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Job outlook for process engineers in the United States
Process engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected process engineer job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 30,600 new jobs for process engineers are projected over the next decade.
Process engineer salaries have increased 6% for process engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 249,186 process engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 66,937 active process engineer job openings in the US.
The average process engineer salary is $82,443.
Are process engineer jobs in demand?
Process engineer job and salary trends over time
Process engineer jobs over time
Process engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 249,186 | 0.07% |
| 2020 | 250,326 | 0.07% |
| 2019 | 253,927 | 0.08% |
| 2018 | 242,674 | 0.07% |
| 2017 | 230,157 | 0.07% |
Average process engineer salary over time
Process engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $82,443 | $39.64 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $81,581 | $39.22 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $80,673 | $38.78 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $79,597 | $38.27 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $78,142 | $37.57 | +1.0% |
Process engineer jobs by state
Most common states for process engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 280 | 40% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,817 | 26% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 192 | 20% |
| 4 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,055 | 19% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 257 | 19% |
| 6 | California | 39,536,653 | 6,810 | 17% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 517 | 17% |
| 8 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,294 | 15% |
| 9 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,083 | 15% |
| 10 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 878 | 15% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 846 | 15% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 640 | 15% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,404 | 14% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,000 | 14% |
| 15 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 904 | 14% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 475 | 13% |
| 17 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 227 | 13% |
| 18 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,209 | 12% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 126 | 12% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 90 | 12% |
Most common cities for process engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 11 | 28% | $80,609 |
| 2 | East Hartford | 8 | 16% | $80,361 |
| 3 | Santa Clara | 18 | 14% | $103,358 |
| 4 | Cupertino | 8 | 13% | $103,359 |
| 5 | Lansing | 11 | 9% | $77,411 |
| 6 | Baton Rouge | 14 | 6% | $87,995 |
| 7 | Des Moines | 8 | 4% | $71,292 |
| 8 | Little Rock | 8 | 4% | $73,257 |
| 9 | Fremont | 8 | 3% | $103,442 |
| 10 | San Diego | 23 | 2% | $96,799 |
| 11 | Indianapolis | 18 | 2% | $68,703 |
| 12 | Denver | 15 | 2% | $80,192 |
| 13 | Boston | 11 | 2% | $90,554 |
| 14 | Sacramento | 9 | 2% | $103,535 |
| 15 | Tucson | 9 | 2% | $90,133 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 11 | 1% | $90,302 |
| 17 | San Francisco | 9 | 1% | $103,758 |
| 18 | Atlanta | 7 | 1% | $70,220 |
| 19 | Chicago | 10 | 0% | $74,726 |
Process Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of process engineer experts
Northern Illinois University
San Jose State University
Seattle University
University of Washington
University of Minnesota - Duluth
Manhattan College
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Missouri University of Science and Technology
University of New Mexico
Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus
University of Southern Mississippi
University of San Diego
University of South Alabama
San Jose State University
Christopher Misorski FASM
Brunswick Technical Fellow-Materials Product Development & EngineeringWhat will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Christopher Misorski FASM: Maximizing salary potential at the start of your career is not a clear pathway generally. One way that you can be considered more valuable, and hence worth a better salary, is to have participated in a co-op or internship program with a company in your field. This experience gives employers some confidence that you were able to carry out assignments and thrive in a workplace environment. The employer that you worked for may be inclined to offer you a position upon graduation and you are now worth more because you have already proven to them your abilities. Even if they don’t offer you a job (no appropriate open position may be available) your ability to discuss your experiences with the HR recruiter or hiring manager at another company can instill confidence in your selection as a hire. Just remember, if you tell them you did a project, be prepared to explain it so it doesn’t appear you were just in the background of this project, just going along for the ride.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Ziteng Wang Ph.D.: If I could only give one piece of general advice to Industrial Engineering graduates beginning their career in the field, it would be to keep an open mind. One of the advantages for a student to have an IE degree is that they could apply their skills to almost any industry. As good as it sounds, this also means that the student must quickly learn to understand the organization they work for and the industry they choose to begin their career in. Doing this will allow the student to bridge their IE knowledge and skills with the reality and uniqueness of their job, and therefore, quickly adapt to the field and make an impact. Keeping an open mind also means to understand what they see in the field may be far different than what they learned in the classroom or from the textbooks because the real-world problems that Industrial Engineers are faced with are often complex for a variety of reasons. As someone who just begins their career, the student should anticipate adjusting the “perfect model” in their mind to a realistic version by using a combination of their IE skills.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ziteng Wang Ph.D.: Stay relevant and up to date in the field as the IE field, just like other rapidly growing fields, is evolving very fast. Stay up to date of the latest developments and technologies in the industry. Take on big challenges and make an impact. Prove yourself and show your ability, skills, and potential. Learn from the best, and give your best advice to others. Get involved in the professional community to maximize your opportunities.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Ziteng Wang Ph.D.: There are quite many, but I’d like to highlight two. The first is the data analytics skill. This argument is not new, but I think the skill becomes more and more important. Rather than a particular skill, data analytics skill is more like a toolbox because it involves a variety of abilities to use different software for data cleansing, visualization, statistical modeling, validation, and data-driven decision-making. One of the reasons why Industrial Engineering is one of the most exciting and coolest jobs is that we could deal with data of all sorts in terms of scale, industry, quality, and problems to solve. This requires IE students to prepare themselves for the challenge which only will be more prevalent as AI-enabled products and technologies rely on data and produce new data. The second is the skill to work in an interdisciplinary team and communicate to people from different backgrounds. Industrial engineering deals with processes and systems that could span widely in scale, from global supply chains to manufacturing plants. IE students must be able to understand the perspectives and “languages” of various departments and even different organizations, and make their work, results, and their IE perspective understood by the stakeholders. This might not be easy but is highly necessary and becoming more important than ever because the problems in the field are more and more complex, requiring collaborative effort and system-wide solutions.
Professor Winncy Du
Professor, PhD, PE, ASME FellowSan Jose State University
Mechanical Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Professor Winncy Du: Keep Engineering Ethics in mind -- protect the public and the engineers themselves. Make sure that they know and understand the core concepts of their field. No matter what they design, they need to follow the industrial standards or grades, and safety measurements closely. Check, check, and double check, especially when they design biomedical devices, mobile robots, autonomous vehicles or drones, and automated material handling systems. I saw increasing engineers' designs or products challenged by the prospect of being deposed in the courtroom.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Professor Winncy Du: Mechatronics and system engineering. Almost everything around us is a mechatronics system (*mech*anicia+elec*tronics*+programming): iphones (vibrates and displays, senses); refrigerators, cars, etc. Mechatronics is an *integrated *system, thus a system engineer is very important -- ensure all the subsystems interact properly and work together as a whole system efficiently. Be emotional intelligence (EQ) -- one of today's most in-demand human power skills. Not only be an engineer, but be a leader. Leaders who excel at EQ will be the most sought after by, and indispensable to, organizations, industry, and academia.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Thomas Congedo PhD: That comes from your ability to focus on technical product of the highest quality, always seeking to truly understand the customer’s needs. For example, often a customer will phrase a problem by stating the solution he or she assumes. Taking the time to respectfully draw out the thinking further can make you the customer’s hero, and this makes you the person likely to be selected for the challenging and most rewarded assignments.
Jhon Smith
Associate Professor and Director of MS in Structural EngineeringSeattle University
Civil Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Jhon Smith: Do not be afraid to ask questions to your supervisors (although do not take it to an extreme and become demanding—show initiative). You get the fundamentals of engineering at school and you are equipped to use them but it takes a few years to feel comfortable. Engineering is a profession of practice and it is only through practice that you best learn it.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jhon Smith: Expand your network, join professional organizations and committees, become valuable in whatever company you work for, never stop learning, seek for opportunities for professional work, get your PE license. After these you will become more valuable naturally and could comfortably ask for a promotion or a salary increase because you’d know you deserve it.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Shuai Huang: An Industrial Engineer uses data analytics, simulation, operations research, optimization methods, human factors, and scientific management tools to develop an analytic perspective of business processes and production systems for optimal performance.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Shuai Huang: Industrial & Systems Engineers are in high demand across various industries such as logistics, healthcare, energy, manufacturing, robotics, and cyber-infrastructure, offering diverse roles with unique challenges and rewards.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Shuai Huang: People like the leadership and management components of Industrial Engineering, the use of data analytics, simulation and digital twin technologies, and human factors to design better systems. Dislikes include the lack of understanding about the field by others.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Richard Davis: Engineers engage in various daily activities that are intellectually stimulating and rewarding. Every task is a step toward a tangible accomplishment, from innovating, designing, testing, and implementing new technologies to troubleshooting and optimizing existing systems to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve quality. They may spend time in meetings discussing project progress, collaborating with colleagues, and planning future steps, all of which contribute to the sense of achievement. Engineers often use software tools to create designs, analyze data, and simulate systems, further enhancing their productivity and satisfaction. Depending on the field, they might spend time in labs conducting experiments, on-site overseeing construction or manufacturing processes, or in offices working on plans and reports, all of which are opportunities to see their work come to fruition. Entry-level Engineers: A bachelor's degree in engineering trains engineers with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Entry-level engineers might start with tasks like data collection and analysis or assisting senior engineers with projects. Entry-level engineers might also spend time shadowing more experienced colleagues, attending training sessions, and gradually taking on more responsibility and management as they gain experience.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Richard Davis: Engineering offers career opportunities across various industries, from technology and healthcare to infrastructure and environmental sustainability. With technological advancements and the increasing complexity of global challenges, such as climate change, food and clean water, and urbanization, engineers are in high demand to develop innovative solutions. For example, environmental engineers are crucial in developing sustainable solutions to reduce pollution and conserve resources. Engineering provides opportunities for creativity and problem-solving, making it a rewarding career choice for those who enjoy tackling complex problems. The global focus on sustainability and renewable energy presents exciting prospects for engineers to contribute to meaningful projects that positively impact society and the environment.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Richard Carbonaro Ph.D., P.E.: At the start of your career, there is a range of starting salaries for 'entry-level' chemical engineers. However, some sectors within chemical engineering such as petrochemicals and energy tend to be on the higher end of this range. Do the proper research to find the sector that is the right fit for you both in terms of compensation and work that you will enjoy. Once you are working in the industry, you can increase your salary more quickly by acquiring an advanced degree such as a Master's or getting additional training through certificate programs. Be aware of the opportunities for additional training at your company and through professional organizations such as American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChe). Demonstrate to your supervisors that you are willing to learn, work hard, and be efficient to increase the chances of getting promotions and merit-based wage increases.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Richard Carbonaro Ph.D., P.E.: The field of chemical engineering has always been evolving and expanding beyond the traditional oil and gas industry where it got its start in the late 1800's. I expect that it will continue to do so. The future of our field will likely put a greater emphasis on green chemistry and sustainability (i.e. energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy storage), and biotechnologies (i.e. biosynthesis of small molecules, production of biomaterials). With the development and availability of AI, additional work is needed to figure out how to apply it to chemical engineering problems. It has great potential to help us optimize chemical processes and provide assistance in the design process.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Richard Carbonaro Ph.D., P.E.: The transition from university to the workforce can be daunting. The first month or two may be difficult, so anticipate challenges. Trust that your training in chemical engineering has provided you the knowledge you need to succeed. But, expect to learn a lot of job-specific skills that you were never taught in school.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Mishah Salman Ph.D.: An underappreciated skill that I think will become more sought-after is the ability to validate computer-made decisions and their shortcomings. With the growing prominence of AI use in design, problem solving, and decision making, the engineering field will need experts to error-check decisions made using these technologies. Sometimes there are unexplored gaps that these technologies overlook, and sometimes there are biases or inappropriate assumptions baked into AI-based results. Humans are inherently imaginative and creative. We excel at picking up on things that computer algorithms may miss. Talented experts that recognize and address these issues will remain invaluable in the workforce. Another indispensable skill that is often overlooked in engineering is effective interpersonal communication. Whether in a teamwork context, a leadership role, or a client interaction, competent communication is crucial. This can take the form of conversation, live presentations, written correspondence, and beyond. People that hone their communication skills are often recognized, and tend to be the individuals that are promoted to more senior roles.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Mishah Salman Ph.D.: My advice to recent graduates is to be open to non-conventional roles. Taking on responsibilities beyond one’s official discipline provides broader value to employers. Many students that graduate with degrees in mechanical engineering (or similar disciplines) find great success by stepping outside of their expected job title. Sometimes exploring roles with titles like “analyst” or “manager” or “designer” can provide interesting opportunities to apply one’s engineering skillset in an alternate context. The real strength of your degree is the transferable skillset that you developed along your educational journey. Keep your options open!
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mansooreh Mollaghasemi Ph.D.: Concurrent with building technical skills, they must build soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. These skills are often the differentiators between good and great engineers.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Michael Denn: 1. Become the expert in whatever you do. 2. Understand how your work fits into the bigger picture and keep that in mind when you do your work. 3. Keep learning! Your engineering degree is not the end of your education! 4. Take stretch assignments and opportunities whenever you can.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Denn: 1. The time needed to progress from an idea to a quality prototype is continually decreasing. That trend will likely continue. Skills that support short development times, such as computer modeling, simulations and rapid prototyping, will continue to be valued. 2. One skill that will always be valuable is the ability to acquire new knowledge and apply it to the task at hand.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Michael Denn: The answers to this question are largely the same as the answer to question 1. However, here are some additional points: 1. Excel in your job. Become the person everyone goes to for whatever type of work you do. 2. Develop and maintain a career plan. Make sure your assignments and tasks align with your plan. When you have the opportunity to change positions, keep you plan in mind.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Kelvin Erickson: Your performance on your first project will be extremely important. Do your “dead-level” best to exceed your supervisor’s expectations. For my first project, I was taking over a project from an engineer that left the company. One of the more experienced engineers spent a couple of days getting me started on it and outlined the remaining tasks. I took it from there, working with the other engineers on similar projects. The company was developing an entire new line of process control equipment, of which my project was one of the devices. Because of the unanticipated change in the project personnel, my manager expected a few months delay, but I completed the project by the original deadline. After that, there were other projects that I did not do so well on. But because I had succeeded so well in the beginning, it was not viewed negatively.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Jamie Gomez: Chemical engineers are instrumental in designing processes that produce a wide array of products across industries such as pharmaceuticals, energy, food and beverages, and materials science. They engage in both research and development (R&D;) to innovate new products and applied engineering to refine existing processes. By leveraging data analysis software and machine learning, they enhance efficiency and validate processes through advanced modeling. They also ensure safety and regulatory compliance using cutting-edge monitoring systems and predictive analytics. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, chemical engineers foster innovation, embrace diverse perspectives, and solve complex problems effectively. For those new to the field, the initial focus is on comprehensive training and learning, often guided by experienced engineers. New chemical engineers support senior engineers with data collection, preliminary analysis, and documentation, gaining invaluable hands-on experience with laboratory equipment and industrial processes. This foundational experience is crucial for honing essential skills such as process design, data analysis, project management, teamwork, and effective communication with diverse audiences, all of which are applicable to any project in their career.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jamie Gomez: Chemical engineering is a compelling field to enter now because of its critical role in advancing renewable energy and promoting the green economy. Chemical engineers lead the charge in developing sustainable technologies, such as green ammonia for eco-friendly fertilizers and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to reduce the aviation industry's carbon footprint. They are key players in driving innovations toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions, working on projects that minimize environmental impact and champion sustainable industrial practices. It is a profession that offers substantial opportunities to make a positive impact on both the environment and society.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Jamie Gomez: Chemical engineers thrive on tackling complex problems and embracing diverse projects, which offer ample opportunities for innovation and career growth. Their work profoundly impacts society, particularly in advancing sustainable technologies. However, the profession can be demanding, with high workloads, regulatory hurdles, and safety challenges. Ethical considerations must also be carefully balanced with industrial growth. Senior chemical engineering students transitioning from capstone design projects often find the experience stressful but invaluable. These projects mirror real-world engineering scenarios and equip them with practical skills like problem-solving, collaboration, innovation, and adaptability. Additionally, they gain an understanding of the economic aspects of engineering projects, learning to assess cost-effectiveness and financial feasibility. These competencies are crucial for career success, offering versatility and a wide range of professional opportunities.
Jerry Gintz CMfgE
Teaching ProfessorArizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus
Manufacturing Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Jerry Gintz CMfgE: When entering a career in manufacturing engineering, consider starting as a technician to gain experience with the company before transitioning into engineering. This will allow you to build confidence and better understand the production systems you will be responsible for as an engineer.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jerry Gintz CMfgE: From a manufacturing engineering perspective, the most important skills an engineer will need is the ability to understand, design, assemble, and deploy production capable systems. This includes an expertise with computer-aided engineering tools to assist in the design and verification of engineered systems before a company expends capital on the equipment.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Jerry Gintz CMfgE: From a manufacturing engineering perspective, compensation is normally tied to capability so the more relevant skills a candidate has entering the workforce the higher compensation they can expect to receive. This is especially true in manufacturing given the shortage of qualified engineering talent available for hire. Additionally, consider focusing on industrial automation as a resource to aid efficient production. Manufacturing is always looking to increase efficiency and a foundational knowledge of industrial automation systems will serve you well as you build a career in manufacturing engineering.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Dr. James Rawlins: The career field is ripe for students that want to solve problems and be rewarded for doing so consistently. There is a current shortage of STEM related recent graduates based upon both current retiring positions and future needs. Deloitte estimates that there will be 4.6 million manufacturing jobs to fill between 2018 and 2028. There will be a shortfall of 2.4 million and that will drive opportunities and salaries higher, estimated to be 1.7X average all position salary growth (onetonline.org) for those that have STEM related degrees. Polymer scientists, engineers and plastics engineers are highly sought after and needed.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. James Rawlins: We graduate polymer scientist and engineers those degrees are slightly different from plastics engineers but also very similar. Our students careers would be focused on utilizing new and legacy technology to deliver new performance and novel applications of polymeric materials. We present skills that allow our students to work in almost every area of research, development and engineering that is related to societal needs. Those that prefer to work daily in a laboratory would be able to do so in most career fields, testing materials, formulating new products and often being the technical lead with customer focused projects to match their needs and expectations. Those that prefer to move from a laboratory to sales and marketing also do so very successfully. The transition from inventing, making and testing polymeric materials happens often for those that prefer to sell and interface with customers. These bachelor degreed scientist and engineers would often travel to customers, explain technical projects and timelines associated with research and development.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. James Rawlins: Historically, our students love their chosen careers, with the versatility to be in laboratories for product development, new materials synthesis and research, or in sales, marketing, technical marketing, management, production there are plenty of mobility, growth and travel opportunities. Some of our students want small to medium sized companies with lots of diverse challenges and an exciting pace while there are also many exciting opportunities in medium to large companies with many chances for mentoring, to be mentored and to grow within a larger organization. There are plenty of options for all of the varied career outlooks and perspectives.
Dr. Imane Khalil
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Dean of Graduate ProgramsUniversity of San Diego
Mechanical Engineering
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Imane Khalil: It's important not to limit yourself in terms of the type of work or the product you want to be involved in creating at the start of your career. Any engineering job is fine to start your career. You may not yet have the experience to know your preferences. Instead, seek out opportunities for rotational positions that expose you to different stages of product creation, from design to analysis, development, testing, and manufacturing. All products go through the same cycle (design, analysis, development, testing, and at the end manufacturing). Explore and see what you enjoy doing.
Edmund Spencer
Associate ProfessorUniversity of South Alabama
Electrical, Electronics, And Communications Engineering
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Edmund Spencer: Look for jobs that have the highest technical content, and try to develop entrepreneurial skills early.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
J. Richard Elliott Professor Emeritus: The lovely thing about deciding to major in chemical engineering is that it is the “undecision.” Chemical engineering degree-holders can be (patent) lawyers, doctors (it has the highest admission RATE of any major), petroleum producers and refiners, corrosion specialists, polymer processors, cancer researchers, machine learning engineers for additive manufacturing (3D printing), computer chipmakers, cancer researchers, CEOs, professors, wastewater bioengineers, food engineers, ... There are probably many more but this is just off the top of my head. About the admission RATE to med school, CHEs don’t apply if they aren’t pretty sure they’ll get in because they have so many other options. The RATE is the fraction of those who apply who get in. About 45% of Biomed engineers go to med school and 45% go to grad school. The number of Biomeds may be more, but their RATE is only ~50%. Running petroleum refineries (for gasoline, Exxon, BP, Shell…) and chemical production plants (for ethylene, ethanol-gasohol, … Dow, Dupont, BASF, Lubrizol…) are probably the most obvious careers, but they represent maybe only 50% of where CHEs go nowadays. Many UA CHEs get the corrosion specialization and work for oil companies but also work for the Dept of Defense. There was a glut of CHEs in the early 80s when Reagan shut down Carter’s clean fuel initiative. That glut sent CHEs scurrying into many fields and they have kept their fingers in all these pies. In Akron Ohio, polymer companies like PolyOne, Goodyear (and other tire companies), AL Shulman, ... pick up about 25% of UAs graduates. Smucker’s in Orrville also picks up a steady number who become food engineers. My wife started with BP in tertiary oil recovery (briefly, using “soap” to wash the oil of rocks deep in the ground). Then she worked with Ferro to develop a smart washing machine that would synthesize peroxide bleach on the spot. Then she worked for a company that makes non-skid strips for showers and stairs and skateboards. She ended her career working for the largest bottle-grade polyester company in the world, trying to solve the polyester recycle problem. My oldest daughter did her PhD-CHE developing a diagnostic for pre-eclampsia that cut false positives in half. Her post-doc was focused on auto-immune diseases and now she works in the front office of a CA “unicorn” as the associate director of business development. My younger daughter started her career exploring arthritis as an auto-immune disease then she worked for Caribou (one of Doudna’s startups) working on allogeneic CAR T-cell technology using CRISPR-CAS9. Then she worked on similar cancer treatments with natural killer cells and autologous CAR T-cell therapy. My son-in-law is a PhD CHE working on machine learning at LLNL (he met my older daughter in grad school). Computer chips are manufactured by a process involving chemical vapor deposition, polymeric photoresists, and chemical etching; all are chemical engineering processes. Gordon Moore of “Moore’s law” was a CHE. Many CEOs of companies like Exxon, Dow, etc have been CHEs. One of my best (CHE) friends has developed a process to enhance wastewater treatment to perform 5x more treatment in the same volume. The digestion of sewage involves bacteria, making It more properly a biochemical engineering problem, not a civil engineering problem.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
J. Richard Elliott Professor Emeritus: It’s always a good time to major in CHE because the broad background makes it feasible to pivot into whatever field is in demand when you expect to graduate.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
J. Richard Elliott Professor Emeritus: Of course, the salary is always near the top of engineering majors so that’s easy to like. Opportunities for co-op/intern study are also attractive. My oldest daughter chose it because she couldn't be sure about biology or bio-CHE. By choosing the “undecision,” she got the best of all worlds and landed right where she wanted. The downside is that it really is a lot of work. Just the regular major suffices to get a minor in chemistry and a minor in math. If you do the bio-specialization too, it’s almost like a quadruple major. It’s not for the faint of heart. And when you’re done, you’re likely to use only about 10% of what you learned in earning the degree. The problem is that it’s a different 10% for every graduate.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Daniel Armentrout: The excessive number of baby boomer engineers are retiring at high rates and you as a new engineering graduate are desperately needed to make up for their loss in the workforce. You will face challenges in your career we could not anticipate or prepare you for in your education. You will have to adapt and continue to learn new fields of study which did not exist when you graduated. We have given you tools to learn and you will have to use those tools to remain relevant throughout your career. Find your place as an engineer when you can be effective, help humanity, and have fun. Plot a career path where you can utilize your strengths and challenge your mind to do new things. Contribute to making a better world and you will be able to enjoy immense satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
What general advice would you give to a Process Engineer?
Christopher Lew: Chemical engineers work on a variety of tasks such as process design, energy innovation, green chemistry, circular economy, environmental engineering, materials science, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, data science, computational fluid dynamics, molecular modeling, and hazard analysis and risk assessment. They address complex challenges across industries and contribute to technological advancements and sustainability efforts.
What Process Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Christopher Lew: Chemical engineering is a multidisciplinary, technology-driven field that offers a broad set of skills and knowledge. Graduates have many career opportunities to choose from in various industries. The profession is dynamic, well-compensated, and allows for success and growth.
What will help Process Engineers increase their earning potential?
Christopher Lew: People like the broad range of career opportunities, the ability to address complex challenges, and the potential for success and growth in various fields. Dislikes may include the complexity of the field and the varied responsibilities that require a unique way of thinking and problem-solving.