Hi everyone!
I’m a 19F engineering student from Argentina currently facing a bit of a vocational crisis.
My background:
I started in Chemical Engineering in 2025. I absolutely fell in love with the theory—especially Organic Chemistry (the logic and molecular mechanisms) and the math/physics side of things. However, I struggled deeply with the physical labs. I felt clumsy, lost, and "clueless" during experiments, which led to some serious imposter syndrome. I thought, "If I'm bad at labs, I'll be a bad ChemE."
The detour:
I switched to Bioengineering this semester because I love Programming/Software and thought it would be a "cleaner" escape. But I realized I don’t care for the clinical/medical aspect. I miss the heavy chemistry and the "practical problem-solving" (TF2 Engineer style) of ChemE.
What I'm looking for:
I want to go back to ChemE, but I want to avoid the "hard hat/wet lab" life. I’m looking for a career in Process Simulation, Computational Chemistry, or even Reservoir Engineering (Oil & Gas). Basically, I want to use my brain and my keyboard to solve chemical problems.
My questions:
How many of you actually work in a lab? Is it possible to have a 100% office-based career in ChemE (Simulation, Design, Data)?
Does being "bad" at undergrad labs actually matter in the professional world if you're aiming for computational/management roles?
Are there niches where Organic Chemistry and Coding intersect significantly?
Is it worth "suffering" through the remaining undergrad labs to get the degree?
I’m ready to put in the work and ace the theory (I love it!), but I need to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel that doesn't involve a titration flask.
Thanks for your insights!