Also called: Petrochemical Process Engineer, Unit Engineer
Keeps one section of an oil refinery or chemical plant running safely and squeezes more product out of it.
You own the unit that turns heavy oil into gasoline. Each morning you check overnight data, then climb a 15-story tower to look at a leaking valve. You tweak temperatures to make 2% more product, which can be worth millions a year.
Refineries pay well and often include shift and bonus pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in chemical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemical Engineering.
Growing slowly. Few new refineries; steady replacement hiring.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI optimizers tune refinery units and flag problems in real time; walking the unit, safety calls and troubleshooting upsets stay human.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Calculus, Physics, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.