Mechanical engineering is also going to follow chemical engineering. Many of the same plants that employ chemical engineers to run the processes employ mechanical engineers to run the equipment. I agree that many mechanical engineers will be forced to adapt, but the final numbers are still going to be lower in mechanical engineering.
Chemical and mechanical engineering have been the biggest fields for some time, and if you're admitting that those fields are declining, then we get back to my point. It's silly to encourage young people to go into fields where they will immediately find themselves scrambling to adapt to loss of jobs. They'd be much better off going into fields where the training matches the available jobs.
Undoubtedly, government policies are having a big negative impact on these industries. The high cost of natural gas is killing the chemical industry. One reason that the cost of natural gas is rising so much is that government policy is pushing us away from coal and nuclear energy. We have good supplies of coal. Coal is reasonably inexpensive, doesn't kill the ducks when spilled in a lake, and doesn't go boom when spilled on the ground. If we'd use more of our coal (and nuclear) for utility power, we'd have less demand for natural gas and therefore cheaper natural gas. This policy change would help the chemical industry tremendously.
Bill
absolutely. where you really see this is when you look at what the children of engineer parents are going to college for - its not engineering. the parent's know the score. they are piling their kids into law schools.
an engineering undergraduate degree is only worth it if you combine it with finance or business administration. and perhaps a course in Indian or Chinese culture.
Ya chemical engineering I believe was our government having anti-development policies. Its going to be interesting to see what happens in the next 25 years in industries like nuclear power.
Its my opinion we will need a major build up of energy production.. And of course transmission is a big issue. Its silly right now in America we have increasing power costs each year. Where as you look at every industry in the free market, costs fall year after year. Whichever nation is the most pro-development with energy gets a big advantage because power for their industry and even now IT is cheaper.
One place there is big demand for engineers is for electrical engineers. My father works in that profession, and htey are having a difficult time finding electrical engineers. Especially with some management experience. And the big wave of retirements hasn't even started, most of the current engineering staff are in their mid-50's in the power industry.
Then there is nanotechnology where again you need a large pool of engineers. I fear we will lose out on that to the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.
First off, I was not playing "word games." The petroleum and chemical industries are not dying; they are not in danger of disappearing any time soon, if ever. I expect the oil and chemical companies to continue to generate profits for many years to come.
Second, to say that I admitted that ChE employment is down in those industries is to imply that I conceded the point reluctantly. That does not represent my attitude. I am not reluctant to say that the ChE profession must adapt to changing realities; indeed, I proclaim it to my colleagues whenever the opportunity arises.
There are fewer jobs today for chemical engineers. Some chemical engineers are moving into other fields, but the traditional chemical engineering jobs are withering as you admitted. Under those conditions, it's silly to encourage people to go into chemical engineering.
As I pointed out, there are fewer jobs for chemical engineers in traditional industries. Consequently, many chemical engineers are moving into other industries. The profession is changing. The result may very well be that the demand for chemical engineers will decrease (although that is not certain).
It does not follow, however, that young people should be discouraged from pursuing a career in chemical engineering. There will always be a need for ChE talent. If someone has a passion and an aptitude for the field, he need not worry too much about finding work. Currently, the situation is rosy. Starting salaries for ChE graduates continue to rise: the average this year is $54,000, up 4.3% from last year.
Mechanical engineering is also going to follow chemical engineering. Many of the same plants that employ chemical engineers to run the processes employ mechanical engineers to run the equipment. I agree that many mechanical engineers will be forced to adapt, but the final numbers are still going to be lower in mechanical engineering.
You may be right about the future demand for mechanical engineers—or you may be wrong. I will repeat what I said before: If someone has a passion and an aptitude for the field, he need not worry too much about finding work.
It's silly to encourage young people to go into fields where they will immediately find themselves scrambling to adapt to loss of jobs. They'd be much better off going into fields where the training matches the available jobs.
And what fields are those? No one can predict what new technologies and products will be developed in the next ten or twenty years.
As for scrambling for jobs, that appears to be the norm for most people. According to the FCIC (http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/money/save-fit/save-fit13.htm), "the average worker changes jobs 10 times and careers three times in a working lifetime."