What does it Take to be a Chemical Engineer?

Chemical Engineering is essentially a mix of four primary engineering fields - Mechanical + Civil + Electronics + Computers.

We study physics, chemistry, mathematics, arts and a little bit of history in chemical engineering. We develop computer codes for controlling our equipment and carrying out reactions. We estimate costs and analyse profits for constructing a functional plant.

So consider opting for chemical engineering only if you have good basics in math, physics and chemistry and a flair for drawing.

A strong foundation is required to build a good building. And to be a good chemical engineer you need to have some good grip on basic sciences first.

1.    Know your math - learn integrations, differentiations and transformations. Math is important especially in Fluid Mechanics, Mass Transfer, Process Dynamics and Control, Thermodynamics and Chemical Reaction Engineering.

2.   Know your chemistry - learn periodic table. Byheart it. It has only 100+ elements. Take it as a challenge to your memory and you can be cool when you recite entire periodic table to your surprised teacher. Learn it column wise too. Learn both physical chemistry and nuclear chemistry basics too. They are pretty useful in Chemical Reaction Engineering. Chemical Engineering in the most basic sense is dealing with chemicals. And if you don't know your periodic table then how would you identify your chemicals? We deal with energy and material balances on regular basis. You should be aware of the elements and their weights and properties.Chemical Bonding is essential in reaction engineering. How else would you know what kind of bond you need to break to make new chemicals? The bond strength and bond type determine the energy that is required to make or break them, which, in turn determines the amount of heat that you need to put in or pull out.

3.    Know your physics - People think Chemical Engineering is all about Chemistry. They couldn't be more wrong. Chemical Engineering is more of Physics. All the unit operations and processes have physical separation processes which require proper understanding of basic physics. How vapour and liquids flow, how a solid is fluidized, time spent by an element in reactor, etc. are all related to physics world.

4.    Know your economics - Economics and crunching are necessary. Because you need money to build an industry, you need to have knowledge of capital cost and sales profit, optimizing processes, depreciation, etc. are all important for your Design Engineering.

Since this is an age of computers, it will be an added advantage to have computer skills. Learn MATLAB or ASPEN when you enter your final year. Learn C programming in your first year. Learn basic MS Office too (trust me it helps a lot).