Navira Shandra AddedWednesday, January 25, 2017 at 10:21 AM CHEMICAL ENGINEERING VS CHEMISTRY Hello, i am about to entry undergraduate study but i am so confused which study program should i take. I attended vocational high school in department of analytical chemistry also i ever had internship as a chemical analyst and worked as a microbiology analyst. I know how it is like to be a chemist or microbiologist and working in lab, doing research and stuff and sometimes it was boring so i am thinking of taking chemical engineering instead of chemistry. Also compared to the salary, chemical engineer's is higher than chemist's. According to my basic skills in chemistry, i think i would not find any difficulty when taking chemistry (maybe) but i am afraid i will struggle when taking chemical engineering. Would you please give me any advice about which study program i should take according to job opportunites for female graduates and the difficulty of the study program itself ? thank you Related to Chemical, Difficult Classes, Engineering Skills, Internships & Jobs, Opportunities/Challenges for Women, Self Doubt Reset Sort By Default Amelia Hedblom , Ecolab Answered Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 10:35 AM Hi Navira, What a great question! I can tell you a lot of students experience the same uncertainty as you do when choosing a major to study. It sounds like you are more interested in chemical engineering but are worried it may be more challenging than chemistry. If that is the case, I would encourage you to study chemical engineering! As Theodore Roosevelt once said “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.” I think even though chemical engineering may be a more challenging subject to study, you will come out of college a stronger, more capable candidate because you pushed yourself to study something that is interesting to you! In terms of job opportunities, I would look at it this way: a chemical engineer is both a chemist and an engineer. She (or he) will have to use a chemist’s knowledge and abilities and apply them on a larger scale. Chemical engineers can usually perform the work of chemists, and although chemists understand the theoretical parts of chemical engineering, they do not as easily assume the position of a chemical engineer at a company. You seem to have built a great foundation of experience already in the chemicals field and I am confident you will succeed at anything you try! Best, Amie Amelia Hedblom , Ecolab Answered Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 10:35 AM Hi Navira, What a great question! I can tell you a lot of students experience the same uncertainty as you do when choosing a major to study. It sounds like you are more interested in chemical engineering but are worried it may be more challenging than chemistry. If that is the case, I would encourage you to study chemical engineering! As Theodore Roosevelt once said “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.” I think even though chemical engineering may be a more challenging subject to study, you will come out of college a stronger, more capable candidate because you pushed yourself to study something that is interesting to you! In terms of job opportunities, I would look at it this way: a chemical engineer is both a chemist and an engineer. She (or he) will have to use a chemist’s knowledge and abilities and apply them on a larger scale. Chemical engineers can usually perform the work of chemists, and although chemists understand the theoretical parts of chemical engineering, they do not as easily assume the position of a chemical engineer at a company. You seem to have built a great foundation of experience already in the chemicals field and I am confident you will succeed at anything you try! Best, Amie