The chemical industry employed 529,000 workers in 2017, and this includes sectors like oil and gas and pharmaceutics. But being a chemical engineer isn’t the only way to find a job in the sector. You can also learn different technical skills that will open new opportunities. Here are some tech skills that will lead to a high paying job in the chemical industry.
Environmental Science
The chemical industry works with processes to transform materials and get products that can be useful for society. With these operations, they work with natural resources and can cause a lot of damage to the environment. The chemical industry includes a lot of sectors that added to the world’s pollution problems. Now, they are trying to improve all their processes to make them more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
That’s why you should be familiar with environmental science concepts and methods. This science is centered on studying the human impact on the environment. They can specialize in different areas, one of which is chemistry. An environmental engineer can make, on average, $87,000 per year. To learn environmental science, you can choose it as a major in university. You could also get an associate degree or certification if you already have a STEM degree.
Project Management
Project managers are the ones that oversee the operations of a company for every project. They can manage people, schedule tasks, and make sure the goals are reached under the deadlines. This skill is essential in any company big enough to have a team of people working on one project. And in the chemical industry, it is needed as much as in any other sector.
Part of their responsibilities can include understanding user research to deliver a better product and results from product releases to find where to improve. You can become a product manager by enrolling in a coding bootcamp. Some of the best coding bootcamps teach a complete curriculum to enter any industry as a junior product manager.
It is an excellent technical skill if you want to work in the chemical industry. You don’t need a bachelor’s degree to become one, and you can do it in just a few months. And because project managers can work in any industry, you will have a wide range of job opportunities.
Data Analysis
Data analysis is when professionals can analyze information and get powerful insights from it. In the chemical industry, it can be useful for optimizing processes and reducing costs. Data analysts can analyze historical data of different operations to pinpoint where they can improve in the future.
They can also determine the behavior of different materials and give information to the company to make better decisions. It really depends on each company. For example, a company that manufactures plastic may require its data analyst to analyze emissions and chemical residues.
A chemical data analyst makes, on average, $62,000 per year. You can become a data analyst with a coding bootcamp, online course, or vocational training. If you consider learning this skill, coding bootcamps are cheaper than university and only last a few months. You can check out Career Karma’s website to begin your research. It is a community of tech professionals where you can compare different coding bootcamps that teach data analysis and choose the best option for you.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance specialists or engineers are the ones that make sure the product meets the quality standards set by the company or the industry. The product can be a chemical process, a material, or anything else common to the chemical sector. They are the ones that ensure everything is done under strict standards, and the product has the best result possible.
For example, in a chemical laboratory, a quality control chemist will make sure every process has as few errors as possible. They check all the instruments to make sure they are calibrated and that all the chemists are doing their task properly. A quality control chemist makes around $57,000 per year, and the top 10 percent makes 77,000.
Software Engineering
Technology has taken over many aspects of the business and manufacturing world. And like any other industry, the chemical sector has introduced new technologies to improve its operations. That’s why software engineers are needed to develop, deploy, and maintain, which makes the chemical industry operate smoothly. Software engineers can create different programs, platforms, and systems to make our jobs easier.
You can become a software engineer by enrolling in a computer science degree, an online course, or coding bootcamp. You could also learn by yourself because there are many free resources online. A software engineer makes, on average, $107,000 per year.
In Summary
You can become an environmental scientist or engineer, a skill in high demand in the chemical industry. You can also become a project manager, data analyst, quality assurance specialist, or software engineer. These technical skills will open job opportunities in the sector, and all of them have great salaries.
