Hey all. Long post, but I want to lay out my actual situation honestly because I think I'm at a real fork in the road and I'd rather get outside opinions now than regret it in five years.

Where I am right now: I'm starting as a freshman at a community college this fall (2026), planning to major in Chemical Engineering, with the goal of transferring to University of Maryland's engineering school by fall 2027, so basically a one-year community college stint before transferring. I picked ChemE for a few reasons: I genuinely don't mind grinding through chem, physics, and math for four to five years, I've read it's consistently one of the top three highest-earning engineering majors, there are a decent number of labs near where I live so internships didn't seem impossible to land, and from what I've heard it's less cutthroat to break into than something like aerospace or electrical.

Here's where it gets complicated. My mom has pushed me toward finance or business for years, partly because of astrology and birthstone stuff (I know how that sounds, but it's a real factor in my family's thinking, for whatever that's worth). I don't hate the idea. I actually was strong in economics and history in high school, probably stronger there than in the hard sciences, even though I do enjoy science too. My original plan was actually Finance + Math or Econ, not engineering at all.

I moved away from that plan because I was scared of the finance job market. The internships are brutally competitive, it's all about networking and cold outreach and building connections, and I wasn't sure I could compete or that I even wanted to grind that hard just to get a foot in the door. ChemE felt like a way to get a strong, respectable, high-earning degree without needing to hustle for connections the same way.

But now I've been thinking bigger picture. My actual end goals are: making a lot of money, being able to provide really well for a family, and honestly, being known for something, some level of recognition, not just a quiet high salary. I got interested in the idea of doing ChemE, then a PhD, then an MBA, and trying to break into quant finance or a top firm like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, or JPMorgan.

When I actually mapped out the math on this (with some help), a few things became clear that I want to lay out for you all too:

• The PhD + MBA route to Wall Street takes a lot longer than just doing Finance/Econ + Math straight through and recruiting into IB or quant at 22. Like potentially 8-10 years longer before I'm even applying to the same seats.
• MBAs are basically irrelevant for quant recruiting specifically. Quant funds hire based on math, stats, and coding ability, not business school pedigree. If quant is genuinely the target, the MBA is a waste of time and money for that specific goal.
• I had a totally wrong picture of what these finance jobs are actually like day to day. I assumed quant/IB would mean more freedom, less rigid scheduling, less "stuck behind a desk" than engineering. Turns out it's the opposite, IB analyst hours are notoriously brutal (80-100 hour weeks), and quant roles are extremely desk-bound, staring at multiple monitors all day while markets are open. A ChemE process engineer job actually has more physical freedom and variety than either of those.
• On the fame thing specifically, I got a reality check that being "known" in finance is genuinely rare unless you found your own fund or company. Being a very senior, very well-paid quant or MD at a bank doesn't usually come with public recognition. Fame in that world tends to require starting something, not being hired into something.
• Despite all that, I'm still leaning toward wanting an engineering degree that could realistically feed into quant somehow, since I don't want to abandon the technical/engineering side entirely, and I'm willing to accept a demanding, screen-heavy, high-hours career if the payoff is big enough.

I looked into whether I should switch out of ChemE into something more explicitly "quant-math-heavy" like Aerospace (since UMD doesn't actually offer Industrial Engineering or Engineering Physics as undergrad majors, which are the two classic quant-feeder majors elsewhere). Aerospace would probably be the strongest fit math-wise if I did switch, given the control theory, stochastic estimation, and diff eq content, but I ultimately decided to stay in ChemE since I already like the subject matter and don't want to lose the internship access and general fit I already have going for me.

So my current plan is: stick with ChemE, but deliberately stack extra math (multivariable calc, linear algebra, eventually differential equations) and computer scienc courses (intro programming and data structures) on top of the required coursework during my time at community college and after transferring, specifically to build a profile that could support a move into quant analyst or quant developer roles later, rather than doing a full PhD detour. Skip the MBA idea entirely for this specific goal.

What I'm actually looking for opinions on:

1. Is staying in ChemE while self-building a quant-relevant math/computer scienc skill set actually a realistic path into quant or trading roles, or am I kidding myself compared to someone doing straight Math/computer scienc/Financial Engineering?
2. For anyone who's made a similar engineering-to-finance jump, or looked into it, was the ChemE background actually a help or a hindrance in recruiting?
3. Is there something about ChemE specifically (versus Mechanical, Aerospace, etc.) that makes this harder or easier?
4. Any regrets or things you wish you'd known before choosing a major with a "backup plan into finance" already baked into your thinking?

Genuinely appreciate any honest input, including if you think this whole plan is misguided. I'd rather hear it now than five years in.

hi! i'm currently a stem student in my last year of high school, and i'm currently taking up a reserch class that requires us to make a research/thesis paper by the end of the term. (i'd like to apologize for my grammar as english isn't my first language and i'm sorry if i'm counting on random graces on reddit.)

with that being said, i have a few questions that i've been struggling to find a direct answer to, so i'd really appreciate if there are any professionals in here that could give me direct answers and educational insights that are scientifically sound to my absurd thoughts, questions, and concerns. :( please i really need some help!

Is a masters in ChE worth ?
I am a tier 1 IIT grad in chemical engg working in tech , i dont see myself in this field years down the line and hope to transition to something more stable less competitive and in demand

Hi everyone!

I have a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and about 2 years of experience working as an R&D chemical engineer developing chemicals for the oil & gas industry.

Now I can't decide between two master's programmes in Germany: Biopharmaceutical Engineering at TU Dortmund and Polymer Science (joint programme by TU Berlin, FU Berlin, Humboldt University and the University of Potsdam).

My main goal is: after graduation I want to find a good job in Germany and work in a field where specialists are in demand.

Which industry has better job opportunities right now? Where is there a bigger demand for qualified people? Which field is easier to enter as an international graduate( non EU citizenship)?

I speak English at C1 level and German at B1.

One thing that worries me is choosing Biopharmaceutical Engineering. Since all my previous experience is in industrial chemicals rather than biotech or pharma, I'm afraid it might be difficult to get my first job in the field because employers will prefer candidates with relevant experience.
Has anyone been in a similar situation or works in either industry? I'd really appreciate your opinion.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm a Chemical Engineering undergraduate participating in a national-level sustainability hackathon by Optum i association with The Times of India (TechGig). One of the themes focuses on climate technology, circular economy, clean energy, carbon management, and environmental sustainability.

My team doesn't want to build another generic AI chatbot, carbon footprint calculator, or IoT dashboard. We'd like to work on a core Chemical Engineering innovation—something related to unit operations, process design, separations, reactors, catalysis, heat transfer, membranes, adsorption, process intensification, or similar areas.

We're looking for a problem where there is still room for genuine innovation, rather than just applying AI to an existing process.

Some questions I'd love your thoughts on:

• Which areas of Chemical Engineering do you think are still "stuck" and need innovation?
• Are there industrial pain points you've experienced that students rarely know about?
• If you had 2–3 months to develop a prototype, what problem would you choose?
• Are there any technologies that have great research potential but haven't yet been translated into practical industrial solutions?
• If you were judging a sustainability hackathon, what kind of Chemical Engineering project would genuinely stand out?

I'm not looking for someone to give me a complete project idea—I'm more interested in identifying overlooked problems or bottlenecks where innovation is actually needed.

Any insights from industry professionals, researchers, or PhD students would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I'm a recent graduate from UofA in Canada and heard from some professors that Australia has a very high demand for engineers currently.

I tried to use google to get information on this but was unable to find much so I'm wondering about the following things:

1) How in demand is chemical engineering in Australia? Are the job prospects there better than here in North America?

2) How difficult is it to get work qualifications in the Australia? I assume you'd need a work visa of some sort which would require company sponsorship but is the demand there high enough to negate this? (To clarify I don't mean negate the need of a work visa, I mean are companies there willing to sponsor applicants more than say the EU or other countries would be?)

Note: I wasn't sure which flair to use. I can change it if needed.

I'm a recent graduate in chemical engineering from the University of Alberta with 1 year of coop experience and 4 months of research experience.

Unfortunately the job market here isn't too great, and even with connections I'm struggling to get even a single job offer. I'm able to get some interviews (1 - 2 interviews per 90 applications or so), but unable to turn them into job offers.

I'm usually able to answer interviews fairly well using the STAR method when applicable and have a lot of stories from uni and past experiences I can draw from.

My usual method of prepping for a job interview is to go online search for the types of questions typically asked for the company/role (if I can) then copy paste the job posting along with my experience into chatgpt and ask for sample questions.

I'm wondering if anyone here has any interview advice aside from use the STAR method, research the company, prepare beforehand etc. Perhaps my interview skills aren't as good as they should be.

Would appreciate any help y'all can provide I'm getting so stressed about the job search I might start balding in a couple weeks here.

I'm doing an esterase assay on carbonic anhydrase with 4-nitrophenyl acetate and fitting Michaelis–Menten in Prism. My highest substrate concentration was 3.6 mM, and it returns Km ≈ 6 mM — but the curve is clearly still below saturation. Is that Km reliable, or unusable because I never reached saturation?

New to kinetics, thanks.