Hello, I am having a lot of trouble deciding what engineering specialty I want to do. I want to do something that is helpful to the environment and I was thinking of Nano engineering because of what I have read about that field and it sounded interesting to me. But it is such a new field there are not to many schools degrees in that field and that it would be hard to find a job so then I started thinking about genetic engineering but I heard that most of those jobs require a Ph.D or sometimes a M.S. and I do not think I have the grades to get into a program like that. So I was thinking that I could get B.S. in a field that leads towards genetic engineering, (biochemistry, biophysics or molecular biology from what I have heard) work in that field for a few years while I build up my skills then try to apply to a graduate program. Only problem is that I have heard that it is hard to find a job in one of those fields with only a B.S. and the jobs that you can find are mostly dead end until you get a graduate degree. What I am worried about is that I will get a degree in one of those fields and then either not get a job or never get accepted into a graduate program and get stuck in a dead end career. So I was also thinking instead of majoring chemical engineering and getting a B.S. then work for a few years and then try and apply to a graduate program that would to career in genetic engineering. Just not sure what to do. On another somewhat related note I do have an interest in working in career that makes some process more efficient, which, I kind of got the idea that is what chemical engineers do. Is that right? Also, I was thinking of minoring in computer science which I hear helps with chemical engineering. I was also thinking that since chemical engineers work in scaling up processes then would it not be possible that chemical engineer could work in scaling up a process created by a genetic engineer? Or is that not how that field works? Thanks for any help. I know I asked a lot of questions.
I think industrial engineering so also helps some process more efficient when they look at an organization. Most go into consulting.
The term “engineering” in Genetic Engineering is a red herring. It’s not really engineering, in the sense we think of engineering, at all. It is molecular biology. In order to do anything substantive, you’d need an advanced degree.
If you want to do something for the environment, why not be an environmental engineer.
I have heard environmental engineering mostly has to do with things like waste disposal and landfills and not to much to do with the environment. And I also read that a chemical engineer can do the job of an environmental engineer by taking only one class but not the other way around.
What specifically do you want to do? You haven’t made that clear yet. Don’t put it into job terms like nano engineering and genetic engineering, but rather into terms of what you actually want to accomplish. For instance, “I want to come up with a wheat that’s resistant to salinity” or “I want to work on driverless vehicles.”
Are you a senior or are you thinking of applying. It’s ok to be undeclared and you don’t have to decide if it’s engineering either. Take a few classes and you’ll find your interest.
Well specifically I would like to do something that addresses processing carbon dioxide into something useful like a GMO that performs photosynthesis more efficiently and thus consumes more carbon dioxide. From what I have heard plants that are more efficient at photosynthesis do not need as much water. So perhaps a GMO micro organism could grow in thin layer in deserts while collecting what water they needed from below the surface, which, depending on the desert do contain small amounts of water just below the surface. The biomass created by these GMOs could be collected and processed into something useful like bio-fuel or animal feed. Although, from what I have read there are already a lot of groups working on this and making developments in the field so I would think that since chemical engineer scale up processes I could as chemical engineer do just that.
Or alternatively I have also read about researchers created lab grown meat which produce less green house gases , like methane, and use less water to grow as opposed to growing the whole animal. The main issue now is reducing the cost which from what i understand is part of what chemical engineers do.
And also no I am not a senior I am currently in college.
Both very cool ideas, neither of which interestingly are engineering. They are both biology. The first, you would find in a college of agriculture in the agronomy department, either plant physiology or genetics. The second you could find in a biology department or possibly in the ag school, depending on where you go. The level of specificity you’re talking about would be something you’d study in or even continuing after a doctoral program. Good luck!
P.S. In another life, I was an agronomist working in plant physiology. 