<p>Involved in the chemical field in what way? I worked in a biochem lab having completed a couple of college level chem classes… but in a decidedly non-professional role! If you want the kind of job that doesn’t require a degree, I am not sure I can really help - you are talking factory-floor kind of jobs, because even lab techs have 4-year degrees these days, often more.</p>
<p>So if you want a professional job you are going to require a degree. Whether it is a Chemistry degree or a ChemE degree, the route remains the same, the only things that change are the details. It will be about the same number of years and credits regardless, because you are not currently qualified for either route. The nice thing is, the first 30 credits or so are about the same regardless - you need a lot of chemistry, a fair amount of math and physics, etc. After that, you can decide to steer towards one or the other.</p>