Occupation Profile

Chemical Engineers

(SOC Code : 17-2041)

in California

Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Bachelor's degree .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$51.24	$38.35	$46.63	$63.36

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	1,900	2,200	300	15.8	90

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Possible Licenses Required and Issuing Authority

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License Title

License Authority

Chemical Engineer

Department of Consumer Affairs
Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists
www.pels.ca.gov

About Licenses

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Scientific Research and Development Svc

5,742

31.5%

Architectural and Engineering Services

23,211

8.9%

Electronic Instrument Manufacturing

1,043

5.4%

Petroleum & Coal Products Manufacturing

287

3.9%

Management & Technical Consulting Svc

28,222

2.3%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Biochemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Engineering Chemistry

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to on-going chemical reactions.

Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.

Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.

Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.

Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.

Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.

Design and plan layout of equipment.

Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.

Design measurement and control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory experiments and in pilot plant operations.

Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents using controlled chemical processes.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

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Alternate Titles

Chemical Research Engineers; Process Engineers; Refinery Engineers; Refinery Process Engineers; Research Chemical Engineers