EASYUNI Ultimate University Guide 2013 Issue 4 | Page 18

Salary and Industry
Outlook
Depending on your preference
and expertise, there are
various industries you can
choose from, such as oil and
gas, healthcare and the food
industry.

Finding Solutions to Problems
Here are some real-life examples of how chemical engineers have
found ingenious solutions to make life better:

Disposable diapers
At Proctor & Gamble (P&G), the company behind the Pringles
and Gillette, Victor Mills contributed various improvements.
For example, the chemical process that prevents oil from
separating in peanut butter and the stackable design
of the Pringles potato chip. Mills also found a way to
turn traditional cloth nappies into absorbent leak-proof
disposable diapers.

Post-It notes
The Post-It products are a staple in every home and office,
thanks to Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry. The “low-tack”
adhesive Silver created let pieces of paper cling onto
surfaces until they were removed with no damage to them
or the surfaces. But he couldn’t find a use for it until Fry
came along, looking for a way to mark pages on a book.

Catalytic converter
Thanks to John Mooney and Carl D. Keith, inventors of
the catalytic converter, pollution from petrol- and dieselburning vehicles can be minimised drastically. It is now
considered one of the most important inventions in the
automobile industry.

Clean water
Water is abundant on earth, but how much of it can be
safely consumed? Chemical engineering helps purify water
of harmful substances to produce something drinkable.

Recycling
Do you know you are generating over 1.8kg of trash every
single day on average? Recycling helps to reduce this by
breaking down the components in waste and turning
them into other materials. Over 75 per cent of our waste is
recyclable.

Inspired? Then you might have a rewarding career in chemical
engineering. But if you are still unsure, there are many other
branches of engineering such as biological engineering, material
science, biotechnology and even food technology where you can
indulge your interest in maths and science.

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easyuni Guide 2014

Issue 4

Often, chemical engineers
work in their own
departments. For example,
one can be responsible
for inventing a process to
manufacture products faster
without compromising on
quality while another may
help out with operations at
the factory or plant itself. You
can specialise in various areas,
taking into account your
interests and skills.
The pay varies depending on
your specific job scope. A 2013
study in United States showed
that chemical engineering
is the fifth highest earning
degree with a median salary
of slightly below US$90,000
a year, joining petroleum and
aerospace engineering in the
top five.

A report in The Star
newspaper, meanwhile,
stated that at least 200,000
engineers are needed by 2020
for Malaysia to be declared a
developed nation. With such
a high demand, expect the
chemical engineering sector to
flourish in the next few years.