Introduction to Engineering Technology
The career that one takes in life is a very crucial thing in life. It is important to choose a career that you were comfortable with since it determines what you will do for the rest of your life. The career that one takes is mostly determined by the passion that you have for a particular kind of work. The job market also determined your career that one takes. For instance, course like engineering and medicine are considered more lucrative. Biotechnology is basically a science based course that deals with the microorganism. The microorganism is used to perform different process to yield a product. For instance, in the production of alcohol, sugar is fermented in barley. Other products produced through biotechnology are vinegar, cheese, wine and sourdough. Biotechnology is close related to Bioengineering and biomedical engineering.
The technology has been applied largely in medicine, agriculture and food production. Biotechnology has broadened to include other sciences like Applied Immunology, genomics and recombinant gene technology and pharmaceutical development. The carrier basically covers a variety of procedures used to modify living organisms to fit a human purpose. The technology has also been applied in tissue culture, generic engineering and cell technologies.
A biotechnologist with a bachelor’s degree can work with the scientist in biotechnology laboratories and hospital laboratories. The work entails carrying out different laboratory experiment to come up with various products. The work of a biotechnologist is basically in the lab. There are different types of biotechnology which one can specialize in. They include
- Industrial biotechnology which is basically an application of modern molecular biology to enhance efficiency and eliminate environmental effects of industrial manufacturing processes such as pulp, textile and paper. Somebody who specializes in this can work in industrial biotechnology companies which manufacture enzymes through biocatalysts. This is a very lucrative field and one who has a bachelor’s degree can earn approximately $1500 per annum.
Environmental biotechnology which ideally deals with pollution prevention and waste treatment. The field can be very lucrative and especially in countries where they value the environment a lot. There is a new field called Bioremediation which has attracted several scientists. The field involves the application of biotechnical techniques to develop enzyme bioreactors used in treating the waste from the industries and components of food waste. The field employs expert who has carried out in-depth research in the field. The salary for a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology can attract a salary of approximately $2000 per annum Cornwell and
Other engineering courses which are closely related to biotechnology are biomedical engineering and chemical engineering. This is a branch of engineering and chemistry which incorporate physical sciences, life sciences, economics and mathematics to transformation, production, transformation and the right usage of molecules. The course requires one to have good grades in mathematics, chemistry and physics. A chemical engineer graduate can work in chemical processing and manufacturing industries. The course is more marketable that biotechnology since one can work in various industries such as drug manufacturing companies, food processing companies and research companies. Chemical engineering is meant to provide the learner with knowledge for developing economic ways of using energy and materials. The jobs for chemical engineer are plenty compared to those for biotech. A chemical engineer with a bachelor’s degree can get a salary between $3000 and $4000.
Chemical engineer invents and design new processes which include construction of facilities and instruments. They assist in development of polymers, fertilizers, chemicals, dyes, atomic science and foods. They develop ways to come up with final products from raw materials and techniques to transform raw materials to another form or a finished product. One special feature of chemical engineers is to ensure that any process that they carry out is environmentally friendly, effective or efficient. Chemical engineers can find a niche in any engineering or scientific fields. Chemical Engineers basically work in research laboratories, manufacturing plants and pilot plant project (Shauman 45). They participate in massive production facilities which are either outdoor or indoor. While at work, it is a requirement that they put on protective gears such as steel-toe shoes, goggles and hard hats. The employments can also be found in management offices and business. For instance being the head of departments in standardization agencies.
According to a report released by the department of labor in the United States in the year 2009, there were over 30000 chemical engineering graduates. At that time, a chemical engineer earned b $25.07 to $ 57.5 every single hour. The average salary for chemical engineers was approximately $79000. The middle class of engineers earned approximately $50000. The reported by the institution of chemical engineer salary gave an average of $ 53,000 for chemical engineers. A college graduate starts at approximately $24000.
One challenge that chemical engineers face is the ability to get energy that is both renewable and environmentally friendly. It has been hectic for them trying to discover or create a brand fuel cell that will drive cars using hydrogen. There is also health challenge due to overexposure to chemicals. There is high possibility that a chemical engineer will get cancer at later stages..
The prerequisites for a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in UM-Flint , one should have passed well in the following subjects.
- Maths-one should have passed in college level differential equations and calculus l, ll, lll .
- Physic- one should have excelled in calculus-based physics with their respective lab practical.
- Chemistry- one should have passed the college level chemistry and the lab practical
- One should also have knowledge of computer programming preferably C++.
- A pre-university English composition is also required.
Comparing biotechnology and chemical engineering, chemical engineering is preferable because chemical engineers earn more. The course also equips the learners with engineering skills such as drawing and workshop techniques. Biotechnology is concerned with the use of living organisms to fulfill different processes while chemical engineering is all about application of physical sciences in solving the daily problems in the world (Lotte, and Lynch 78). Chemical engineering is all about inventing chemistry to processes that will result into manufacturing of chemical-based entities. Biotechnology is basically a science based course that deals with the microorganism. The microorganism is used to perform different process to yield a product. For instance, in the production of alcohol, sugar is fermented in barley. Other products produced through biotechnology are vinegar, cheese, wine and sourdough. Biotechnology is close related to Bioengineering and biomedical engineering, One would prefer to take Biotechnology than chemical engineering because of the health hazard that chemical engineering . Biotechnology does not involve a lot of chemicals (Wei‐Cheng 56).
Work Cited
Bailyn, Lotte, and John T. Lynch. "Engineering as a life-long career: Its meaning, its satisfactions, its difficulties." Journal of Occupational Behaviour(2003).
Davis, Mackenzie Leo, and David A. Cornwell. Introduction to environmental engineering. Vol. 3. Landsberg: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Morse, Lucy C., and Daniel L. Babcock. Managing engineering and technology. Prentice Hall, 2013.
Meyer-Krahmer, Frieder, and Ulrich Schmoch. "Science-based technologies: university–industry interactions in four fields." Research policy 27.8 (2008): 835-851.
Mau, Wei‐Cheng. "Factors that influence persistence in science and engineering career aspirations." The Career Development Quarterly 51.3 (2003): 234-243
Spretnak, Charlene M. "A Survey of the Frequency and Importance of Technical Communication in an Engineering Career." Technical Writing Teacher 9.3 (1982): 133-36.
Xie, Yue, and Kimberlee A. Shauman. Women in science: Career processes and outcomes. Vol. 26. No. 73.4. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.
