Balancing Act: The Young Person's Guide to a Career in Chemical Engineering

Book Synopsis: Are you a high school student (or recent graduate) interested in mathematics, chemistry, and science, but aren't sure of how to translate those interests into a career? Are you interested in engineering, but aren't sure of which field to pursue? Balancing Act is a short book geared towards people exactly in this situation. Often, students pursue chemical engineering solely due to the high pay, but this book will arm the reader with far more information than salary figures. The book discusses not just what chemical engineering is, but also how to negotiate the complicated maze of engineering school, all the way to finally getting a job. The author never had a guide like this while he was in school, and had to learn much of the material in the book by hard knocks. Written by Dr. Bradley James Ridder, the book is drawn heavily from the author's own experiences as a chemical engineering undergraduate at the University of South Florida and as a doctoral student at Purdue University.

Covered topics include:

1. What do chemical engineers study in school?
2. What is the degree worth?
3. Navigating the student loan minefield.
4. How to prepare for success in engineering school while still in high school.
5. How to succeed in engineering school when you finally get there.
6. Tips on teamwork and leadership.
7. Preserving your health under pressure.
8. Preparing for a job interview, and ultimately getting a job.
9. A comparison between chemical engineering and medicine as careers.
10. Entrepreneurship and chemical engineering.
11. Future technologies on the horizon in the field.

The Young Person's Guide to Chemical Engineering is an inside-look at exactly what chemical engineering school is like, and how to succeed in the degree while in college. Despite being related to chemical engineering, the book is light on mathematics (outside of the final chapter in the appendix). This makes the book an easy read, even for someone who may not be very technical.

Chemical engineering is a fascinating field, linking chemistry, physics, mathematics, computers, materials science, and biology together to produce technologies that are truly revolutionary. If you are interested in being on the frontiers of human technological progress (and getting paid a lot of money to be there), this book will give you the information you need to excel in engineering school, and ultimately in the workplace.