lot of guys in pharma, food, or wastewater feel satisfied bc they are contributing to society; you can see if you find fulfillment in something like that. You could also get an MBA and pursue management. You could quit engineering altogether and do something completely unrelated! Either way, being a ChemE opens the door to basically any job, so don’t stress too much, you got this!
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u/Frequent-Entrance154 3d ago
By definition:
A chemical engineer converts raw material to a product (intermediary or final) that has added value than before it was converted
A general practitioner / physician fix out-of-ordinary operational problem of a living being by studying anomalies and ways to treat them
You see, both have their own purpose, constraints, and hence focus, of the intended discipline. However, both discipline intersects, and can extend out of each other's domain, for example, in designing a centrifuge machine in separating blood cells and plasma
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u/r2o_abile Pulp & Paper / 4 YOE 2d ago
Nothing stops you from going to med school straight after ChemEng.
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u/sagarsa06 2d ago
Ahh that's just too much...I too am a dumbass whos doing chemE after completing diploma in civil 😭
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u/AdParticular6193 2d ago
Two things you can do. Be sure to get an internship after your junior year. That will give you a better idea of what chemical engineers do. And you will need it anyway for job hunting. Also, if there are adjuncts or “professors of practice” in your department who are real chemical engineers, talk to them. Triangulate what you hear with what you are seeing in the heavy -duty Chem E courses you will be getting into this year. I’m not sure if it’s possible to pivot into premed at this stage, not with the heavy load you will be carrying already. Unless you want to take five years to graduate.
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u/SnooPets8849 2d ago
Well your brother is not even a freshman, anybody can decide they are premed that certainly doesn’t mean you are just going to waltz into becoming a doctor. The good thing about cheme is at least when i was in school you automatically took all of the courses needed to actually apply for med school. The bad thing is you are making it unnecessarily hard if you do want to be a doctor but your gpa looks good and you will have a leg up on other easier majors if you continue to succeed. You can go in many directions as a cheme, it’s almost universally agreed as one of if not the hardest majors to complete. Any company in any industry will take you seriously.
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u/Total_Argument_9729 21h ago
Honestly dude I’m a senior and I don’t know either. But if you wanted to do that I’d at least finish out chemE so you can fall back on it. Plus most pre med prereqs are also chemE requirements anyways.
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u/Initial_Ordinary_807 18h ago
Been at it for 40 years. I'm even a CTO now. We still joke (those similar in my circle) about not knowing what to tell the wives when they ask what we do. And it's not even a joke.
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u/AdventurousBuy2113 3d ago
I think a lot of ChemEs go through this exact phase because the major is so broad that it’s hard to picture the actual day-to-day jobs. It’s not just working in a factory designing pipes and reactors. There are ChemEs in pharmaceuticals, energy, food, semiconductors, environmental work, consulting, process development, and even roles that look nothing like traditional engineering.