Chemical engineers’ median salary soars to $120,000

Fuel Fix ^ | June 18, 2013 | Simone Sebastian

[thackney]

Chemical engineers are pulling a median salary of $120,000, a 9 percent hike since 2011, according to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. And unemployment in the field has dropped to 2.1 percent, from 3.8 percent in 2011.

The trade group has released the latest edition of its biennial salary survey, which shows the employment environment has improved considerably for chemical engineers in the past couple of years. In the group’s last survey, conducted in 2011, raises for chemical engineers had declined to their lowest point in two decades.

Since then, the U.S. shale boom has released an abundance of natural gas on the market, providing a low-cost feedstock for the chemical industry. That has led to the rapid expansion of chemical plants and a surge in hiring in the chemicals business, particularly on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast.

As the employment environment has improved, however, salary differences between the genders have persisted, the survey found. While there’s little disparity between salaries of young women and young men early in their careers, the pay gap in chemical engineering widens considerably as professionals gain experience.

After 10 years in the business, women at almost all ages and experience levels made less than their male counterparts, according to the chemical engineers’ institute.

The organization attributed the pay gap to family leave. For both men and women, taking six months to a year off of work was associated with an average salary cut of about $14,000, the group’s survey found.

“Most of the male respondents who took time off were out for three months or less, while female respondents were most likely to take off four to six months,” wrote Cynthia Mascone in a summary of the survey results in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ magazine.

The survey also showed that in general, engineers whose salaries fall behind because of family leave never catch up.

“We read this as good news, though, for women pursuing a career in chemical engineering,” said American Institute of Chemical Engineers Executive Director June Wispelwey in a written statement. “It’s been five decades since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, and some industries still demonstrate pay inequity between men and women. This salary survey shows that chemical engineering is a fantastic career that compensates both women and men fairly.”

[machogirl]

I think my sisters have that. One is working for a Govt. contractor in the Defense area. Coming up with the money while jobless is a problem. I’ve paid taxes every year since I was 16 and I found in March, that there really are no “safety net programs” for people like me. Only for Illegal Immigrants and refugees.

[thackney]

My suggestion is not to get the certification now. But if that section of industry sounds like something you would want to do, read up on the many resources available online. Learn a bit and if still interested, buy something like the PMBOK (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge).

The fifth edition is the latest. Earlier editions should be available cheaper and still provide you the basics for starting in this area. Learn the concepts and you will be able to talk intelligently about it in the interviews. You don’t need to be an expert to start out. You have no experience and won’t be expected to know a lot. You can use this to exceed the expectations of those willing to interview you anyways. A little knowledge on the phone may be enough to gain a follow up interview.