As a production engineer, I use the general principles of engineering that are learned in every CHBE class throughout the degree program.
Patrick Cable is an alum of the bachelor's program in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, who graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019. He is now a Production Engineer at TotalEnergies, and has since obtained a Master of Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston in 2021, and a Graduate Certificate in Process Safety Engineering from the same institution in 2022. We asked him some questions about his life after UMD. These were his responses.
As an alum of the department, how would you describe your academic experience studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering?
“Challenging. Chemical engineering is a difficult field and it was a challenging major to get through. That said, between study groups, office hours, extra discussion sections, etc, the experience was overall a good one. The CHBE department taught me how to think like an engineer, how to problem-solve, how to break things down into smaller parts, etc. All in all, studying CHBE at Maryland gave me a lot of tools I needed to be successful. I am learning more each day just how much I draw on my education in both professional and personal life. Even mundane things like troubleshooting my clothes dryer not working was done using the lessons initially learned from studying CHBE. It took me several years to finally understand what those with more life experience (professors, working professionals, career fair attendees) were saying when they told me that a degree in chemical engineering was incredibly valuable no matter what you do afterwards, but now I would say the same thing to current or prospective students.”
During your undergraduate studies, were you involved with any student-led organizations?
“I was involved in AIChE my entire time in the department, including serving on the board as Freshman Class Representative my freshman year, Director of Student Relations my junior year, and President my senior year. I encourage everyone to be involved in activities like AIChE, ChemE Car, or Alumni Cup as they all provide practical ways to utilize skills learned either in the classroom or just through the college experience. More importantly, they serve as a great way to gain experience working with a group of professional peers and learning how to best be productive working with those of different viewpoints, different strengths and weaknesses, different visions, etc before having to do so at a full-time job. Some of the most important and ubiquitous skills you can learn are those skills of personal and professional conduct that you do not typically learn in lectures, but rather by being parts of these groups.”
During your undergraduate studies, did you complete an internship program that enabled you to narrow your interests or refine any skills?
“As an undergraduate and graduate student, I completed a total of three internships. They were all based in manufacturing plants, each focusing on different things – “grunt” work, large projects, and process projects. These internships taught me first that I knew I wanted to work in a plant and second what it was like to be an engineer in a professional capacity. They put into context the schoolwork I was doing, showing me how and why each of the courses mattered in practice. They also taught me how important many of the skills learned outside of the core coursework would be as a full-time engineer and put an emphasis on personal and professional skills beyond solving Fugacity of Navier-Stokes. As for specific internship programs, I obtained both of my undergraduate internships through the SCI Scholars Program from ACS and my graduate internship through a direct posting by my current company. I encourage everyone to apply for as many internships as you can and take advantage of those opportunities as best you can.”
Following your undergraduate studies at UMD, what was your next step?
“After finishing my bachelors, I went on to study for a masters. I was having a difficult time finding a job in the field and was, for several personal reasons, given the advice to continue my studies. I took this advice, applied to the University of Houston, and following my second graduation, got my dream job as a production engineer. It was after only a few months that I realized I needed the extra time, education, and life experience to really be ready to flourish as a full-time engineer. I encourage everyone to look inward and consider what path they want to take and what they truly want. For most, getting a job straight out of college is the path they want and is the right way to go. For many, a different path is necessary. Both are perfectly ok. Whatever path you are on, own it and make it yours.”
In which sector and what role are you currently working in?
“I work in polymers as a polypropylene production engineer for TotalEnergies Petrochemical and Refining USA Inc. The current scope of my work is to oversee the daily operation of a polypropylene production unit, ensuring the safety of the unit above all else, then the availability, and quality of the unit. If the unit suffers downtime or quality issues, it is my responsibility to troubleshoot the problem and if the unit is running smoothly I am able to work on further optimizing the unit.”
As a working professional, which courses would you recommend for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career path in your field?
“As a production engineer, I use the general principles of engineering that are learned in every CHBE class throughout the degree program. I recommend taking the electives that interest you, but focusing on the general concepts and how to think like an engineer. Also pay attention to the base of each problem and breaking each problem down into parts. I will always remember Dr. Deborah Goldberg teaching my class to think of each fluids problem by the physics of the problem and the system as a whole – This concept is something that every engineer at my plant uses every day. As for specific courses, I would argue that Chemical Engineering Seminar (CHBE333 when I took it) and Technical Writing were two of the most important classes for the same ‘personal and professional skills’ reasons mentioned in other responses.”
What advice would you give to incoming freshmen studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Maryland?
“The advice I would give to incoming freshman is probably advice that everyone gives – take your studies seriously but also enjoy the experience. It is important to find balance in life and learn where your balance sits. Education is incredibly important but it should not be the only thing. Just like as a full-time engineer, my profession is incredibly important, but it should not be the only thing. Spend time figuring out how much time you need to spend on school to be successful, how much time you need to spend on having fun to not get burnt out, how much time you need to spend on yourself to remain healthy. You are the only person who can define your idea of success and knowing your own balance is how you can achieve that success.”
Follow (or connect with) Patrick on LinkedIn!
Top