WHEN I got my chemical engineering degree, the job market was buoyant. I had lots of offers, including from a leading global chemicals producer, a distillery and a shoe polish maker. Most involved starting out in a production role. That was the norm. After all, many companies had a clear policy of making new engineers familiar with the realities and challenges of plant operations before letting them migrate to other types of engineering or management positions. It simply was a given that having that sort of hands-on experience was desirable, if not essential, for a productive (and lucrative) long-term career at the company.
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