[thelogos]

My school doesn't have a ChemE program. I tried to transfer to one of those hardcore engineering school without success.

From what I've heard from my brother (he's a CivE), engineering is a very hard and stressful career (like most serious jobs really). There is a lot of backstabbing and work politics. He has nightmares about his boss.

I don't know if anyone on here can relate but, the freedom to travel and relocate to another country allowed by freelance programming work is very attractive.

I immigrated from another country to America when I was in elementary school. At some point during my college career when I was traveling during the summer, I realized that I'll always be miserable stuck in some backwater town even if I made 100k a year.

[caw]

A lot of jobs have a lot of backstabbing and work politics. It's really about the company you join and its culture, and to some extent the team.

ChemE is pretty desirable, either in production plants or R&D. You're not always out in a backwater town--I believe the term is "near population centers." Sure you might have a 30 minute commute, but you get paid pretty well. I have ChemE friends working in Texas (multiple cities), Greenville (SC), Michigan (forget which city), and Baton Rouge (LA).

You could also work on an oil rig and do a rotation. They pay pretty highly, then you get a bunch of time off.

Regarding the salaries -- Yes 60K for a bachelor's was my school's average B.S. starting salary.