I can't decide 2 major in chemistry or chemical engineering. I want 2 work with pyrotechnics. What should I do
Answer:
So you want to know what area you should study to go into pyrotechnics?
My question to you is, why would you limit your field of opportunities if something you could learn in a related field might help you out?
Pyrotechnics is really about understanding the interactions of a chemical system with respect to chemical reaction mechanisms and reaction rates. It is basically complex general and physical chemistry.
However,
I discovered that a large number of chemistry students seem to cut themselves off by simply saying. Oh well this are all of the courses I need to take, Nothing else... If you want to go into pyrotechnics. Wouldn't you think I might be important to have a much more rigorous study of physics and chemistry? And, perhaps take more calculus than you actually need? Might it also not befit you to perhaps minor in physics? Or perhaps even a specific type of history class, so that you can understand the background of your soon to be market? All of these factors must be weighed in when determining one's life career. In the sciences this is no exception. Most students take chemistry or calculus and say, oh well that was that. Hey lets go party! Just because you pass a class, even with an A, does not present a true understanding of the material, nor does it insure that you will competently be able to apply what you have learned to a real life situation. Perhaps today this is the greatest struggle in education. Teaching applications. Many times even the smallest of details that you learn about, can have great effect on the work of one's future job. Hours spent extra in the laboratory help one familiarize themselves with what a real life lab will be like. And, like a building of blocks, you will grow one block at a time. The catch is... You have to do it! You have to go after your education. You have to apply it. You have to market it, and you have to understand and comprehend it to be able to use it. In todays world you not only need to be well trained, you need to be creative! And, you have to go above and beyond what the minimum requirements say. In Issac Newtons time, one payed for four to five years of college and at the end of the tenure, they received a diploma. Whether or not they actually learned anything. And, in many cases, classes were taught without precise prerequisites, and there were no class structures for obtaining a specific degree. If anything, the only real requirement of the day was musicianship. Newton learned all of the math up to elementary calculus within a year, from private tutoring and study at the university. So you see, Even he had to go to great lengths just to achieve what he wanted, because the university didn't draw out a specific path for him. Today, no matter where you go, you will learn the same concepts. You might not cover it all in class, or do as many labs, but it will be up to you to go above and beyond that to achieve those areas of study. As, just in Boyle's day and Newton's, you aren't guaranteed to learn anything no matter where you are. This is probably the greatest argument for why Berkeley and a JC are on equal terms and groundings. The more broad you go in your education, the more you will learn, and the more you can determine the specific area to enter to become a professional in that area. When you go after your Ph.D, you will narrow your field and specifically become a specialist. But, to become a specialist now, closes a lot of doors not only in the pyrotechnics field, but also other fields of chemistry you have yet to discover a true fasciantion for.
If you are really interested in specifically pyrotechnics, then I can refer you to a few sites I know of... Because, you really don't need to have a degree to be in pyrotechnics, only a certificate.
http://pyrotechnicians.com/
http://www.americanpyro.com/general%20in...
I urge you however to strongly consider challenging yourself to broaden your chemical horizons and discover something new. Who knows, you might just design the new fireworks to be displayed at the Boston pops...
I know several professors I work with whom would be happy to provide you with some direction in your specific field of study.
Because pyrotechnics will require knowledge of mixers and industrial processes, engineering will make more sense. You may also want to take Chinese since that is where most of the work in the field is located.
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