i’m currently in my 2nd semester of CC hoping to transfer to get a chemical/environmental engineering major. Though i was pretty much set into EnvE before , i’m quite conflicted now between the two. i’ve had a friend comment quite negatively on EnvE in terms of job prospects/opportunities and this kind of discouraged me. I would love to look into waste, remediation, water/air quality, etc. as well as do some field/outdoor work if necessary. I’m also currently working in my CC’s chemistry lab/stockroom and it has been a pretty great work experience so far. I find lab work and analysis to be pretty enjoyable as well. anyways, i’m just really unsure right now what major exactly is right for me.
i do get what others say that ChemE is a lot more “flexible” compared to a more specialized Environmental Eng., making me lean a bit more into it. i’d definitely have to meet up with a career counselor but i would just like to hear some opinions from you guys. what could possibly be a better choice? thank you very much.
I vote for ChemE. ChemE works on solar, water remediation, you name it. They are at the cutting edge of solving some of the biggest problems in the world. With a ChemE, I think you could easily pursue an environmental career. If fact, I think you will be highly desirable for environmental work as a ChemE.
This may not be popular to say, but I like to think ChemE works at the sub/atomic level of most, if not all engineering. You may not be on the front lines in their respective fields, but you will be inventing/refining the stuff they use on the front lines.
My d also wanted to major in Environmental Engineering. One of the first things she had to do as an Honors student at Purdue was write a paper on her intended major. Her research showed her that Environmental Engineering jobs are few and far between. She choose Chemical Engineering instead as it would give her the flexibility to do environmental work as well as open doors to other fields. She landed well paying internships and will work for a major food manufacturer once she graduates. Had offers from oil & chemical firms as well. It’s a challenging major but the rewards come after graduation.
My son majored in civil with concentration on environmental engineering. He had 3 job offers from his internships when he graduated but wanted to do research and is in a Ph.D program. That route worked for him.
EnvE will be easier then ChemE as some of the harder required Chem E courses are not required for EnvE. It really comes down to what you want to do, many EnvE engineers are going to involved in environmental regulations and requirements as part of the job. Just some things to consider.