What do chemical engineers do?

wdaveo
Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:27:31 +0000

I worked 10 yrs at Dow Chem as a Chem Engg. I hired into a manufacturing plant and my first assignment was a programming project. I spent a year and a half writing the computer program to run a new plant. Once that project was completed, I spent a few more years there designing and implementing smaller projects around the plant - and still did some programming.

I had several small projects going at once and it usually involved choosing equipment (based on eng. calculations), choosing suppliers, and coordinating the installation, programming and training on the equipment or process.

After a few years I moved into research. I spent several years in developing new products (plastics). I much preferred this to the manufacturing position because I am not very mechanically inclined - which was important when dealing with plant operations.

There were also opportunities at Dow to move more into a marketing/customer/tech service position - which would be more consumer oriented.

My husband is still a chem engineer at dow and he spent most of his career in process design and/or process control (programming).

Hope this helps and good luck!