CHEMICAL PROCESS ENGINEERING COACHING, MENTORING, COUNSELING OR TRAINING?

Have you ever asked yourself what you must do to work, shift or improve your career in chemical process engineering and plant design? Or have a successful career?

Let me tell you that in the first 10 years of my career, I hadn’t done this kind of question to myself. Although I did a specialization in Chemical Process Engineering and another in Reliability Engineering, in those years, I did not know how to drive my career. However, everything changed around 2018 when I became aware of personal development subject.

In my point of view, personal development is the main drive to build a successful career. But what is a successful career? For me is shifting from being employed in December 2017, to receiving an invitation to do 4 months of chemical process engineering consultancy in Shanghai/China in 2018, being invited to do a consultancy in an Energy Company in Brazil in 2019, and becoming a employ for the same company in 2020, and finally, move from Brazil to France in 2023 to fill a position as a chemical process engineer in a big Licensor for Oil&Gas, Refining and Renewable process.

That is my journey, but with personal development, I am pretty sure you can plan yours and find what a successful career is for you.

DIFFERENT WAYS

There are different ways to start your personal development in chemical process engineering and plant design. For sure, having someone to support you is the fastest way. But what kind of assistance should you look for?

Depending on your choice, you can get it through books, training, podcasts, seminars, one one-on-one meetings, group meetings and so on. Let’s start with the basics. Clarify what is coaching, mentoring, counseling and training.

COACHING

Coaches endeavor to enhance the performance and well-being of individuals or groups by establishing goals, delving into values and beliefs, and devising action plans. Rather than offering direct advice or instructions, they primarily employ questioning techniques to foster self-awareness and self-guided learning. Coaches do not need expertise in the coachee’s specific field; in fact, their lack of familiarity can promote neutrality and lead to more open-ended inquiries.

MENTORING

Mentoring involves an experienced professional consistently providing guidance to a less experienced professional. Mentors serve as professional guides, offering insights and addressing queries from their mentees. The main purpose of mentoring is to help develop the career path of an individual and help them succeed in their role. If a person has a mentor to turn to for help, they will be able to complete tasks properly and effectively. Mentor-mentee relationships can evolve into friendships over time, lasting for years.

Reference: The Difference Between Coaching and Mentoring

COUNSELING

Counseling entails offering emotional support and guidance to assist individuals in addressing various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and work-related stress. With a deep understanding of empathy, counselors respect and comprehend the perspectives of others. However, they refrain from issuing directives or imposing deadlines for overcoming challenges, recognizing that the journey varies for each individual.

Reference: The Difference between Coaching vs Mentoring vs Counselling

TRAINING

Training involves the transfer of knowledge from trainer to trainee, inherently possessing a hierarchical aspect. At its essence, training revolves around the notion of “I have a set of skills I aim for you to improve upon, and I will guide you in acquiring them.” Training is typically structured, formal, frequently conducted in group settings, and relies on instructing rather than eliciting feedback. It serves as a platform for learning and experimentation with new skills.

Reference: What kind of help do I need?

I hope you have a clear vision of what coaching, mentoring, counseling and training are. It will help you to identify what best fits your needs. For instance, some questions that can be answered in a mentoring session:

What industrial books should I read to get the said niche knowledge? Could you suggest a few names?
Can you please help me to find any opportunity in Chemical process and plant design?
I am looking for a sponsorship to move to France, I have been working in piping engineer (design and process), Could you help with this?
I want to ask, do you have some study case with its discussion regarding chemical engineering or know any website that contains free training with a certificate for chemical engineering?

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