What advice would you give an engineering or chemistry student who is thinking about pursuing a career in tribology or lubrication engineering?
TLT Sounding Board November 2014
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TLT readers noted that the lubricants industry remains dynamic and active, with automotive, R&D, energy, manufacturing and green chemistry among the areas holding the greatest opportunities for job seekers. They advised soon-to-be college graduates to build a network of industry contacts, get involved with STLE (local sections were mentioned as a good starting place), apply for internships and explore as many different technical areas as possible. Several readers urged students to add business classes to their technical curriculum to better understand the kinds of economic issues STLE-member companies face daily. Another commonly mentioned strategy was being willing to start from the ground up, including hands-on experience working directly with manufacturing machinery. “There you will achieve a gut level knowledge of the real problems friction and wear present to industry,” notes one reader. Asked to evaluate the lubricant-industry job picture, 60 percent of survey respondents say there will be a serious shortage of talented young people within the next 5-10 years.
It’s a booming industry currently with growth and lots of new and different technologies becoming commercial reality. For engineers, look for chances to work within the additive or oil companies. For chemists, all types of chemistry are important to the lubricants industry. Nothing should stop you.
Attend a university that has a specialized program for tribology or lubrication or even a concentration in petroleum. A degree in chemistry is a good start but is too general to understand the industry adequately. Opportunities abound across the industry, they just need to be found.
Students should contact STLE to get more specific information in their possible area(s) of interest or find answers to questions.
Look into the automotive industry.
(1.) Join STLE. (2.) Investigate automotive and aeronautical manufacturing industries.
Look into automotive, oil and gas.
Research & engineering are good fields to pursue.
Petroleum and automotive manufacturing.
Seek experience beneficial to the areas where you want to work.
Look into companies developing alternative energy equipment and lubricant basestocks.
Tribology is a science with practical applications. Understanding applications is the basis of a good tribologist.
Anything involving environmental lubricants.
Research oil/gas industry opportunities.
Look at industries dependent on heavy machinery, preferably mobile/engine types: mining, transport, logging and so forth.
Research and development.
Automotive manufacturing is expected to increase during the next 5-10 years. This industry will always reward a person who understands how friction can be reduced to improve performance.
Take a wide range of courses so that you have a solid background before entering the lubricant industry. The greatest opportunities are in the energy and manufacturing sectors.
This field is full of older people, so it would be a good industry for a younger person to target.
Study hard and get certified.
The future of tribology and lubrication will rely on coatings and nanostructured surfaces. It would help to learn more things in material science, surface analysis and nanotechnology.
Energy, robotics and aerospace.
Take a business class (marketing, finance or economics), look for a mentor and write papers for classes in your chosen area while still in school.
Keep an open mind about our industry! There are plenty of intellectually challenging positions for chemists outside of the pharmaceutical industry.
Automotive and power transmission.
There seems to be a growing need for those who understand lubrication reliability engineering. Of course, there also will be a steady need for those interested in lab analysis and product formulations.
Aerospace and medical implants hold a lot of potential.
Definitely anything to do with fuels and fuel efficiency.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Study hard. Be open to change. Look into the transportation industry. First pursue a job with an industry where you can be involved with the maintenance of machinery. Here you will achieve a gut level knowledge of the real problems friction and wear present to industry. Next try to get a position with a lubricant manufacturer to get a slant on the view of solution providers.
Great opportunities exist with green lubrication.
I would advise an engineering or chemistry student to pursue opportunities in the research and development parts of the organization they are considering. I do believe there are many opportunities in the oil, chemical and gas industries.
If you are detail oriented and interested in helping the environment (more efficient machinery) and the economy (more manufacturing jobs due to higher efficiencies), this is the industry for you.
The energy- and transportation-related fields are likely to offer significant levels of opportunity for many years.
Develop your communication techniques. Be able to speak and to write clearly. Be an excellent listener.
Obtain really good specialist training from outside the limited university programs. All industries are relevant.
The lubricants world is changing, and new environmental and performance requirements are constantly evolving. The need for qualified technical people in all areas of tribology is constantly growing. The greatest opportunities will be found in industrial lubricants, environmentally friendly lubricants, nanotribology and medical tribology.
Pursue internship opportunities with a passion. Work with end-users and maintenance professionals to combine book and practical knowledge.
Manufacturing, lubricants R&D and lubricant production are all fertile areas for careers in lubrication/tribology.
I would recommend that he or she try to enroll in an institution that has some type of a tribology program. I would pursue a position in the manufacturing sector.
Get your master’s or doctorate degree. Automotive lubrication will continue to expand technically as fuel economy standards continue to increase.
As technology advances, operations become smaller and more efficient. Nanotribology is poised to grow exponentially in the near future.
Make sure your chemistry degree is American Chemical Society certified, especially if you are attending a liberal arts college and receive a bachelor’s in chemistry. Biology, forensic chemistry, environmental science, etc., (not chemistry or engineering) may only get you in a job at the technician level, and in some companies it is very difficult to rise. Our industry remains male dominated, and there are pros and cons to that.
You have to love what you do and think about the fact that availability of jobs in this field is highly dependent of your location. The sector with the greatest opportunity varies with the geographical location. Good bets, however, are the oil and gas, mining, manufacturing and food industries.
Take all the organic and inorganic chemistry courses you can. Start as a lab technician and work your way up to either a formulation chemist or a salesman. Either way, you will have a solid background.
Chemistry students—watch out. Your skills are seriously undervalued versus engineers. So much so, in fact, that it borders on discrimination. Who is better at understanding and developing additives, a chemist or an engineer? So why does my company favor engineers?
Obtain as much practical experience, either through an internship, mentoring or volunteer programs to gain knowledge of the industry. Obtain CLS and MLT certifications. It is likely that the power generation sector will continue to see changes with wind turbine technology and gas turbine power generating facilities expanding while coal power plants decline.
In the next 5-10 years, do you think manufacturing concerns worldwide will face a critical shortage of people with lubrication-engineer job skills?
Yes
56%
No
31%
Don’t know
13%
Based on responses sent to 13,000 readers.
Please provide one tip or strategy to help a college graduate land a position with an STLE-member company.
Put special emphasis on your transferable skills. Think about what your academic training has given you that will enable you to succeed in the industry.
Understand the business as well as technical aspects of the opportunity. The most successful tribologists understand the products, testing, applications, customers and industry and can communicate throughout the supply chain.
Know the current hot project areas in the field and any projected business areas where growth is expected.
Seek summer internship opportunities.
Demonstrate leadership capabilities.
Learn the mechanical and chemistry sides.
Become involved in STLE, as well as other related groups.
Obtain demonstrable practical expertise on specific/critical machineries.
Networking is key. If you have interned at a company, use your contacts from the internship. If you have not interned, use your professor’s help, your school alumni directory and your school’s job office to help create a networking base.
Develop knowledge of the conventional tests and methods and a curiosity about the end-use for the products.
Try to begin to understand how the lubricant industry operates by learning more about the key associations such as STLE and the member companies working with STLE. Start to develop a network of contacts as you are doing this because networking is the key to your success as you enter and work in the lubricant industry.
A summer research project or internship with focus on tribology or lubricants would help a lot in discussing job opportunities with STLE members.
Go to an STLE local section meeting and also try to find a part-time/summer/Christmas job in the industry. QC technician positions are a great entry into technical service and R&D positions.
Spend time reading issues of
Lubes ‘N’ Greases. (TLT is a great technical magazine, but
Lubes ‘N’ Greases will introduce them to the business side of the lubricants industry.)
Do some research ahead of time about the company you’re interviewing with. It is easy to do today with the Internet.
Be willing to learn outside of your area of expertise.
Do not limit your training/studies to that offered by your university or STLE.
Be proactive when choosing summer jobs and internships. Demonstrate direct mechanical accomplishment and experiences to get people’s attention when you graduate. Experience begins long before you graduate.
Starting out, don’t be afraid of where you might be assigned and relate this to your prospective employer.
Keep relevant with the number of job search sites that are available to stay informed on the positions that are being offered in the area of expertise studied.
Find out if an STLE-member company is a good fit for you! If it is, your enthusiasm to work will never diminish.
One must show interest and do a lot of self-study, combined with practical exposure toward been recognized as a potential member of an STLE-type of enterprise.
Have a positive, confident attitude when presenting yourself.
If there is a local STLE chapter near you, attend a meeting to start networking.
Develop excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Learn about the company, its products and the basics of what they do before the interview.
Graduate degrees are increasingly the norm.
Take courses in analytical chemistry because these skills are very useful in lube development and evaluation of in-service lubes, and few engineers have strong hands-on experience in this useful subject.
Be clean and articulate. Social graces are in rare supply these days.
Research the company and send a letter showing your knowledge of and interest in them to land an interview.
Be willing to learn and accept entry-level positions.
Get any type of experience in the industry, even if it means starting from the ground and working your way up.
Be involved with research early in your college career. Simply ask your professors if there is anything you can help with.
In the next 5-10 years, do you think the lubricants industry worldwide will face a critical shortage of people with lubrication-engineer job skills?
Yes
60%
No 2
9%
Don’t know
11%
Based on responses sent to 13,000 readers.
Editor’s Note: Sounding Board is based on an e-mail survey of 13,000 TLT readers. Views expressed are those of the respondents and do not reflect the opinions of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. STLE does not vouch for the technical accuracy of opinions expressed in Sounding Board, nor does inclusion of a comment represent an endorsement of the technology by STLE.