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So you want to become a Chemical Engineer?
Well, we will be the first to admit; IT IS NOT EASY. The path to becoming a chemical engineer can be difficult and confusing.
Fortunately for you, this guide will give you EVERYTHING you need to know about starting your career as a Chemical Engineer.
It will help you understand the educational requirements necessary, what university to choose, and how to set yourself up to thrive in the Chemical Engineering program and land yourself a killer job.
I have broken up this process into 3 phases:
Before you embark on the journey to become a chemical engineer, you need to make sure you have a good idea of what chemical engineering really is all about. There are a lot of misconceptions about the program, and what chemical engineers do, so make sure that is clear.
In the meantime, this video by Zach Star provides a perfect introduction what chemical engineering is and the industries that chemical engineers work in. He also discusses the difference between chemical engineers and chemistry majors which you can read more about here.
This step is just as important as understanding what chemical engineering is, if not more important. It is important to know if chemical engineering is the right degree for you.
What is your favorite subject? Chemical Engineering is largely a combination of Physics, lots of Math, and a handful of chemistry courses including laboratories.
What are you good at? The most important skills to have as an engineer are the 4 C’s: curiosity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Ideally, you want to try and merge your interests with your strengths for maximum success.
These questions are meant to help you self reflect but are by no means exhaustive. There are lots of additional resources online that can help you understand yourself more and identify what your innate strengths are.
Here’s a list of the schools offering the best chemical engineering programs in the United States and Canada.
Need help with comparing univerisites to decide which is the best?
United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of California-Berkeley
California Institute of Technology
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Stanford University
University of Delaware
University of Texas at Austin
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Canada
University of Toronto
University of Waterloo
McGill University
University of British Columbia
University of Alberta
University of Ottawa
University of Calgary
McMaster University
University of Montreal
Queen’s University
High School can be a stressful time. Trying to figure out what you want to do with the next 4 years of your life, then worrying about if you will be accepted can really put the edge on.
Well hopefully if you read through Phase 1 of this article, you have a better idea of WHAT you want to do.
If you read through Phase 2 and used the comparison spreadsheet we have downloadable for free, then hopefully you now have a better idea of WHERE you want to go.
Now in phase 3, we are going to focus on HOW to maximize your chances of getting to where you want to be.
This is the WIN strategy
It is all about setting you up with the right tools and tactics to win with whatever goal you have, which in this section is about getting into the chemical engineering program at your dream university.
You gotta know what you’re aiming for.
Identify the universities you are interested in and make sure you clearly understand ALL their admission requirements. If you are not sure, email or call the campus to make sure you are clear on what they are looking for.
I have been able to get some executive tips from university recruiters by directly emailing them or messaging them on LinkedIn. These were things that were not explicitly stated on the website, which gave me a better idea of what they were specifically looking for, and a competitive edge..
I have heard lots of talk about how grades don’t matter that much, and you just need to focus on being well rounded and you will be okay.
THIS IS NOT TRUE.
This is especially not true for the engineering discipline. Every top engineering school is looking for intellectual competence, which in the school system is reflected through grades. We can argue about whether or not the school grading system is actually reflective of intelligence, but that is just the way it is.
So if your grades are taking a backseat in high school right now, you need to start building a plan to boost them up. Aim for an overall average over 85% as a minimum, but if you follow strategy 1, you will know exactly what your program requires for you to be a competitive candidate.
Try to be a part of advanced academic programs. Things like the International Baccalaureate (IB) program or Advanced Placement (AP) will bolster your resume and also set you up for success in the university engineering program. Many schools also offer transfer credit so that you can skip some courses in university and lighten your first year load. I took IB in high school and trust me, universities love to see it.
Now I know what you are thinking: how can I maintain good grades and also push myself with these advanced programs?
To that I have 2 things to say:
The human brain is incredibly adaptable.
Put yourself in a challenging situation with a goal, and you will be surprised how you find a way to handle the load.
Most advanced programs grade on curves. When I got a 72% raw mark in calculus in high school, I ended up with a 95% on my transcript. Don’t stress too much.
This is a big one.
Any kind of involvement outside classes can be considered extracurricular. This could be sports teams, volunteering or part time jobs to just name a few. These really go far in letting the university recruiter know you are a well rounded person, which is huge when writing and talking about yourself.
Just remember that depth matters more than breath.
Don’t join 53 different activities and add no value to any of them. Find areas you are passionate about and try to make an impact or add value in that field. For example, I can say that when I was leading a humanitarian student club in high school, I was able to help impact over 100 children every year with our operation Christmas child initiative through the Samaritans purse organization.
Get the idea?
If you want to go to a chemical engineering program in the US, you are going to most likely need to write your SAT or ACT, which will 100% impact your chance of admission.
Here are some tips on how to ace your SAT or ACT:
Do lots of practice tests. The more familiar you are with the structure of the exam, the types of questions, and the time constraint, the easier it will be for you on the big day.
Create a study schedule. Create a realistic schedule of how and when you are going to cover all the relevant content needed. You can find some great SAT and ACT study plan templates on prepory.com
Target your weakness. Don’t get caught up boosting your own ego with topics you can answer easily. Identify the weak areas, and spend the time to struggle through them and figure them out.
Take a prep class to prepare. There are some great programs that offer comprehensive training to get you prepared for the exam if you struggle with studying alone.
They spend hours researching you and your accomplishments, drafting an elegantly written 500-word essay about how incredible you are, and sending it back with a bow on top.
Or they ask you to send them a self-written draft and they sign it.
In my experience it has always been the latter. Teachers are busy, and they don’t know all the things you want to highlight to a university about yourself. So you will most likely need to pull your pride out for once, and boast about yourself in a recommendation letter that will be edited and signed by your teacher.
The strategy with this one is simple: just do it.
I know it can be awkward going up to your teacher and basically asking them to tell you how good you are, but teachers do this all the time. So get over your fear and just send a polite email to your favorite teachers in different departments (i.e. chemistry, student team sponsor, sports team etc.), and wait to hear back.
Now the response goes one of two ways.
There is considerable research that shows applying early statistically increases your chances of getting accepted. But beyond this, applying early reduces your stress of worrying about your application, and gives you a response quicker. This means that you know quicker than most students if you got into the program or not, and can plan accordingly.
Whether you want to believe it or not, university recruiters do look you up. Your chances of getting into the university of your dreams can be greatly diminished if your social media presence is a mess.
So clean it up.
Delete questionable posts and photos, choose a current profile picture, deactivate dormant accounts, and update any headline information.
As a final check, google yourself to make sure nothing funny comes up and everything is in order.
So best case scenario, you bump into a university recruiter, you have a great conversation about how you both love underwater basket weaving, he remembers you during the application process and hooks you up with an offer.
Worst case scenario, you get to learn about the campus directly, make some friends and valuable connections, and really get a feel if it is somewhere you want to spend the next 4-6 years of your life.
I know it’s not possible for everyone to visit the campus they are interested in, but make the effort. Trust me on this one. Many schools actually have programs that allow you to take early tours of the campus so take advantage of this opportunity.
The essay is a CRITICAL part to any university application. This is really the cornerstone of the application, and gives the recruiter a quick glimpse of WHO you are as a person. An incredibly written essay that really allows the reader to connect with you can, and often does, make up for shortcomings in other areas of your application.
Here are some tips for writing a great university application.
Okay, so you followed all the steps above and are now ecstatic because you have been accepted into the engineering program at the school of your dreams.
What now?
Well now you are entering the big leagues. You’re going to have to work hard to get accepted into chemical engineering from the general engineering first year stream that most universities offer. Once you are in the chemical engineering program, there is still a long way to go between university and becoming a chemical engineer.
But don’t worry, we got you covered.
The essay is a CRITICAL part to any university application. This is really the cornerstone of the application, and gives the recruiter a quick glimpse of WHO you are as a person. An incredibly written essay that really allows the reader to connect with you can, and often does, make up for shortcomings in other areas of your application.
Now that you are in the program, you have a lot of work to do between now and landing a killer job. Check out this comprehensive article on how to ace chemical engineering here.
Here is a quick summary if you do not want to read that whole article:
Here are some tips for writing a great university application.
This picture above perfectly describes how you can land a great job as a chemical engineer.
Confused?
Let me explain.
The last domino represents that dream job. Whether it’s at one of the big 4 consulting firms, or a multinational integrated energy company, one thing is for certain: it’s a big block. These top tier firms are extremely competitive, and you need to have an impressive package to be able to work there.
The last domino represents that dream job. Whether it’s at one of the big 4 consulting firms, or a multinational integrated energy company, one thing is for certain: it’s a big block. These top tier firms are extremely competitive, and you need to have an impressive package to be able to work there.
You are probably starting to understand where I am going with this. The key to knocking down the big block is by knocking down a small block which then helps you knock down bigger and bigger blocks until you hit the last one. Similarly, the KEY to getting that top chemical engineering job is by targeting a set of smaller goals which will in turn unlock bigger and bigger opportunities until you have an impressive enough portfolio that any engineering firm cannot turn down.
So what are these smaller building blocks?
So to list them out for you:
At its core, any grade-based program is just a game, and if you can learn the rules of the game, you can come out with a great GPA.
Now chemical engineering is undoubtedly one of the most rigorous and demanding programs you can take in university, regardless of if you are in the undergraduate or masters in chemical engineering program. , regardless of if you are in the undergraduate or masters in chemical engineering program. , regardless of if you are in the undergraduate or masters in chemical engineering program. . The difficulty of concepts mixed with the sheer volume of classes and assignments make things very difficult. But as time progresses, you will start to learn what needs to be done in order to succeed in your classes.
You will learn how to study more specifically for the exam. You will learn the best test taking skills for you. You will learn how to divide and conquer with long and tedious assignments. You will learn to manage your time effectively to avoid burning out.
These are just some of the things you will learn. But remember that the key is to TRACK and LEARN. TRACK every exam you take and record important indicators like how much time you spent studying, how prepared you felt for the exam, how you felt during the exam etc. Then take this information and LEARN what worked and what did not, what you need to change and what you can keep.
With a proper system in place, you will see your performance increasing because you have learned the game of getting good marks. Comment on this article if you would like to see a video or another article on how to play the game for marks.
Getting relevant chemical engineering work experience during university is almost a necessity these days. Graduating with zero practical experience is setting yourself up for a rough start in an increasingly competitive environment.
Most academic internship and co-op programs run for at least a year. In addition to classes you will take in school, it will most likely take a minimum of years to become a practicing chemical engineer.
Although high grades are essential, chances are many of your classmates will have grades around the same range as you. What will really give you an edge over your classmate is how much real world experience you have working at an oil refinery for example. And remember, what really stands out is how much value you are able to add in your role at that company.
Make sure that you are looking for opportunities to be a leader and make a valuable contribution in whatever area you working in.
An engineering design team is a group of students working together towards a common goal of designing and building a process, system or machine. At UBC, some of the most popular chemical engineering design teams include
Joining these design teams allows you to take leadership and show off your talent in a supportive environment which encourages creativity. Most teams will have multiple departments and are also not limited to just engineering students, so you can take advantage and learn the different aspects of the project like the software, outreach, or financials.
In my experience, I have found that recruiters really value students with design team experience. If presented well, it can even be more helpful and relevant to discuss your experience in these teams than your internship experience.
Ah the hidden gem.
I have been able to be a part of many competitions throughout university from one day competitions to 4 month competitions. I would strongly recommend trying out for some design engineering competitions. You will be surprised when you end up in a different country for regionals or nationals because you just took that first step.
Keep your eyes open for opportunities like these which generally will come from design teams, or the engineering emails that get sent out weekly or monthly. Aside from the experience and fun of getting to potentially travel around the globe for conferences and events, these competitions look incredibly good on resumes. It really is a hidden gem and something that I would highly recommend.
Up to 80% of jobs are filled through networking according to a study done by Steven Rothberg of CollegeRecruiter.com. I don’t know about you, but that number alone is enough for me to want to study up on how to become a professional networker.
There is a lot that goes into being good at networking, however the root of successful networking boils down to one thing: fostering a mutually beneficial relationship. This is the concept of the two way street. It means that networking is just as much about giving as it is about taking.
Start with serving others. Find ways to support events, serve on committees or go out of your way to inquire about people’s days. Develop a genuine interest in people’s lives, and take time to admire their accomplishments.
You will be surprised at how opportunities begin to always find their way to you as you begin this journey of being ‘others’ focused. It’s like Maya Angelou puts it:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel
If you cannot display the value you have added, the lessons you have learned, and the skills you have gained, then those experiences are worth considerably less than their actual value.
What I am trying to say here is that learning how to present yourself, whether on paper in the form of a resume, cover letter or essay, or in person in the form of an interview, is extremely important.
This is the part that needs to bring together all the amazing things that you have done and cinematically prove to the other person that you bring a full package. I could write an entire article on the art of presentation, but I will leave you with this for the time being: invest considerable time in this stage. It will help you much more in life than just getting that chemical engineering job.
If you have made it this far, I really hope you have a better idea of what it takes to become an excellent chemical engineer.
When you understand yourself, and what chemical engineering really is, you can determine if this path really is for you. If you decide that it is, then it is important to select the right educational vehicle to get there, and hopefully our spreadsheet can help you do that.
Finally, the most important part of becoming a successful chemical engineer is creating an effective “WIN” strategy. This means developing and executing a strategy to get into the chemical engineering school of your choice, help you excel in the program, and finally land your dream job as a chemical engineer.
I wish you all the best in becoming a chemical engineer and taking on the world. Interact with us in the comments and let us know why you decided/ are deciding to study Chemical Engineering!
