Recently a friend of mine confided in me about his son, a fairly
recent chemical engineering graduate. He went on to explain that while his son
has been successfully employed by a major chemical manufacturer, he was
somewhat bored with the project work he has been assigned and seeks something
more “techy”.
I started remembering what the experience was like to transition
from pure academics to the working world. Perhaps it can be somewhat
disappointing. I have seen where colleges like my alma mater, Va. Tech. often exploit
the new and exciting technology of the day. A few are mentioned in a college magazine I receive
periodically. Subjects such as self-driving
vehicles, human computer interaction, augmented reality and electric vehicles
seem to grab the spotlight whereas most graduates will not be involved with the
state-of-the-art world. For example, a recent chemical engineering graduate may
be doing efficiency improvement work, debottlenecking (increasing throughput),
replacing aging heat exchangers, tanks and pumps or perhaps even updating
P&IDs (plant and instrument diagrams). In other words, not cutting edge
projects but extremely vital to the performance of the chemical plant.
Most importantly, recent grads need to demonstrate a high
level of achievement in their job regardless of the whether it entails state-of-the-art
systems or day-to-day plant issues. Advancement will come after the performance
reviews show a history of reliable and exceptional results.
Have you had a similar experience? Tell me about it.
